Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was constructed in 1871 as a wood framed combination keeper’s quarters and light tower. It was the first of four such stations to be built in Oregon and the only one of its kind that remains today. However, it soon became apparent that the Fifth Order Yaquina Bay light was not as visible as needed, so the government decommissioned it in 1874. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is a reminder of a past era when safe shipping demanded often a trustworthy lightkeeper and his light. Progress and technology have long since produced new, more efficient navigational aids, and lighthouses are rarely used now anywhere in the world.