Nehalem Bay

Last updated
Nehalem Bay at the mouth of the Nehalem River on the Pacific Ocean USACE Nehalem Bay Oregon.jpg
Nehalem Bay at the mouth of the Nehalem River on the Pacific Ocean

Nehalem Bay is a bay formed by the confluence of the Nehalem River with the Pacific Ocean in northern Oregon, United States. It is Oregon's fifth-largest estuary. [1] The main tributary of Nehalem Bay is the Nehalem River. Nehalem Bay drains an area of more than 850 square miles. [2]

Sunset over the bay in February 2010 Nehalem bay sunset.JPG
Sunset over the bay in February 2010

The city of Nehalem (pop. 271 in 2010) is situated on US Highway 101 north of Garibaldi and south of Cannon Beach. [3]

West of the bay, Nehalem Bay State Park is located on the sandspit separating the bay from the ocean, where elk, coyotes, and several species of birds live. The park has a long beach, where centuries-old Spanish shipwrecks have been found. [4] The park has campsites and yurts open year round. [5] [6]

Historians have argued whether British explorer Sir Francis Drake sought safe harbor for his ship, the Golden Hind (originally called "The Pelican"), in Nehalem Bay. [7] According to Garry D. Gitzen, author of the 2011 book "Francis Drake In Nehalem Bay 1579, Setting the Historical Record Straight," Drake sailed "northward to the Pacific Northwest at 44° and then to 48° north latitude in the summer of 1579, until he entered into a fair and fit harbor for his five-week stay in Nehalem Bay to repair his leaking ship."

In 1693, a Spanish trading ship wrecked near Nehalem Bay in what is known as the Beeswax Wreck.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Bay</span> Shallow estuary on the coast of California, United States

San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bend, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

North Bend is a city in Coos County, Oregon, United States with a population of 9,695 as of the 2010 census. North Bend is surrounded on three sides by Coos Bay, an S-shaped water inlet and estuary where the Coos River enters Coos Bay and borders the city of Coos Bay to the south. North Bend became an incorporated city in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Coast</span> Coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon

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 362 miles (583 km) from the California state border in the south to the Columbia River in the north. The region is not a specific geological, environmental, or political entity, and includes the Columbia River Estuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Albion</span> Historical name of the United States Pacific coast

New Albion, also known as Nova Albion, was the name of the continental area north of Mexico claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England when he landed on the North American west coast in 1579. This claim became the justification for English charters across America to the Atlantic coast and soon influenced further national expansion projects on the continent. Drake's landing site has been identified as Drake's Cove, which is part of Point Reyes National Seashore.

The Manila galleon refers to the Spanish trading ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico, across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year between the ports of Manila and Acapulco from the late 16th to early 19th century. The term "Manila galleon" can also refer to the trade route itself between Manila and Acapulco that was operational from 1565 to 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale Cove (Oregon)</span>

Whale Cove is a small cove, approximately one-third of a mile (0.5 km) in diameter, located on the Pacific Coast of Oregon in the United States, approximately 1.4 mi (2.3 km) south of the city of Depoe Bay. The cove is located at approximately 44 deg 44 min N latitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drakes Bay</span> Bay on the coast of California, U.S.

Drakes Bay is a 4 mi (6 km) wide bay named so by U.S. surveyor George Davidson in 1875 along the Point Reyes National Seashore on the coast of northern California in the United States, approximately 30 mi (50 km) northwest of San Francisco at approximately 38 degrees north latitude. The bay is approximately 8 mi (13 km) wide. It is formed on the lee side of the coastal current by Point Reyes. The bay is named after Sir Francis Drake and has long been considered Drake's most likely landing spot on the west coast of North America during his circumnavigation of the world by sea in 1579. An alternative name for this bay is Puerto De Los Reyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodega Bay</span> Archaeological site in California, United States

Bodega Bay is a shallow, rocky inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of northern California in the United States. It is approximately 5 mi (8 km) across and is located approximately 40 mi (60 km) northwest of San Francisco and 20 mi (32 km) west of Santa Rosa. The bay straddles the boundary between Sonoma County to the north and Marin County to the south. The bay is a marine habitat used for navigation, recreation, and commercial and sport fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodega Head</span> Promontory in California, United States

Bodega Head is a small promontory on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States. It is located in Sonoma County at 38.311°N 123.066°W, approximately 40 mi (64 km) northwest of San Francisco and approximately 20 mi (32 km) west of Santa Rosa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodega Harbor</span> Historic site in Bodega Bay, Sonoma County

Bodega Harbor is a small, shallow, natural harbor on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States, approximately 40 mi (64 km) northwest of San Francisco. The harbor is approximately 2 sq mi (5.2 km2) in area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nestucca Bay</span>

Nestucca Bay is a bay formed by the confluence of the Nestucca River and the Pacific Ocean in northwest Oregon in the United States. It is near the town of Pacific City, which is in southwestern Tillamook County, about 12 miles (19 km) south of Cape Lookout. The bay is a bar-built estuary and totals 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) in area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehalem River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Nehalem River is a river on the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States, approximately 119 miles (192 km) long. It drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range northwest of Portland, originating on the east side of the mountains and flowing in a loop around the north end of the range near the mouth of the Columbia River. Its watershed of 855 square miles (2,210 km2) includes an important timber-producing region of Oregon that was the site of the Tillamook Burn. In its upper reaches it flows through a long narrow valley of small mountain communities but is unpopulated along most of its lower reaches inland from the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neahkahnie Mountain</span> Mountain in Oregon, United States

Neahkahnie Mountain is a mountain, or headland, on the Oregon Coast, north of Manzanita in Oswald West State Park overlooking U.S. Route 101. The peak is part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, which is part of the Oregon Coast Range. It is best known for stories of Spanish treasure said to be buried either at the foot of the mountain, or on its slopes.

In 1579, Francis Drake was halfway during his circumnavigation and sailed out in the Pacific, then turned east seeking the Strait of Anián , or for a place to repair his ships.

The Tillamook are a Native American tribe from coastal Oregon of the Salish linguistic group. The name "Tillamook" is a Chinook language term meaning "people of [the village] Nekelim ", sometimes it is given as a Coast Salish term, meaning "Land of Many Waters". The Tillamook tribe consists of several divisions and dialects, including :

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Arago State Park</span> State park in Oregon, United States

Cape Arago State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Cape Arago is north of Bandon and 15 miles southwest of Coos Bay on Cape Arago Highway in Coos County.

The Drake Navigators Guild is the historical research group which has used multi-disciplinary methods to research Francis Drake’s visit to the west coast of North America in 1579 and related maritime explorations. Founded in 1949, the Guild’s research supports the long-standing conclusion that Drake’s “Nova Albion” is at Drakes Bay, California. The Guild's efforts build on the research of Professor George Davidson (geographer) and others who have studied Drake's voyage. The Guild’s research has identified the specific careening site at Drake’s Cove within the Bay.

From 1577 to 1580 Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world. In 1579 as part of this voyage he landed on the west coast of North America which consequently has drawn the attention of scores of historians, geographers, linguists, anthropologists and other professionals. In addition, many history buffs have sought to locate Drake's New Albion. The established site for Drake's 1579 landing at New Albion is at Drake's Cove in Drakes Bay in Marin County, California. More than a score of ideas for an alternative to Drake's New Albion claim have been put forth which cover the coast from Alaska to Baja California Sur, Mexico. These ideas span the eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beeswax wreck</span> 17th Century shipwreck in Oregon, United States

The Beeswax Wreck is a shipwreck off the coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, discovered by Craig Andes near Cape Falcon in 2013 in Tillamook County. The ship, thought to be the Spanish Manila galleon Santo Cristo de Burgos that was wrecked in 1693, was carrying a large cargo of beeswax, lumps of which have been found scattered along Oregon's north coast for at least two centuries.

Kilchis or was one of the last free chiefs of the Tillmook. He lived during the 19th century near Tillamook Bay, Oregon.

References

  1. https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/og/OGv52n03.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. "Descriptions and information sources for Oregon estuaries".
  3. City-Data. Nehalem, Oregon
  4. "The Unsolved Mystery of Oregon's Beeswax Wreck". 22 November 2022.
  5. City-Data. Nehalem Bay State Park.
  6. Vaden, Mario. Nehalem Bay State Park Campground.
  7. "New Sir Francis Drake Exhibit Now on Display at Nehalem Valley Historical Society". 19 May 2022.

45°41′30″N123°55′25″W / 45.691792°N 123.92355°W / 45.691792; -123.92355