Located 20 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River and 1 1/2 miles offshore lies Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. It was built in 1881 and, at that time, was the most expensive lighthouse ever built – $3,000,000 in today’s dollars. Construction began by blasting off 4600 cubic yards of rock in order to make a level surface. Under extremely difficult conditions, it took 575 days to build. Due to high operating costs, the lighthouse was replaced by a lighted buoy in 1957. In 1980 it was converted to a columbarium (stores ashes) but that operation failed in 1999. It is now a haven for sea birds.The first photo is dated 1890.
