As he sailed by, he remarked that 'the water was shallow some distance offshore.' This would be one of the reasons, nearly 120 years after the Heceta's expedition that a lighthouse would be built at this point.ДЄ U.S. It was on this trip that Don Bruno de Heceta spotted the headland that today bears his name. On September 8, 1775, the two ships rejoined, traveling back to San Blas, Mexico. After performing numerous 'acts of sovereignty' claiming the territory, the crew headed south. On August 15, 1775, the Sonora entered Sitka Sound, successfully reaching the 59th parallel. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, at the helm of the smaller Sonora, would continue further north. With rough seas and a crew suffering from scurvy, Heceta, in command of the larger Santiago, continued north to, what is today, the border between Washington and British Columbia. On July 30, 1775, the two ships parted company. His orders were to land often, take possession, erect a cross and plant a bottle containing a record of the act of possession.ДЄlthough the expedition was to make it to the 65th parallel, the two ships made it to the 'Point of the Martyrs,' which is near present-day Point Greenville, Washington. In 1775, Spain sent out a Portuguese explorer and navigator named Don Bruno de Heceta from San Blas, Mexico with two vessels ( Santiago and the Sonora), a 45 man crew, and provisions to last a year.

By the late 18th century, after learning of Russian and British arrivals in the claimed territories, Spain sent out parties to discover the extent of any encroachment. Spain had claimed Alaska and the Pacific Northwest as early as 1493, and as they were so confident of their claims, they did not explore or settle the area. The name of the point of land upon which the lighthouse stands dates back to the late 1700s. Tweet History of the Heceta Head LighthouseДЄmong the central Oregon Coast, perched high above the Pacific Ocean, stands the Heceta Head Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States.

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