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Desdemona Sands is a series of shoals on the Columbia
River just north of the main channel.
The area gets its name from the bark Desdemona.
The sands had traditionally been called Chinook Sands.
On New Year's Day 1857, the ship's captain tried to cross
the Columbia River bar without a pilot - having been promised
a new suit if he could enter the Columbia by January 1.
The ship ran aground on the bar. The cargo was saved,
but the ship was lost, and one salvager was drowned.
The Desdemona Sands Lighthouse was first lit in December
1901 to replace the
Point Adams light.
The Carl Leick-designed structure was identical to
Semiahmoo Bay in Washington - a residence with
rooftop tower built on pilings. The station
housed a fog signal and fourth-order Fresnel lens
48 feet above sea level. The station had a water cistern
for gathering fresh water, and a small boat to reach
the mainland. The station was for keepers only -
families lived on shore.
In 1934, the station received electricity from the shore,
making the keeper's position redundant. The
station was dismantled and replaced by a minor aid placed on a
small pyramidal structure. This was replaced again in 1955.
The light was finally extinguished in 1965.
Umbrella Guide to Oregon Lighthouses, Nelson pp. 83-85
Oregon's Seacoast Lighthouses, Gibbs pp. 217-221
Lighthouses Northwest - the Designs of Carl Leick, Aliberti p. 14
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