North Head Light

North Head Light stands north of the Columbia River mouth at Cape Disappointment, Ilwaco. The U.S. Coast Guard history page lists the station established in 1898, the current tower first lit in 1898, operational, automated in 1961, a foundation of dressed stone and timber, construction of dressed stone with brick lining, a conical white tower with a red roof, and an original first-order Fresnel lens in 1898.

The Cape Disappointment National Register nomination explains why the tower exists. The 1856 Cape Disappointment light could not be seen well from the north. When North Head was finished, the first-order lens moved to the new tower and a fourth-order light went into the old one, which then served as a harbor beacon. Land for both lights was reserved from the military reservation in 1859 and 1893.

The Coast Guard Light List places the light at 46°17′56.064″ N, 124°04′40.732″ W. NPS visitor pages for Cape Disappointment State Park treat North Head and Cape Disappointment lights together as aids on the Columbia River Bar. The sources below are U.S. Coast Guard and National Park Service pages.