December 18, 2019 10:40 a.m. 
The Umpqua River Lighthouse is getting ready to turn 125 years old.
In commemoration of the event, Douglas County Commissioners have authorized giving it a new coat of paint. The Douglas County Museum in conjunction with the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum, the Museum Foundation and the Douglas County Coastal Museum Advisory Board, are hosting a celebration on New Year’s Eve afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The free event will feature live music, wine tasting, hors d’ oeuvres and showcase a photo gallery of images that were submitted through a photo contest organized by the foundation.
A release from the Museum said the Umpqua River Light was built in 1855 and was illuminated in 1857. The lighthouse is recognized as the first light along the Oregon Coast. Built along the river channel, the first light was vulnerable to seasonal flooding, gale force winds, and violent storms. That led to a rapid erosion of the structure, as well as sand embankment of the light. In January of 1864, after being declared abandoned, the building’s foundations became too unstable and the structure collapsed.
The release said on December 31, 1894, after 4 years of construction, Marinus Stream, the first head keeper of the new Umpqua River Lighthouse, lit the oil lamp inside the tower’s first-order Fresnel lens, beginning the beacon’s career. The lighthouse is a sister facility to the one at Heceta Head. It is 65 feet tall and has a focal plane of 165 feet above sea level. In 1934, a generator building was constructed near the lighthouse, and the station was electrified. The light was finally automated in the 1960s. It is active 24 hours a day and remains as one of the last first-order Fresnel lens’ with red and white beams still operating in the world.
In 2012, The U.S. Coast Guard officially passed control of the operation and maintenance of the facility to Douglas County.