Cape Meares
| Cape Meares | ||
 Aerial view of the cape |
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| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 45 ° 29 ′ 11 ″ N , 123 ° 58 ′ 41 ″ W | |
| Waters 1 | Pacific Ocean | |
 The lighthouse at Cape Meares |
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Cape Meares (English Cape Meares ) is a cape on the Pacific coast in northwest Oregon ( Pacific Northwest ) in the United States .
It is located at the southern end of the bay Tillamook Bay , about 8 km northwest of the town of Tillamook . Cape Meares is named after the British navigator John Meares , the first European to explore Tillamook Bay.
Nature reserve
Much of the cape has been designated as a state park by the state of Oregon as Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint , and part of the cape is also under the administration of the US Fish & Wildlife Service as the Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge . The cape is a popular bird and gray whale viewing spot .
lighthouse
Oregon's smallest lighthouse, almost 13 m high, went into operation in 1890. The Fresnel lens for the lighthouse was made in Paris and shipped around Cape Horn to Oregon, where it was then hoisted from the ship over the cliffs onto the cape. From 1934 electricity was available for the lighthouse, and in 1963 it was finally shut down. In 1993 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places .