The Coquille River Lighthouse was built between 1895 and 1896 at the mouth of the Coquille River near Bandon, Oregon, to help ships safely navigate the hazardous river bar and nearby Pacific coastline. Congress approved funding for the project in 1891, but construction was delayed by planning issues and difficulties acquiring the land. Work finally began in the spring of 1895, using locally quarried stone for the foundation and brick coated with stucco for the distinctive lighthouse structure. The lighthouse’s fourth-order Fresnel lens was first illuminated on February 29, 1896, making it the last government-built lighthouse completed in Oregon. Its unique elongated octagonal design and attached keeper’s quarters made it one of the most distinctive lighthouses on the West Coast, and it served mariners until it was decommissioned in 1939.