Beacon in the Dark

To visit as many other lighthouses in the World as I can!!
I was picked up in Seaside, Oregon after a day of geocaching and my owner decided I should travel.  I am based off a real lightnouse in Florence, Oregon.  
Named after the Spanish Explorer Don Bruno de Heceta, the Heceta Head Lighthouse towers 205 feet above the Pacific Ocean.  This lighthouse is one of our favorites because of the amazing view of the ocean.  This site was purchased in 1889, and five years later on March 30, 1894, the light was lit by Andrew Hald, Heceta Head's first principal keeper.

Unlike a number of the other lighthouses on the Oregon coast, Heceta Head Lighthouse doesn't offer stories of life and death.  Several families had the opportunity to call Heceta Head their home.  The children all attended school together in a single-room, as travel around Heceta Head was somewhat minimal due to its remote location.  However, this all changed soon after the highway was completed between Florence and Yachats in 1932.  Nearby, there is a bridge over Cape Creek and a tunnel that makes its way through the hillside.  A couple years later, electricity finally arrived at the lighthouse and the lamp was replaced with a bulb.

Probably the most excitement for Heceta Head was during World War II, when the Coast Guard sent 75 men to this station to word against prospective Japanese attacks.  Besides that, there really isn't much to tell.  Don't let that stop you from visiting this icon of Oregon's past.  This structure has been renovated and offers an enjoyable afternoon high above the sea.

Heceta Head Lighthouse is above the Lion Caves - 12 miles north of Florence off Highway 101.  Look for the road to Devil's Elbow State Park around milepost 178.  You will have about a half mile walk up a hill from the park.  There is a $3 parking fee.

dogtag attached to a lighthouse ornament