Desdemona Sands Light

Desdemona Sands Light is an octagonal wooden lighthouse that stood at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon, built on a pile foundation. The structure was equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens to guide ships through this crucial waterway.

The lighthouse was built in 1901 to replace the earlier Point Adams Light at this challenging river entrance. It remained active until its deactivation in 1965 when newer navigation aids made this location less essential for maritime safety.

The lighthouse takes its name from the bark Desdemona, which ran aground on the shoals in 1857 and gave the area its name. Visitors can still trace this maritime incident through the place name that survives today.

The lighthouse was accessible only by water and had no residential facilities for staff and their families. Visitors planning to reach this location should know that water access is essential and conditions depend on river and tide circumstances.

The structure had a cistern system for collecting fresh water, which highlighted its isolation from the mainland. In 1933 it also received electrical power through a submarine cable, a remarkable technical achievement for that time.

Location: Clatsop County

Inception: 1901

GPS coordinates: 46.22528,-123.95361

Latest update: December 14, 2025 09:41