Bullards Beach State Park Preserves Oregon History

Coquille River Lighthouse is located on the north bank of the Coquille River in Bullards Beach State Park, Bandon, Oregon. The government bought several acres for $1,200 to locate a lighthouse and other buildings. In 1896, total cost for construction of the lighthouse, a fog signal, and station buildings, including the keeper’s house, was $50,000. Said house, a duplex, was located 650 feet away from the lighthouse. Each side of the house provided a kitchen, dining room, sitting room, and three bedrooms for each of the keepers and their families.

Note The Fog Over The River

The lighthouse, constructed of brick and covered in stucco, was built to provide navigational aid to ships carrying timber. Originally the lantern room housed a fourth-order lens which provided a fixed white light. 

In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard took over responsibility from the Light House Service. Thereafter, they decommissioned the Coquille River Lighthouse after having made improvements to the river channel and other navigational aids. The keeper’s house was disassembled and the lighthouse abandoned. 

For twenty-four years, the vacated lighthouse was vandalized and neglected until officials at the Bullards Beach State Park took over responsibility. In 1979, after help from the state of OR and the Army Corps of Engineers, park officials completed restoration of the lighthouse for an interpretive center. The Park staff and volunteers provide guided tours up the 28 steps to the tower lantern room. A solar-powered system atop the 40 foot circular tower operates the light.