136- The Lighthouses of Cape Disappointment

The History Of The Evergreen State

What would become Cape Disappointment State Park was witness to ships destined for Portland and Astoria long before lighthouses were ever built there. During the day, ships would navigate through the tall waves and shifting sandbars by focusing on white flags and notched trees along the shoreline, and at night, they would watch flickering signal fires.
The sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula and the mouth of the Columbia River became renowned as "The Graveyard of the Pacific" despite valiant efforts, but these approaches were at best rudimentary to say the least.
The lighthouses of Cape Disappointment are favorite visitor stops throughout both the winter and the summer. There are 750 lighthouses that protect American coastlines, two of which are these historic beacons. The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, which was finished in 1856, directs ships entering the Columbia River mouth from the south. Completed in 1898, the North Head Lighthouse has guided sailors coming from the north for a century. In 1939, both lights were placed under the control of the United States Coast Guard.
Listen now to learn more about two of the most iconic lighthouses in the Evergreen State!
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