johnfletcherford

"The North Head Lighthouse was built in response to a marked increase in the number of shipwrecks along the Peninsula as mariners coming from the north could not see the Cape Disappointment light" – located two miles to the south.

North Head Light was completed in 1898 – three years after this photograph was taken.

Property markers at North Head Light bear the initials LHE, for Lighthouse Establishment, the original name for the government body overseeing lighthouses in the United States.

North Head Light – Then and now (100+ years later)

"North Head, site (1895)" by John Fletcher Ford



"North Head Lighthouse (2007)" by Scott McDermott

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse – Then and now

Completed in 1856, the 53 ft. Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was given a black stripe in the early 1990s to distinguish it from the 65 ft. North Head Lighthouse, located two miles to the North.(1.) Both lighthouses are located within the Cape Disappointment State Park.

In 1788, British fur trader John Meares named the area "Cape Disappointment" after his inability to locate the mouth of the Columbia River.(2.)


"Cape Disappointment Light (2008)" by Paddrick



"Cape Disappointment Light (1910)" by John Fletcher Ford

 

And check out Wikipedia for more info on the lighthouse

More info on "springboards":

"Logging - Springboard Marks" by KQEDquest


"Hikers in Samuel P. Taylor will find the occasional redwood stump etched with divots. Loggers would cut these slots through the foot-thick bark (now worn away) and into the wood to hold springboards they would stand on when sawing through the tree's enormous trunk, which could be 15 or 16 feet across. Often the base of the tree was made of knotty burls that were difficult to cut through, so loggers would raise their cut several feet above the burls, making their task easier."

Thanks for the information-- something I was curious about as well!

I like all pictures you show for us! (sorry for my bad english)

I'm glad you enjoy them! We have lots to share and some great ones coming in the spring. Make sure you check out our other Flickr page and the OSU Libraries Digital Collections page for more great pictures.

Great old pics! Do you have any of lumberjacks using axes to fell trees? I'd like to use them as I tell a story about a competition between an old and a younf lumberjack.