In March 1778, Captain James Cook sailed the waters off the north shore of Washington, where there was an opening along the shoreline. He named the place Cape Flattery because he thought he had been flattered that it was a pass into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In his logbook he wrote: “In this same latitude geographers have placed the pretended Strait of Juan de Fuca. But nothing of the kind presented itself to our sight, nor is it likely that such a thing ever existed.”
Ten years later, Captain John Meares was able to confirm the existence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca when he visited a small island about half a mile from Cape Flattery. There he met Tatooche, chief of the Makah Indians. He named the island after Chief Tatooche. The chief used the island as his base during the summers when he hunted for whales and fished for salmon.
In 1850, William McArthur had just finished surveying the west coast and recommended that a lighthouse be established on the island of Tatooche. In this way, ships could enter the strait at night and not have to wait until dawn. In 1854, Congress was persuaded to appropriate $39,000 to build lighthouses on Tatoosh Island and on New Dungeness Spit. The government had paid $30,000 for all of the Makah’s traditional land except for a small reservation at Neah Bay.
The Makah Indians were quite angry with the whites who bought their land and gave the construction crew a hostile reception. This was because several hundred Indians had died from a smallpox outbreak in 1853 caused by “Bostons” disease. During the summer the Indians continued to use the island for fishing and whaling. To protect themselves, the construction team built a rough-hewn wooden blockhouse before beginning construction of the lighthouse. There was always a crew member on watch, but there were no further problems with the Indians apart from some missing tools and supplies.
On December 28, 1857, the first order Louis Sauter Fresnel lens light was illuminated for the first time on the sixty-six foot tower of the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. This tower was taller than most Cape Cod style lighthouses. Its white light had a focal plane of 162 feet above the sea. The Cape Flattery Lighthouse was the fourteenth established on the West Coast.
A lighthouse keeper’s pay was poor and weather conditions were miserable, causing many lighthouse keepers to quit. In 1861, a visitor to the island saw the dilapidated state of the lighthouse. He saw the leaky roof and moss growing on the interior walls. The wind even blew through the chimney causing smoke to invade the dwellings. The wardens received additional fuel and the district engineer was ordered to find a permanent solution.
In 1873, after several years of deplorable conditions and inept keepers, the lighthouse dwelling was declared “unfit for occupancy” as the walls were moldy throughout the year. Congress appropriated $18,000 to build a new duplex with six rooms on each side. The lighthouse rooms, formerly the keepers’ quarters, were now used for storage.
Some very interesting things happened on this island. Francis James was the first head warden. One day he got mad at an assistant and threw coffee in his face. The two men decided to resolve the argument with a shootout. Three shots were fired, they called it a tie, and they shook hands. Later, another assistant confessed to removing the bullets.
Due to the “playful” nature of single caretakers, it was decided that caretakers with families were more reliable and in 1894, with families arriving on the island, it was determined that more living space was needed. and the headlamp became available again.
On October 27, 1900, assistant porter Nels Nelson and Frank Reif lost their lives in a small boat during a storm. Their bodies were found more than a week later on Vancouver Island.
In 1900, John W Cowan, his wife, and their seven children came to the lighthouse and stayed there for 32 years, experiencing many exciting times. The children attended school in Portland while staying with relatives. Summers were spent at home on the island with their parents. Finally, there were enough children on the island to warrant a school.
On February 18, 1911, Cowan saw a ship struggling in rough seas between Tatoosh Island and Neah Bay. He was able to rescue two men from the navy radio, but was unable to save three others, including his own son Forrest.
There is an unverified story that a seventy mile per hour gale hit the island in 1921. It blew Mr. Cowan across the island some 300 feet while clinging to vegetation before dragging himself to safety. The family bull was listed as “lost at sea.” Everyone was very surprised and doubled him up with extra rations when he swam to shore.
Evidently the Cowan family was well loved. When they left the island after retiring in September 1932, their countrymen were in tears.
Second Assistant Warden Ole Rasmussen was another casualty while returning to the island in a small boat. The strong waves capsized his boat and he was hit on the head.
The weather station was closed in 1966. 1977 brought automation to the light station. A modern beacon was installed to replace the tower’s Fresnel lens in 1996
The Makah Indian Tribe now controls the decommissioned Cape Flattery Lighthouse and the island.
It’s worth the trip to drive to Neah Bay, get out of the car and walk the 0.75 mile to the tip of the headland where you can see Tatoosh Island and the lighthouse. This is the westernmost point of the continental US.
In Port Angeles, you can visit the Museum at 207 South Lincoln Street, where you can see the fourth-order Fresnel lens used on the Cape Flattery. Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.