Yaquina Bay Light was built in 1871 on 32 acres bought from early settlers Lester and Sophronia Baldwin for $500 in gold, and it was designated as a harbor entrance light equipped with a Fresnel lens. Its original plans were drawn in 1871, but when construction began in May of that year, they were altered to fit the needs of the lighthouse keeper's family. It became Oregon's shortest-lived lighthouse because in 1873 a first order light intended for Cape Foulweather, eight miles north, could not be built there due to difficulties in landing and the lack of road transport, so materials were off-loaded at Yaquina Head and the lighthouse was built there only four miles away. Because the Yaquina Head light was stronger, the government chose to keep it burning and extinguish the light at Yaquina Bay. Yaquina Bay Light was extinguished October 1, 1874, and was never lit again. In 1934, the people of Newport and the Lincoln County Historical Society led the effort to save it from demolition. Oregon State Parks began restoration in 1974, and in 1975 it was once again open to the public. It has been placed on the list of National Historic Places. The Fresnel lens, developed by Augustin Fresnel of France, used a series of prismatic rings to magnify the light and make it visible many miles seaward.