2007 41c Pacific Lighthouse: Umpqua River, Oregon

U.S. #4149
2007 41¢ Umpqua River
Pacific Lighthouses

Issue Date: June 21, 2007
City: Westport, WA
Quantity: 175,000,000

Printed By: Avery Dennison

Printing Method: Photogravure

Perforations: Serpentine die cut 11

Color: Multicolored

Often built in isolated locations, miles from cities and towns, lighthouses have developed a certain mysterious charm and romantic aura over the years. Although the lighthouse keepers of old are gone, lighthouses with automated lights continue their important work of helping ships to reach their destination safely.

Five important lighthouses were honored on U.S. stamps for their place in American history. They have safely guided untold numbers of ships through dangerous Pacific coastal waters.

Winchester Bay, Oregon, is the site of the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It was originally lit in 1857 to mark dangerous shifting sandbars that had caused many shipwrecks. Six years after its construction, the lighthouse collapsed from heavy rains and flooding. A new lighthouse was rebuilt in 1894, using alternating red and white lights. It remains standing today.