Original pen & ink rendering. Located just two miles north of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse at the mouth of the Columbia River, near Ilwaco, Washington. After Cape Disappointment was built in 1856, mariners approaching the river from the north complained that they could not see the beacon, so finally, in 1896, construction began on North Head Lighthouse. The first-order Fresnel lens, which came from Cape Disappointment, was lit for the first time on May 16, 1898. North Head shone a fixed white light, while Cape Disappointment alternated red and white flashes, so that there would be a distinction between the two lighthouses. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard, and the grounds are open to the public, as is the tower in season.

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