Life at Cape Flattery Lighthouse

Ten years later Captain John Meares controlled to confirm the lifestyles of the Strait of Juan de Fuca while he visited a small island that sits approximately a 1/2 mile off Cape Flattery. There he met Tatooche, chief of the Makah Indians. He named the island after Chief Tatooche. The chief used the island as his base at some stage in summers while he hunted whales and stuck salmon.

The Makah Indians were quite angry with the white those who purchased their land and gave the development group a antagonistic reception. This become because numerous hundred of the Indians had been killed by way of an outbreak of smallpox in 1853 brought on by way of the ailment bearing "Bostons". During the summer time the Indians endured to apply the island for fishing and whale hunting. In order to guard themselves the development group built a blockhouse of difficult-hewn timbers earlier than they began creation on the lighthouse. There was continually one member of the crew on defend responsibility but there have been no extra problems with the Indians apart from some lacking tools and supplies.

On December 28, 1857 the first-order Louis Sauter Fresnel lens mild was first illuminated within the sixty-six foot tower of Cape Flattery lighthouse. This tower was taller than maximum of the Cape-Cod-Style lighthouses. Its white mild had a focal plane 162 ft above the ocean. Cape Flattery lighthouse was the fourteenth established on the west coast.

The pay for a lighthouse keeper was terrible and the weather situations were miserable.Inflicting many keepers to renounce. In 1861 there was a tourist to the island who noticed the rundown condition of the lighthouse. He noticed the leaky roof and the moss developing on inner partitions. Wind even blew throughout the chimney causing smoke to invade the residing quarters. The keepers have been furnished with extra gas and the district engineer turned into commanded to find a permanent solution.

In 1873, after numerous years of deplorable conditions and inept keepers, the lighthouse residing become declared "now not match to be occupied" because the walls were moldy all 12 months long. Congress appropriated $18,000 to build a brand new duplex with six rooms on each side. The rooms inside the lighthouse which had been previously keepers quarters were now being used for garage.

Some very thrilling matters passed off on this island. Francis James become the primary fundamental keeper. One day he have become irritated with an assistant and threw coffee in his face. The  guys determined to settle the argument with a gunfight. They took three photographs at every different, referred to as it a draw and shook arms. Later, another assistant confessed to doing away with the bullets.

Due to the "frollicking" nature of the bachelor keepers it changed into decided that keepers with households had been greater dependable and in 1894, with families coming onto the island, it turned into decided that extra residing area became wanted. And the lighthouse changed into once again made livable.

October 27,1900 assistant keeper Nels Nelson and Frank Reif misplaced their lives in a small boat at some point of a typhoon. Their our bodies were located over per week later on Vancouver Island.

In 1900 John W Cowan and his wife and seven children arrived on the lighthouse and stayed on for 32 years experiencing many thrilling times. The youngsters attended faculty in Portland whilst staying with loved ones. They spent the summers at domestic at the island with their parents. Eventually there were enough kids on the island to warrant a faculty.

On February 18, 1911 Cowan saw a vessel suffering in indignant seas among Tatoosh Island and Neah Bay. He became capable of rescue  army radio men, however became not able to save 3 others including his very own son Forrest.

There is a tale, not proven, that a seventy-mile-per-hour gale hit the island in 1921. It blew Mr. Cowan throughout the island for approximately three hundred toes while he clung to flora earlier than crawling to protection. The family's bull become indexed as "lost at sea". Everyone become very amazed and plied him with extra rations while he swam ashore.

The Cowan circle of relatives turned into clearly lots cherished. When they left the island after retiring in September of 1932 their fellow islanders had been in tears.

Second Assistant Keeper Ole Rasmussen turned into some other casualty whilst returning to the island in a small boat. Heavy swells capsized his craft and he turned into struck in the head.

The climate station was closed in 1966. 1977 introduced automation of the mild station. A contemporary beacon become installed to replace the tower's Fresnel lens in 1996

The Makah Indian Tribe now controls the decommissioned Cape Flattery Lighthouse and the island.

It is nicely well worth the trip to drive to Neah Bay, get out of the car and hike the o.Seventy five miles to the end of the cape where you could view Tatoosh Island and the lighthouse. This occurs to be the western maximum point within the continental US.