The lighthouse at Cape Meares marks the entrance to Tillamook Bay. When the region was surveyed to identify a lighthouse site, both Cape Meares and Cape Lookout, ten miles south, were investigated. Cape Meares was selected as it was easier to supply and lower in elevation, making it less susceptible to the fog of the Oregon Coast.

There have been stories that the lighthouse was actually built in the wrong location. The lighthouse was in fact built where it was intended. The confusion lies in the name "Cape Lookout." In 1788 Captain John Meares marked the area on his charts as Cape Lookout. However, in 1850 and again in 1853 the U.S. Coast Survey placed the name Cape Lookout on a point ten miles south of the original Cape Lookout. When the error was discovered, it was decided that Cape Lookout was now associated with the new location by too many mariners to change it back. Thus the original Cape Lookout was dubbed Cape Meares.

The lighthouse was authorized in 1886, and first lit in 1890. The 38-foot tower stood high above the sea - putting the light 216 feet above sea level. Two keeper's dwellings and a barn were built inland of the light, and linked to the lighthouse by a 1000-foot boardwalk. The tower exterior was covered with iron plates. Due to the cape's exposure to the ocean, the plates would require frequent painting by the future keepers. The tower housed a first-order Fresnel lens created by Henry Lepaute of Paris. Two oil houses were built east of the tower. A workroom adjacent to the tower was added in 1895. No fog signal was built at the station.

The light received electricity in 1934, and the oil houses were removed. The lighthouse was automated in 1963. The light was replaced by a small automated beacon atop a small concrete building near the lighthouse. In 1964, the Coast Guard planned to tear down the lighthouse. Although the workroom was removed, opposition from local residents saved the tower. Instead, the lighthouse was turned over to Tillamook County. After the Coast Guard left, the station was vacant until 1968. During this time, vandals damaged the lighthouse and residences. Four of the bullseyes from the Fresnel lens were stolen.

Finally, the lighthouse was turned over to the Oregon State Parks Department in 1968. The decaying residences were torn down, and the grounds were opened to the public. The lighthouse was restored - a new workroom was built, and three of the bullseyes were recovered. Visitors were again allowed to enter the tower in 1980.

In 2003, a $310,000 restoration project began at Cape Meares to repair serious water damage to the lighthouse tower. (The above photo is from the restoration.)

References (see links)

Oregon's Seacoast Lighthouses, Gibbs pp. 161-163, 167-168
Umbrella Guide to Oregon Lighthouses, Nelson pp. 55-57, 60-61
Lighthouses of the Oregon Coast (video)
The Keeper's Log Summer 2003