Paddling to the Sabine Pass Lighthouse

A small contingent of Pelican Paddlers trekked to the tiny Texas town of Sabine Pass today to explore the long-defunct lighthouse that marks the far southwest corner of Louisiana. For my non-local readers, the Sabine River is the dividing line between Louisiana and Texas. We put in at Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site, a pleasant park with lots of historical placards about the site’s role in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War II. There’s also a statue of someone (?), ammo bunkers, a nice boat launch, and clean restrooms.

We paddled across the Sabine channel – a daring feat on a sunny summer Saturday morning. Between the giant oil tankers, shrimp boats, and day trippers in their speed boats, traversing the channel can be a challenge. But once across, we turned right into a quiet little bayou flanked by marsh grass leading to the lighthouse. The neglected brick structure can only be reached by boat.







Peering into the doorway, you see the rusty pole which once held the spiral staircase to the top of the light. All the stairs have fallen off this center pole and now lie in a heap at the base of the building. The light went into service in 1857 and was decommissioned in 1952.





These pillars once supported the lighthouse keeper’s home.



Read more on the history of this lighthouse here.