![Heceta Head angled](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Heceta_Head_angled.jpg)
Heceta Head ( ) is a headland that stands above the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
in
Lane County,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The
Heceta Head Light is located on its south side. Heceta Head is named after a
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
explorer under Spanish commission,
Bruno de Heceta
Bruno de Heceta (Hezeta) y Dudagoitia (1743–1807) was a Spanish Basque explorer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Bilbao of an old Basque family, he was sent by the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio María Bucareli y Ursúa, to explore the area nort ...
, who explored the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
in the 1770s. The headland marks the end of a lower-lying stretch of the coastline to the south dominated by sand dunes; the coastline to the north is more varied.
Devils Elbow is the
bay south of the headland at the mouth of Cape Creek, and with the headland formed Devils Elbow State Park, which is now part of
Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint.
Historic structures
![CapeCreekBridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/CapeCreekBridge.jpg)
Heceta Head Light, the assistant lightkeepers’ house, and two bridges located near the headland are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Big Creek Bridge brings
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
across
Big Creek, about north of the headland.
Cape Creek Bridge
Cape Creek Bridge is an arch bridge that spans Cape Creek in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The bridge carries U.S. Route 101. Opened in 1932, it was designed by noted bridge engineer Conde McCullough and built of reinforced concrete by John ...
carries U.S. 101 across
Cape Creek
Cape Creek is a stream that enters the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning near Herman Peak in the Central Oregon Coast Range, it flows generally west through the Siuslaw National Forest to the ocea ...
, just south of the headland.
Heceta Head Light, a
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
, is up the headland. Built in 1894, the lighthouse shines a beam visible for out to sea, making it the strongest light on the
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...
.
[
]
References
External links
Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint
at Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Headlands of Oregon
Oregon Coast
Landforms of Lane County, Oregon
Volcanoes of Oregon
{{LaneCountyOR-geo-stub