Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station
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A photograph of the station in 2017
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | Klipsan Beach, Washington |
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| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Arthur B. Bibb |
| Architectural style | Marquette-type life-saving station |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002546 |
| Added to NRHP | July 05, 1979 |
The Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station was once a very important place. It was part of the United States Life-Saving Service, a group that rescued people from shipwrecks. This station helped save lives along the dangerous coast of Washington.
Today, the old station buildings are still standing, but they are owned by private people. The station is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. The station was first called Ilwaco Beach, but later became known as Klipsan Station. It was one of many stations in an area often called the Graveyard of the Pacific because so many ships wrecked there.
Contents
Where is the Station?
The Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station is located on the Long Beach Peninsula in Pacific County, Washington. It's about 13 miles (21 km) north of Cape Disappointment.
Building the Station
The Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station was built in 1891. It was designed in a special way called the "Marquette" style. This was one of several standard designs used by the United States Life-Saving Service. The Marquette style got its name from the first station built this way in Marquette, Michigan.
The architect, Albert B. Bibb, likely drew up the plans around 1889. There were 13 other Marquette-style stations built. Some of these were on the West Coast, like those in Yaquina Bay, the Umpqua River, Coos Bay, and the Coquille River in Oregon.
The station's boathouse also had a unique design. It was called the "witch's hat" because its octagonal (eight-sided) ventilator and cone-shaped roof looked like a witch's hat.
How the Station Operated
Volunteer Rescues
The station first started in 1889 with volunteers. It was known as the Ilwaco Beach station. On November 3, 1891, a ship called the Strathblane got stuck near the station. The volunteer crew tried to help, but they couldn't get their rescue lines to the ship. Sadly, seven people died. After this accident, the government decided to make the station a full-time, professional operation.
Professional Keepers
After the Strathblane incident, the station got professional staff. Richard Turk was the first official keeper, starting on December 18, 1891. Later, other keepers like William S. Lawrence, George Jorgensen, and Theodore Conick took charge. These keepers and their crews were responsible for training and carrying out daring rescues.
Rescue Equipment
The Klipsan Beach station had special equipment to help people in trouble.
- They had a Dobbins type lifeboat and a McClelland surfboat. These boats were launched into the ocean from a four-wheel carriage, pulled by hand or by horses.
- The station also used a Lyle gun. This gun could shoot a line to a stranded ship, helping to connect the ship to the shore.
- The breeches buoy was a special life preserver shaped like a pair of shorts. It hung from a line and could carry people from a ship to the shore, one at a time.
- Coston flares were used to signal ships or other rescue teams, especially at night.
- Sometimes, surfmen (the rescue crew) rode horses to patrol the beaches. They looked for ships in distress.
Using the Railroad for Rescues
The Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company railroad was very helpful for the station. The train tracks ran close to the station. This allowed the rescue crew and their boats to be moved quickly along the beach to wherever a ship might have wrecked.
The railroad was used in at least one important rescue. On December 19, 1896, a German ship called the Potrimpos got stuck seven miles south of the station. The horse-drawn lifeboat couldn't get through the sand. But the railroad quickly brought a lifeboat and crew to the wreck. Fourteen men were still on board the ship. The lifeboat was launched, and all the men were saved!
The train tracks were so close to the station that the surfmen and their children would even pose for photos on a small platform, with the train rails in the foreground.
Shipwrecks on the North Beach
Many ships wrecked along the North Beach (the ocean side of the Long Beach Peninsula) while the Klipsan Beach station was active. Here are some of the ships that ran aground:
- schooner Solano, February 5, 1907
- Glenmorag, March 19, 1896
- Caoba, February 5, 1925
- bark Alfa, September 19, 1924
- Alice, January 15, 1909
- Lenore, April 10, 1917
- Strathblane, November 3, 1891
- Artemsia, 1889
- C.A. Klose (or Close), March 26, 1905
- bark Potrimpos, December 19, 1896
- steamer Point Loma, February 28, 1896
- schooner Frank W. Howe, February 22, 1904
The Station Today
The Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station is no longer right on the beach. Over the years, the coastline has changed, and the water has moved back quite a bit. When the station was active, the beach reached all the way to its watchtower and boathouse. This is not the case anymore.
As of 2000, the station building, boathouse, and watchtower were still standing. They are now privately owned.
Further Reading
- The Sou'Wester, Journal of the Pacific County Historical Society, Volume 36, No. 3 (Fall, 2001). This issue shares details about the Klipsan Beach station and other life-saving stations, including their equipment, history, and rescue drills.
