Bayocean, Oregon

Last updated

A view from the hotel that once existed in Bayocean Bayohotelviewa.jpg
A view from the hotel that once existed in Bayocean
"The Spirit of the West combined with the comforts and conveniences of the East at Bayocean" "The Playground of the Pacific Northwest" 1913 ad, Sunset Magazine vol. 31 "The Spirit of the West combined with the comforts and conveniences of the East at Bayocean" "The Playground of the Pacific Northwest" 1913 ad, Sunset Magazine vol. 31 (page 32 crop).jpg
"The Spirit of the West combined with the comforts and conveniences of the East at Bayocean" "The Playground of the Pacific Northwest" 1913 ad, Sunset Magazine vol. 31

Bayocean was a community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. Sometimes known as "the town that fell into the sea", it was a planned resort community founded in 1906 on Tillamook Spit, a small stretch of land that forms one wall of Tillamook Bay. [1] [2]

Contents

Bayocean's post office was established on February 4, 1909, and by 1914, the town's population was 2,000. [2] Only a few decades later however, Bayocean had become a ghost town, having had many of its attractions destroyed by "man-induced" coastal erosion. The town's unforeseen destruction is believed by many to have been caused by the residents themselves.

Development

The location of Bayocean was said to have been discovered by co-founder Thomas Irving Potter while sight-seeing and hunting along the Oregon Coast. [3] It was called by both T. I. Potter and his father/business partner Thomas Benton Potter, who envisioned the venture as the "Atlantic City of the West". [2]

Believing the site to have an exceptional view of both Tillamook Bay and the Pacific Ocean, the new town's name was logically derived from both. [3]

The dance hall (foreground) and natatorium once located in Bayocean Bayodancenata.jpg
The dance hall (foreground) and natatorium once located in Bayocean

Bayocean had many features uncommon for a small town of its time, including a dance hall, a hotel with orchestra, a 1000-seat movie theater, a shooting range, a bowling alley, tennis courts, a rail system and four miles of paved streets. [2]

One notable attraction was a heated natatorium, complete with a wave generator and a special section for a band to play music to entertain the swimmers.

While Bayocean's economy was based on tourism, there were other businesses in town, including a cannery, a tin shop, a machine shop, and a Texaco gas station. [2]

In a time when many other towns did not have technological infrastructure like electricity or paved roads, Bayocean hosted a water system, a telephone system and a diesel-driven power plant. [2]

Decline

Despite having paved roads, Bayocean was not connected to the rest of the country until the 1920s. Most residents and tourists arrived to the town via T. B. Potter's steamship, the S.S. Bayocean, in a three-day trip from Portland. [4]

The final leg of the journey, entering into the unprotected mouth of Tillamook Bay, could provide a rough and frightening experience to passengers. Eventually Bayocean's residents asked the Army Corps of Engineers for a protective jetty to reduce the waves. The Army Corps of Engineers studied the location and suggested that two jetties be built, one on each side of the bay's mouth, at an estimated cost of $2.2 million. Half of that amount was required to come from local residents. [4] With the multimillion-dollar price considered unaffordable, Bayocean's residents proposed and eventually had a single jetty constructed. The price was a little over $800,000 with Bayocean's citizens paying half. [4] Although the new single jetty made for a much smoother journey into the bay, the one-sided change to the coastline began a process of erosion to Bayocean's beaches, slowly narrowing them before overtaking them completely.

In 1932, waves from a massive storm finally crossed the beach and destroyed the huge natatorium. The spit itself was further damaged by winter storms in 1939, 1942, 1948, and by 1952 what was left of Bayocean had become an island. [5]

Bayocean's post office closed in 1953. What little remained of the town was demolished during the reclamation and dike-building project of 1956. [5]

In 1960, Bayocean's last house was washed away, and in 1971, the last remaining building, a garage, finally fell into the ocean. [5]

Legacy

Bayocean in 2022 Bayocean Oregon 2022.jpg
Bayocean in 2022

With the addition of a second jetty built in the 1970s, sand began to re-accumulate on the spit. [4] The site is now the location of Bayocean Peninsula County Park and virtually all traces of the town are gone. All that remains of Bayocean is a commemorative sign at the south end of the park. [5]

A sandy 7.8 mile hiking loop around the perimeter of the peninsula upon which Bayocean was located is maintained today. [6] This trail begins and ends at the parking lot of Bayocean Peninsula Park. [6] From March through September hikers must walk on wet sand on the beach due to restrictions protecting the nesting habitat of snowy plover in the dry sand and dunes. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach</span> Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water

A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells or coralline algae. Sediments settle in different densities and structures, depending on the local wave action and weather, creating different textures, colors and gradients or layers of material.

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

Tillamook County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,390. The county seat is Tillamook. The county is named for the Tillamook or Killamook people, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. The county is located within Northwest Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park</span> Protected area in the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park, formerly Innes National Park, is an IUCN-designated protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the southwest tip of Yorke Peninsula about 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of the state capital of Adelaide. It is a popular destination for camping, bushwalking, fishing, surfing and scuba diving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spit (landform)</span> Coastal bar or beach landform deposited by longshore drift

A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform off coasts or lake shores. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift by longshore currents. The drift occurs due to waves meeting the beach at an oblique angle, moving sediment down the beach in a zigzag pattern. This is complemented by longshore currents, which further transport sediment through the water alongside the beach. These currents are caused by the same waves that cause the drift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longshore drift</span> Sediment moved by the longshore current

Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle of incoming wave direction. Oblique incoming wind squeezes water along the coast, and so generates a water current which moves parallel to the coast. Longshore drift is simply the sediment moved by the longshore current. This current and sediment movement occur within the surf zone. The process is also known as littoral drift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Hook</span> Peninsula in New Jersey

Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) in length and varying from 0.1 to 1.0 mile wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay south of New York City, protecting it from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

<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">Somers, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia


Somers is a small coastal town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 67 km (42 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Somers recorded a population of 1,857 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillamook Bay</span> Bay in Oregon, USA

Tillamook Bay is a small inlet of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 6 mi (10 km) long and 2 mi (3 km) wide, on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located just north of Cape Meares in western Tillamook County approximately 75 mi (120 km) west of Portland.

Cape Meares is a small headland on the Pacific coast in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The cape forms a high steep bluff on the south end of Tillamook Bay, approximately five miles (8 km) northwest of the city of Tillamook. Much of the cape is part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department-administered Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint with three miles of hiking trails, which includes Cape Meares Light and the Octopus Tree. The cape is named after John Meares, a British explorer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Coast Trail</span> Long-distance trail in the US

The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) is a long-distance hiking route along the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of Oregon in the United States. It follows the coast of Oregon from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border south of Brookings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Bar</span> System of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River

The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It is one of the most dangerous bar crossings in the world, earning the nickname Graveyard of the Pacific. The bar is about 3 miles (5 km) wide and 6 miles (10 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal geography</span> Study of the region between the ocean and the land

Coastal geography is the study of the constantly changing region between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography and the human geography of the coast. It includes understanding coastal weathering processes, particularly wave action, sediment movement and weather, and the ways in which humans interact with the coast.

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

Nehalem Bay State Park is a state park in the United States located on the Oregon Coast, near the communities of Nehalem and Manzanita on the Nehalem Spit, a sand spit west of Nehalem Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge</span> Wildlife refuge in Oregon, United States

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge on Oregon's coast. It lies in southern Tillamook County, on the state's northern coast. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges comprising the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex and supports one tenth of the world's dusky Canada goose population. The refuge contains at least seven types of habitat, including tidal marsh, tidal mudflats, grassland, woodland, pasture, forested lagg—a transition between raised peat bog and mineral soil—and freshwater bogs, including the southernmost coastal Sphagnum bog habitat on the Pacific Coast.

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

Netarts Bay is an estuarine bay on the northern Oregon Coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Tillamook. The unincorporated community of Netarts is located on the north end of the bay and Netarts Bay Shellfish Preserve, managed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, is located on the south side of the bay. The sand spit on the west side of Netarts bay is part of Cape Lookout State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad</span>

The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (POTB) was a 101-mile (163 km) shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Purchased from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1990 by the Port of Tillamook Bay, the railroad was used to transport lumber and agricultural products over the Northern Oregon Coast Range between the Oregon Coast and the Portland area until heavily damaged in a 2007 storm. The Port of Tillamook Bay began operating the unincorporated railroad on March 27, 1986, but the tracks were originally constructed by Oregon judge George R. Bagley and others in 1906. The railroad's main line, no longer in use due to storm damage, runs between Hillsboro and Tillamook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rossbeigh</span> Sandspit with beaches in Ireland

Rossbeigh, or Rossbehy is a sandspit with beaches on either side, located approximately 1.6 km from the village of Glenbeigh, in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the Ring of Kerry, on the Dingle Bay side of the Iveragh Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nye Beach</span>

Nye Beach is a central district in Newport in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Nye Beach historic overlay district is bounded on the north and south sides by Northwest Twelfth Street and Southwest Second Street respectively; on the east side by Hurbert Street and on the west side by the Pacific Ocean. Situated on a sea cliff, the district has been a popular vacation spot since the late 19th century. Cultural and literary groups such as Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, Yaquina Art Association, and Writers on the Edge are based in Nye Beach, as are Newport's Performing Arts and Visual Arts Centers. The beach attracts tide-pool enthusiasts and beachcombers as well as surfers, sail-boarders, crabbers, clam diggers, kite flyers, photographers, and artists and has also been the site of marine and geological research projects.

<i>Bayocean</i> (motor yacht) Patrol vessel of the United States Navy

Bayocean was a yacht that was built in 1911 to serve the now-vanished resort of Bayocean on the coast of Oregon at the entrance to Tillamook Bay. Considered an attractive vessel with a clipper bow and twin raked smokestacks, Bayocean was expensive to operate, was "somewhat cranky" at sea, and spent much of the time tied to a dock. In 1913, Bayocean then transferred to San Francisco Bay where it served briefly as an excursion vessel. In 1918, Bayocean was purchased by the U.S. Navy and converted to a patrol vessel. Following a brief active career, Bayocean was laid up again for about two years, as the Navy demobilized and sought to find buyers for its surplus ships. In 1921, the Navy sold Bayocean at auction to the San Francisco concern of Crowley Launch and Tug, now Crowley Maritime.

References

  1. Webber, Bert (1999). Bayocean: The Oregon Town That Fell into the Sea. Webb Research Group; Updated edition (March 1999). ISBN   0-936738-37-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bayocean: Playground of the pacific northwest". December 6, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Bayocean". Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Bayocean, Oregon: The town that fell into the sea, house by house". 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Meredi, Rae. "Ghosts from a Dream..." Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Landwehr, Abigail "The Lost Town of Bayocean," Eugene Register-Guard, August 6, 2023; pp. D1, D4.

45°31′39″N123°57′08″W / 45.5276032°N 123.9523544°W / 45.5276032; -123.9523544