Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Cape Blanco is the most southern of Oregon's lights, and is the westernmost point in Oregon.

Proposed in 1864, it was the first lighthouse in the state outfitted with a first-order Fresnel lens in 1870. 

In a deed recorded in 1867, John D. and Mary West sold the United States a 47.3-acre  tract of land. The Light-House board determined that the offshore reef and islands at Cape Blanco were dangerous to maritime commerce; therefore, a lighthouse was authorized for construction. 

Over the next three years, the lighthouse was constructed under the direction of Lt. Col. Robert Stockton Williamson. Supplies were ordered and shipped to the cape. Bricks were deemed cheaper if made onsite, so a brickmaker was located and a deal was struck with Rancher Patrick Hughes for access to the required materials.

Location: Cape Blanco
State: Oregon
Photographer:  Eadweard Muybridge
Photograph Date:  circa 1871

A note on Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904): The photographer, often called the Father of Motion Picture, was an English photographer who is well known for his use of multiple cameras to capture motion.  In addition to his moving picture studies he was also a talented landscape photographer. 

In 1871 the Lighthouse Board contracted with Muybridge’s studio, Helios, to photograph the lighthouses on the west coast.  From March to July of that year Muybridge traveled on the Lighthouse Tender Shubrick, photographing the west coast lighthouses for the sum of $20 a day.