1873 — Point Adams, south side of the entrance to Columbia River, Oregon.— The site for the light-house and steam fog-signal to be erected at this place has been selected by the district officers. The plans have been prepared and the machinery has been shipped from the East. The fog signal may be in operation by early spring of 1874, and the light exhibited by November following.

1874 - Point Adams, south side of the entrance to Columbia River, Oregon.— The site for the light-house and steam fog-signal to be erected at this place has been selected by the district officers, and a survey of the locality made. Proposals for their construction were invited, and the contract awarded to the lowest bidder. It is expected to complete the station by the 1st of November.

1875 – Point Adams, south side of the entrance to the Columbia River, Oregon.—The light-house at this station has been completed. The structure is a low, square tower, rising from the keeper's dwelling, and is built of wood. The necessary building and the cistern for a 12-inch steam fog-whistle have also been erected. The light was exhibited and the signal operated, both for the first time, on the night of the 15th of February. The grounds have been partially graded, cleared of heavy timber and brush, and a road constructed from the station to connect with one leading to the Government wharf at the military post at Fort Stevens. The only work still required is a cistern near the dwelling for the use of the keepers.

1877 – Point Adams light-station, entrance to Columbia River, Oregon.— A new cistern with a capacity of 5,000 gallons has been built in connection with the keeper's dwelling; minor repairs have been made to the buildings, the boiler of the fog-signal has been repaired, and about 8 acres of land inclosed. By direction of the Secretary of War, 40 acres of the military reservation have been set off for light house purposes.

1879 – Point Adams, mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon.—The cistern proving inadequate to the wants of the fog-signal, the old man-holes in the wall were bricked up, the walls cemented on the inside up to the top, and man-holes arranged through the watershed. A sand-fence of boards to protect the dwelling and watershed of the cistern against sand-drifts has been built on the beach. It is 240 feet long, 10 feet high, and made sand-tight by nailing the boards with close joints; the posts are well sunken into the sand and are strongly braced in the rear. A wooden stable was built, and all the buildings were painted.

1880 – Point Adams, south of and near the entrance to the Columbia River sea-coast of Oregon.—The dwelling and outbuildings were much damaged in January. The storm-shutters on the first floor of the keeper's dwelling were torn off, and water entering one of the rooms by the windows so saturated the ceiling as to cause the plastering to fall, and the sheathing of the tower, above the roof of the dwelling, was so disarranged as to require its total renewal. The sand rows on the beach in front of the station gradually increased in height during the year, and at times during heavy southwesterly weather, and sand drifted over the sand-fence and was piled by the wind, in deep layers, upon the fog-signal shed, causing the cisterns to fill up. To arrest the sand-movement, the sand fence was extended and raised, and for the present the trouble is removed. It may, however, be expected that the sand will continue to accumulate, and will require careful watching to prevent its completely covering the grounds. The presence of timber does not seem to act as a barrier to its advance, for just south of the station, where the trees are high and the undergrowth dense, large extents of dunes are found for many hundred feet inside of the timber's edge. The road, connecting the reservation with the government landing at Fort Stevens, was repaired. The three bridges, which spanned the small intervening streams, were raised so as to place the roadway above the level of the highest known freshets. The station was painted during the year, and it is now in thorough repair. The Hains mineral-oil lamps were substituted in June for those previously used. The fog-signal was operated 340 hours, in the aggregate, during the year.

1881 – Point Adams, south of and near the entrance to the Columbia. River, Oregon.—On the exhibition of the light on Tillamook Rock, on January 21, this light was changed from a flashing red and white to a fixed red, and the fog-signal was discontinued, in accordance with the Notice to Mariners dated December 15, 1880. The boiler and machinery of the fog-signal are in store at the buoy-depot, and will hereafter be used as a duplicate signal at one of the existing stations. This station is on the open beach, with long stretches of sand areas on either side, and the sand has drifted in large masses in front of and around the keepers' dwelling, during the heavy southerly weather of the winter to an embarrassing extent. No height or alignment of sand-fences has yet proved effectual in checking or diverting it. A fence on the south side, to protect the station during southerly storms, only invites drifts during northerly storms, and vice versa. It is probable that security can be obtained by removing all fences and unnecessary outbuildings, so that the dunes formed by winds from one direction may be dissipated by winds from the reverse direction. The fog-signal was operated 106 hours during the year. The station was repainted in July.

1882 – Point Adams, south of and near the entrance to the Columbia River, Oregon.—A fence for the protection of the station against drifting sands was built about 100 feet seaward of the light-house, near the edge of the bank and parallel to the direction of the prevailing winds. It is 700 feet long by 9 feet high, made tight by nailing boards closely; the posts are set deep in the sand, and strongly braced in the rear; a hood projects 2 feet on the storm side. The old sand fences, which were in parts and oblique to the wind direction, had proved inadequate and were removed. Material was sent to this station, with which the keeper partly rebuilt 1,200 feet of pasture fence, and the needed minor repairs were made. Eight pounds of mesquite and 8 pounds of blue-grass seed were furnished the keepers, to be sown around and in the immediate vicinity of the light-house, so that its growth would hold the sand in place. The seed was sown in April, during a calm drizzling rain, but, up to June 30, no signs of growth appeared.

1884 – Point Adams, on a low sand ridge 1 mile south of Point Adams, Oregon.—The willows which were planted on the shore south of the station as a sand barrier, not having sprouted, a thick wall of brush 10 feet high was built on the line of the willow hedge for the same purpose. A sand barrier of brush was built extending south 300 feet from the end of the board sand fence. A ditch about 1,500 feet in length and from 1 to 3 feet deep was made to drain a marsh in the rear of the buildings, reclaiming about 8 acres of excellent land for pasture and garden purposes. The old fog-signal building was removed, being in danger of destruction by sand drifting against and over it. A section 16 by 20 feet in size was cut off, moved to the vicinity of the barn, and fitted up for a storeroom and workshop; the part fitted up for an oil-room was also cut off, moved to and connected with the storehouse, making a new building 16 by 30 feet in size. The remainder of the old building was taken down and the serviceable lumber piled up in a safe place, and various other repairs were made. The station is in fair condition.

1885 – Point Adams, on a low sand-ridge 1 mile south of Point Adams, Oregon.—The drifting sands cause much damage. Efforts were made to start a growth of vegetation to hold the sand and prevent its displacement by the wind. The plant mostly used is a very hardy sandgrass found in the locality, which sends out roots in different directions a few inches below the surface, and at short intervals along the root tufts of the grass grow up with reed like blades 8 to 10 inches high. Small bunches of the grass with the roots were gathered and transplanted thickly over the sands, mostly in rows alternating with rows of willow brush. Young sprouts 10 to 12 inches high of a variety of pine tree found in adjacent sand plains were also transplanted over the tract. A small quantity of the seed of a thrifty sand-bush, known as Scotch broom, was sown for trial. Most of the sands fronting the light house tract to near high water line were operated upon. About one-half of the grass planted took root and is growing. All the pine sprouts died, and the Scotch broom seed did not start. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to determine fully the success of the work, but the indications are that some of the growths started will live and will hold the sand in place.

1886 – Point Adams, on a low sand ridge south of Point Adams, Oregon.— Wire fences were put up, extending from existing fences across the sand beach to near high-water line, for keeping cattle from the vegetation started to stop the sand drift. The outer ends of these fences were connected, and a sand barrier was made by building a log fence, 5 feet to 6 feet high, near the high-water line, from material gathered on the beach. A fence was built along the sea front of the reservation and on the, south side of the sand ridge, to replace the fences destroyed last winter by extraordinary high tides. It is of rough pickets, made of material obtained from beach drift. Logs are piled against the foot of the fence on both sides. The road from the light-house to the Fort Stevens road was thoroughly repaired. The station is in fair condition.

1887 – 645. Point Adams, on a low sand ridge south of Point Adams, sea-coast of Oregon.—In June the light-house reservation lines were re-run and marked. A fence was erected, consisting of three strands of barbed-wire with a board at the top, extending along the east boundary and along the north and south boundaries from the east line and made to connect with the present fences.

1888 – Point Adams, on a low sand ridge south of Point Adams, seacoast of Oregon.—A ditch was dug 1,090 feet long, to drain the pasture. About 500 yards of brush sand-barrier were constructed. The illuminating apparatus was overhauled. Some 1,000 shingles were sent to the station to be used as needed.

1891 – Point Adams, Oregon.—A barn was built by contract for $500, the plastering of the dwelling was repaired, and new front steps were built.

1895 -— Fort Stevens light and fog signal, mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon.—Since the commencement of the jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River, and up to the present time, it has been the practice to blow the steam whistles of the hoisting engines on Fort Stevens wharf during fogs in response to any steamer sounding its whistle and trying to find its way along the channels, and this has been a great assistance to navigation. When the jetty is completed and the hoisting engines have been removed, which will be done by, say, October 1, 1895, a fog signal located near this wharf will be a necessity to navigation. A suitable harbor light is also needed at this point. When the Point Adams light is discontinued, the lens, together with the other property at that station, can be used in the establishment of a light-station at Fort Stevens. It is estimated that the cost of establishing this new station, including all buildings, machinery, etc., needed, will be about $11,000, and it is recommended that an appropriation of this amount be made therefor.

1896 -1037. Point Adams, Oregon.—The sundry civil appropriation act approved June 11, 1896, appropriated the sum of $11,000 for discontinuing this light and reestablishing it with a fog signal at or near the outer end of the wharf at Fort Stevens, near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon. The ditch along the road leading to the station was cleared out.

1897 – Fort Stevens light and fog signal, mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon.—The sundry civil appropriation act, approved June 11, 1896, appropriated the sum of $11,000 for discontinuing the Point Adams light and reestablishing it with a fog signal at or near the outer end of the wharf at Fort Stevens, near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon. On March 23, 1897, the inspector and engineer of the district visited the locality and selected the site. Nothing has been done toward its acquisition, as it is located upon ground which is in dispute between the War Department and private parties, and is now being settled in the courts. Any other site than the one selected would interfere with the use of the batteries now under construction at this place.

1898 - Point Adams, Oregon — Congress by act approved June 11,1896, appropriated $11,000 for the discontinuing the Point Adams light and reestablishing it with a fog-signal near the outer end of the Fort Stevens wharf, at the mouth of the Columbia River. On March 23, 1897, the site was selected. As this site is located upon ground the title to which is now in dispute between the War Department and private parties and is now being settled in the courts, no work was done upon it Any other site than the one selected would interfere with the use of batteries under construction at this place. It is proposed that instead of this light and fog-signal station a suitable structure be erected near the present position of Buoy No. 3, on Desdemona Sands, at the mouth of the Columbia River, comprising a light-house with a fourth-order light, fog-signal, and dwellings for keepers. It is estimated that the station can be built for $35,000, and recommendation is made that an appropriation of $21,000 be made, and that, in addition, the $11,000 appropriated for Fort Stevens light-station also be made available for this station.

1899 -—. Point Adams, Oregon.—The act approved June 11, 1896, appropriated $11,000 for discontinuing this light and reestablishing it with a fog-signal at or near the outer end of the wharf at Fort Stevens, near the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon. The station was discontinued January 31, 1899, and the illuminating apparatus was stored at the buoy depot.

1900 – Fort Stevens, Oreg.— By the act approved June 6, 1900, the $11,000 appropriated for this station by the act of June 11, 1896, was made available for a light-station at Desdemona Sands, Oregon.

1912 – Lighthouse Service burns the station down.

Keepers:

• Head: Charles W. Tracey (1874 – 1878), Robert M. Lowe (1878 – 1880), J.W. Munson (1880 – 1898), Edmund Bailey (1898 – 1899).
• First Assistant: Moses Rodgers (1875), Charles A. May (1875 – 1876), Robert M. Lowe (1876 – 1878), O.A. Tibbets (1878 – 1879), J.E. Evans (1879 – 1882).
• Second Assistant: Robert J. Granville (1875), John C. Ferrell (1875 – 1876), Frederick Nelson (1876 – 1877), Frederick Holland (1877), O.A. Tibbets (1877 – 1878), Fred H. Sherman (1878 – 1879), James W. Hare (1879 – 1880), John Hogan (1880), J.N. Stark (1880).

No light exists at this location today.

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