Built: 1889

Type: Octagonal Tower

Height: 25 feet

Status: Active

Location: Sauvie Island

Lens: Automated in 1930

Elevation: 20 feet

Signal: Fog Bell

Keepers: Frank DeRoy 1925-1935

Notes: Warrior Rock Lighthouse, built in 1889, was originally a small two story structure atop a sandstone foundation. The single room first floor served as the keeper's quarters. The second floor was primarily a covered half deck housing the lens lantern and fog bell. Eventually, a house and barn were added to the property.
The bell has the distinction of being the oldest fog bell in the Pacific Northwest. Cast in Philadelphia in 1855, the bell was first used at Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River. The winds, land contour, and roaring seas made it difficult to hear the bell, so the bell was replaced and moved to the West Point Lighthouse in Puget Sound before eventually ending up at Warrior Rock in 1889. Lightkeeper Frank DeRoy, who served in the 1920s, nicknamed the bell "Black Moria" because the striking mechanism would often break and he would have to ring the bell manually for hours.
When the river was high, the sandstone foundation would often be under water. At those times, Mr. DeRoy rode an aerial tram he concocted with a cable to get to the lighthouse.
In the 1930s, the little frame lighthouse was replaced with a 28-foot concrete tower, built on the same square sandstone foundation. There it remained until May 27, 1969, when a barge ran into the lighthouse causing considerable damage to the foundation and disabling the light and fog bell.
While the Coast Guard debated whether to rebuild the tower, the historic bell was removed. During the move, the bell fell into the river and was severely cracked. The bell was never returned to the lighthouse. It can now be seen on the north side of the Columbia County Historic Courthouse in St. Helens, Oregon. Along the waterfront in St. Helens, you can also see a replica of the original Warrior Rock Lighthouse.
Today, only the automated light stands at the point. Large freighters still pass the point. The bungalow burned down in the early 1990's. The fog bell was removed and is on display in front of the St. Helens courthouse. A half-size replica of the original lighthouse is behind the old courthouse in St. Helens, in Columbia View Park.