Umpqua River Light stands at the mouth of the Umpqua River on Winchester Bay, where a reliable beacon was vital for coastal travel and inland access. An earlier lighthouse, built in 1855 and lit in 1857, stood on an eroding sand embankment and collapsed in 1863 after flooding undermined its foundations. Congress approved a replacement in 1888, and the present tower, begun in 1892 and first lit in 1894, was built on higher ground and made visible from the sea. Its rotating Fresnel lens, once powered by clockwork, was restored in 1985 after public opposition to replacing it, and the lighthouse remains active and historically significant.