This isolated lighthouse holds at least four Oregon records: it is the oldest continuously operating light, the most westerly, it has the highest focal plane above the sea, (256 feet), and Oregon’s first woman keeper, Mabel E. Bretherton signed on in March 1903.

Cape Blanco’s history is full of shipwrecks and lives saved. One notable shipwreck was the "J.A. Chanslor" (an oil tanker) in 1919. Of the 39 passengers, only 3 survived the collision with an offshore rock.

Cherokee CA        slide show (15)
Around 1818, Spanish explorers discovered gold under Table Mountain, on Cherokee's south side. In 1849, a migrant band of enterprising Cherokee Indians arrived from Oklahoma and panned for the precious metal in nearby creeks as the first cry of GOLD!, seduced throngs of homesteaders to stream west, hoping to make their fortunes in the California Gold Rush.

Welsh miners, migrating from England in 1853, built stores, perfected mining techniques, and named the town for the industrious Native Americans who had preceded them. The Cherokee diggins were rich -- very rich. Electrified mines (Thomas Edison was one of the owners) allowed 24-hour operation year round, and miners' wages were high for those times -- $3 per day.

Along with the quarry operations, the town grew: three churches, eight hotels, three schools, and seventeen saloons. The county's first running water was in homes here.


Chinese Temple        slide show (17)
The Oroville Chinese Temple was built in 1863 to serve a community of 10,000 Chinese. It includes three separate temples for each of the major ways of life in China. The main temple is called Liet Sheng Kong- Temple of the assorted deities. It is a place of prayer for various worships including Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The Chan Room is a Confucian room for reverence of ancestors. Confucius taught that all human relationships depend upon maintenance of the family. The Moon Temple, so called because of its entrance, is Wong Fat Ton-Hall of the Yellow Buddha. The Council Room served a variety of civil and cultural needs of the worker, such as banking, letter writing, discipline and arranging for the burial of the dead. A major flood in 1907 decimated the Chinese community so that most Chinese left Oroville. Some returned to China while others moved to Sacramento or San Francisco. The Chan Family then assumed responsibility for the temple.

Coquille Light        slide show (15)
The Coquille River empties into the Pacific Ocean. The bar at the mouth of the river, formed by the interaction of the river and ocean, was a major obstacle for the ships entering the river. At times, only a few feet of water would cover the bar, but still vessels attempted to navigate the river in hopes of reaping the rewards that lay upstream. In 1880, Congress passed a bill providing for the construction of a jetty on the south side of the river’s entrance. The jetty created a clear channel in the river, prompting a rapid rise in the number of ships entering the river.
A Coquille River Lighthouse was the next logical step for improving navigation at the river’s mouth. The lighthouse would act as both a coastal light and a harbor light.
The design was unique with a cylindrical tower attached to the east side of an elongated, octagonal room, which housed the fog signal equipment.

Coquille Point        slide show (11)
Coquille Point, a mainland unit of Oregon Islands Refuge located in Bandon, is a spectacular place to observe seabirds and harbor seals as well as explore the beach. The point overlooks a series of offshore rocks of every shape and size that provide habitat for Common Murre, Tufted Puffin, Western Gull and Brandt's Cormorant as well as Harbor seal and rocky intertidal invertebrates. A paved trail winds over the headland and features interpretive panels that share stories about the area's wildlife and its rich Native American history. Stairways to the beach are located on opposite sides of the headland and allow visitors to make a loop on the beach (when tide levels permit). Please remember to keep your distance from Harbor seals and please do not touch seal pups.

Fort Funston        slide show (7)
Fort Funston is a rugged stretch of coastal headlands, sand, and dunes south of Ocean Beach. In some places, the dunes reach heights of 200 feet or more. At the foot of Fort Funston’s cliffs is a wild and windy beach suitable for walking or horseback riding. Trails down to the beach scale the steep dunes with Dutch sand ladders (which help prevent erosion). On the beach, you’ll see shells, sand dollars, seaweed, and other signs of marine life.

Completed in 1938, Battery Davis was the first of these casemated batteries. The barrels of its two massive, 16-inch guns weighed 146 tons apiece. Battery Davis served as the prototype for all 16-inch gun emplacements built in America after 1938.

These great sandy bluffs, combined with the steady ocean breeze, make Fort Funston one of the premier hang-gliding spots in the nation. Fort Funston is a Hang-III (intermediate) site with a launch area and wheelchair-accessible viewing deck.


Fort Ross, CA        slide show (115)
Fort Ross is on the North California coast, up Route 1. It was a Russian and American fort established by the Russians and an American trading company as a restocking point for their bases in Alaska. Here they would grow food, hunt and fish, then sail it all up to Alaska.

This fort is actually pretty amazing, it was built out of red wood beams and planks that are massive. The size of the wood in the perimeter wall were 4 to 5 inches thick and 8 inches wide. The post were, I believe, 8 to 10 inches think. The inside window shutters were 2 to 3 inches thick and held together with a dovetail joint. Most things are held together with mortise and tendon, dovetail and pegs, a lot of work.

Golden Gate        slide show (117)
Pictures from around the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate park is one of the largest parks in San Francisco, it offers days of varied activities.

Hollywood        slide show (10)
I wanted to get a picture of the Hollywood sign, but had to really search. By chance we found a small park that had a dirt road going the side of the moutain, had to walk but this is what we found.

Hughes House        slide show (14)
A fine example of late Victorian architecture, the Hughes ranch house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1898 by P.J. Lindberg, it was a celebration of 38 years of hard work by Patrick and Jane Hughes.

The historic Hughes ranch house is a two story, eleven room house solidly framed of 2x8 old growth Port Orford cedar. The rectangular structure with cross axial wings, has over 3,000 square feet, and was constructed in 1898 at a cost for $3,800.
The house stands on a terrace on the north side of Cape Blanco. There are vistas of the distant hills, the Pacific Ocean, the Sixes River and the fields above and below. This location protects the house from the worst of the winter southwesters, but northwesters are still frequent visitors.


Jacksonville OR        slide show (121)
Jacksonville was home to the first Chinatown in Oregon, founded by immigrants from San Francisco, California. Evidence of this chapter of history was uncovered early in March 2004 when road work uncovered artifacts dating to the 1850s and 1860s. Construction was halted while archeologists performed four days of rescue excavations. Their findings included broken Chinese bowls and tea cups, handmade bottles, and fragments of opium paraphernalia and Chinese coins. When the gold deposits were worked out, and the railway bypassed Jacksonville in 1884, the city's economy slowed. This had the unintended benefit of preserving a number of structures, which led to Jacksonville being designated a National Historic District in 1966, covering over 100 buildings


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