Cape Disappointment WA

A cape on the mouth's north side marks the entrance to the Columbia River. Named "Kah'eese" by the local Indians, it received its current name from Captain John Meares. On July 6, 1788, Meares sought shelter from a turbulent sea but to no avail. He named the cape, "Cape Disappointment."

The weather at Cape Disappointment is quite changeable.  Winds have been frequently clocked above 100 miles per hour here.  This day was cloudy, and clear, windy and calm, sunny and dark all within our one hour visit! 

 

After Cape Disappointment Light Station was established in 1858 to mark the entrance to the Columbia River, mariners approaching the river from the north complained they could not see the light until they had nearly reached the river. Their cry for an additional lighthouse was supported by the many shipwrecks, which occurred along the Long Beach Peninsula, just north of the cape. Construction of North Head Lighthouse, seen above, began in 1896. The tower is brick masonry with a cement plaster overlay built on a sandstone foundation. 69 steps lead to the lantern room, which is 65 feet from the ground and 194 feet above sea level. The first-order Fresnel lens, which came from Cape Disappointment, was lit for the first time on May 16, 1898. 

Since the light is only two miles north of Cape Disappointment, North Head needed a distinct signature. North Head shone a fixed white light, while Cape Disappointment alternated red and white flashes. 

This is a view looking northward from Cape Disappointment toward Long Beach WA.  As far as the photo can show, one can see the surf breaking against what the Chamber of Commerce calls the World's Longest Beach.  It is 28 miles to Ledbetter Point and the entrance to Willapa Bay.  Interestingly the beach is "hard sand" and is driveable by car for its entire length.

There are two buildings like this in the state park which were originally used by the lighthouse keeper and his assistant and their families.  Beautifully restored, they are available for rent if you care to spend a summer vacation in a very picturesque spot. 

 

I wish I knew more about native plants and wildflowers.  These grow along the roadsides and also are seen in white.  They grow on a tall stem with pretty little bell-shaped flower petals

 

The Columbia River travels more than 1200 miles, merging with rivers and streams, until it meets the Pacific Ocean. The force of the Columbia flowing into the sea creates one of the most treacherous bars in the world.

There are 234 identified ships that stranded, sunk, or burned between 1725 and 1961 near the mouth of the river.  So the need for a lighthouse was evident very early.

A white flag placed on top of the cape was originally used to mark the river entrance. Then three prominent spruce trees growing at the cape\'s summit were topped to mark the point. A ship would take a bearing on the trees from five miles offshore, then head for the southerly tip of the cape to navigate through the deepest part of the river. 

Eventually Cape Disappointment Light Station was recommended in 1848, one of the first eight on the West Coast. In 1852, funds were appropriated to build it.

Cape Disappointment State Park is situated on the former site of Fort Canby, a military post with gun emplacements to protect the entrance to the Columbia River.  This is the remains of a gun mount which has been filled with concrete.  Somehow the gun was designed to recoil downward into the circular pit after it was fired.

The first guns arrived in 1862 and the fort was finally decommissioned in 1957.  The fort never fired its guns at an enemy ship, but in 1942 a Japanese submarine fired on (and missed) Fort Stevens across the river in Oregon.  

 

These bright red berries grow on small bushes or trees, but again I do not know what they are.