Willapa

Bay

 Lighthouse

1858

 

Picture donated by the

Pacific County Historical Society & Museum

   Willapa Bay Lighthouse succumbed  to the forces of nature and the sea on December 26th 1940. Since then, several lights have replaced the lighthouse, each one further inland.  The current automated light is 3/4 of a mile form where the lighthouse once stood.

  Willapa Lighthouse was first known as Shoalwater Bay until the 1890's when the local citizens changed the name to Willapa, after the Willapa Indians. They felt Shoalwater was not a fitting name for a port entrance.

The lighthouse stood 28 miles north of the Columbia River.  Built in a Cape-Cod style, the tower stood 42 feet high from a base of New England marble.  The first light displayed on October 1, 1858 was a forth order Fresnel lens.