Nehalem Bay

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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.

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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.

The Cronin Point Site is an archeological site located in Nehalem Bay State Park near Manzanita, Oregon, United States, that was occupied probably between 1600 and 1800 CE. The site is characterized by a significant quantity of burned, fire-cracked rock, indicating the presence of hearths and other cultural activities associated with occupation and a possible village site. Artifacts in the site include stone flaking debris, and a smaller number of projectile points, glass pieces, bone pieces, and shell fragments. Notably, the site also includes shards of Chinese and Japanese ceramicware, datable by their design to ca. 1550–1680 CE, which link the Cronin Point Site to the Nehalem Beeswax Shipwreck. The site spans both submerged and exposed areas; auger-based studies suggest that occupation of the site ended abruptly, likely when the land it rests on subsided due to a large earthquake.

<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. https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/attractions/museums/the-unsolved-mystery-of-oregons-beeswax-wreck/ [ bare URL ]
  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