History

History Site Map

North Lincoln County Historical Museum
4907 SW Hwy 101
Lincoln City, OR 97367
541-996-6614
lincolncity.com/nlchm/

Historical Sites

Dorchester House

Lincoln Statue (Lincoln on horseback reading a book)
2150 NE Oar Place

Drift Creek Covered Bridge
1111 Bear Creek Road, off Hwy 18, one mile off Hwy 18 on Bear Creek Road in Rose Lodge. Open 365 days a year, dawn to dusk.

Memorials
Lincoln City and its neighboring cities observe national holidays and patriotic events.
Memorials and historical markers are located at various locations.
1. Rescuers - dedicated to those who risked their lives to save others, SW 51st St in Taft
2. Pioneers - City Hall
3. Desert Storm Memorial - Gulf War Veterans - Chinook Winds Casino, north of Lincoln City
4. Korean War - ???
5. September 11 - proposed memorial planned for SW 51st St, highlighting friendship with a New York fire station.

Angell Job Corps Urban Forestry pruning project restores historic lighthouse view - Newport
Craig Murk and the Urban Forestry class he teaches at Angell Job Corps in Yachats have restored an historic view of Yaquina Head Lighthouse from Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site in Newport.Yaquina Head Lighthouse is now prominently visible standing tall on its headland only four miles north from any place on the north facing side of Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, including the windows in the dining room, kitchen and upstairs bedrooms.
This historic view was highly visible from the beginning of Yaquina Head Lighthouse construction in 1872 up until at least the 1970's. Craig Murk estimates that the Shore Pines his crew pruned are no older than 40 years old. Some of the trees are now over 40 feet tall and lower branches obscured a view that the original light keeper and family of nine lived with as a daily part of their lives.
The maritime era, dominated by ship travel and commerce, included the construction of two lighthouses in Newport in the 1870's. Yaquina Bay was lit two years before Yaquina Head. Charles and Sara Peirce's family of seven children must have watched with great interest as the thousands of bricks forming Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon's tallest lighthouse, gradually rose up from Yaquina Head, only four miles away. As the lantern was hoisted to the top and the light finally lit in 1873, there must have been feelings of camaraderie and comfort with a "next door neighbor light." Both lights shone together for over a year until Yaquina Bay was extinguished in 1874. The family of lighthouse keepers at Yaquina Bay moved to a lonelier outpost at Cape Blanco Lighthouse near Port Orford, Oregon, leaving behind memories of the unique view and companionship of Newport's other lighthouse.
Preservation of Yaquina Bay Lighthouse included a tremendous amount of restoration work by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in the 1970's. Plantings of trees and native shrubs stabilized the sand dunes and provided a park-like atmosphere. Unfortunately, many of the shrubs and tree branched blocked the view of Yaquina Head. So many visitors to Yaquina Bay include a trip to Yaquina Head on their trip to Newport, that it occurred to many a little pruning was in order. Shore Pines respond well to lower branch pruning and thrive as artistic looking trees all along our coast. Many Shore Pines in our area are attractively pruned and achieve a pleasing natural artistic appearance. An additional advantage to the pruning is the reduction of fire hazard as many of the lower limbs are dead or dying.
The Urban Forestry class at Angell Job Corps is a career opportunity for young arborists to learn skills and a trade in high demand in our growing urban areas in the northwest and elsewhere. Students at the Yachats-based facility have participated in other tree maintenance work at nearby Beverly Beach State Park in Newport and other public facilities. The volunteer Board of Directors of Yaquina Lights, Inc. and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department would like to express appreciation for a job well done and invite visitors to come share the beauty of the newly pruned trees and the restored lighthouse view.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is open to the public daily except on major holidays. Winter hours are now 12 noon to 4 pm. Yaquina Head Lighthouse is in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, operated by the Bureau of Land Management. The Outstanding Natural Area is open daily 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. The Lighthouse is normally open during the winter from 12 noon to 4; however an upcoming restoration of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse will place it off-limits for several months. The organization, Yaquina Lights, Inc., is a non-profit group formed "To aid in the restoration and preservation of Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head Lighthouses and surrounding areas, and to interpret their natural and cultural histories." They assist with and support interpretive projects such as this at both lighthouses, operate interpretive gift stores at both facilities, and have funded many restoration projects at both lighthouses, including the re-lighting of Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in 1996.

-
Mike Rivers
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Visitor ServicesTeam Leader
South Beach State Park
5580 S Coast Hwy
South Beach OR 97366
541-867-7451
fax 541-867-3254
mailto:mike.rivers@state.or.us
http://oregonstateparks.org
http://www.yaquinalights.org
http://www.exploreoregoncoast.org

Site Map