09/01/2026
Just finished up with all the Oregon lighthouse magnets. Will post them and little history for the next few days. Will start with Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.
The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse—famously nicknamed "Terrible Tilly"—is a historic, deactivated offshore lighthouse sitting on a solitary basalt sea stack 1.2 miles (1.9 km) off Tillamook Head in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 20 miles (32 km) south of the Columbia River.
Logistical & Key Overview Details
First Lit: January 21, 1881Deactivated: 1957
Tower Height: 62 feet (19 m) tall, with a focal height 133 feet (41 m) above sea level.
Public Access:
Illegal and closed to the public; the rock is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and can only be accessed practically by helicopter (though off-limits during seabird nesting seasons).
Best Viewing Spots:
Visible from Ecola State Park (north of Cannon Beach), as well as the coastal towns of Cannon Beach and Seaside (best seen with binoculars or a telephoto camera lens).
History and "Terrible Tilly"
Commissioned by Congress in 1878, building the lighthouse was an extremely perilous task. A master surveyor lost his life before construction even began, and workers faced brutal squalls, giant waves, and treacherous transfers via a breeches buoy rope system. At a cost of $125,000, it was the most expensive West Coast lighthouse built at the time.
Due to violent storms that hurled boulders high enough to smash the lantern room's glass and dent the ironworks, it earned the apt moniker "Terrible Tilly". After guiding ships for 76 years, it was deactivated in 1957.
Post-Operational Era
Columbarium Years:
Purchased and resold several times, it briefly operated as the Eternity at Sea Columbarium starting in 1980, holding roughly 30 urns before its license was revoked in 1999.
Current Status:
The weathered structure is privately owned and functions primarily as a resting and nesting habitat for thousands of sea lions, seals, and seabirds managed under the federal wildlife refuge.
