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Cannon Beach, OR
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Cannon Beach, a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States, is an affluent tourist resort destination. Because of its proximity to Portland, Oregon, it is particularly known as a weekend getaway spot for Portlanders. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 1,680 residents.
According to Oregon Geographic Names, Cannon Beach was originally named Ecola, after the creek that empties into the Pacific Ocean to the north of the city. In 1922 it was renamed Cannon Beach (after the name of the beach that extends south of Ecola creek for eight miles, ending at Arch Cape) at the insistence of the Post Office Department because the name was frequently confused with Eola.
HistoryThe first recorded European American journey to this area was made by William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, in January, 1805, when a group of Native Americans invited him to view a beached whale at the nearby beach. The expedition was headquartered at the time near the mouth of the Columbia River. Curiosity got the better of him and Clark had to journey south over Tillamook Head, which he described in his journal as "the Steepest worst and highest mountain I ever assended…" to get there.
According to Oregon Geographic Names, Cannon Beach was originally named Ecola, after the creek that empties into the Pacific Ocean to the north of the city. In 1922 it was renamed Cannon Beach (after the name of the beach that extends south of Ecola creek for eight miles, ending at Arch Cape) at the insistence of the Post Office Department because the name was frequently confused with Eola.
HistoryThe first recorded European American journey to this area was made by William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, in January, 1805, when a group of Native Americans invited him to view a beached whale at the nearby beach. The expedition was headquartered at the time near the mouth of the Columbia River. Curiosity got the better of him and Clark had to journey south over Tillamook Head, which he described in his journal as "the Steepest worst and highest mountain I ever assended…" to get there. From a place near the western cliffs of the headland he saw "… the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed, in front of a boundless Ocean…" That viewpoint is now called Clark's Point of View and can be accessed by a hiking trail which leaves Indian Beach within the Ecola State Park.
Upon arriving at what is now Cannon Beach, Clark and his companions found the flensed skeleton of a 105' whale on the beach and the Indians busily boiling blubber for storage. A 105' whale would have to be a blue whale. Clark was a professional surveyor so it is unlikely he was wrong.
Clark and his small company bartered for some blubber and whale oil, then headed back home.
In 1846, a cannon from the US Navy schooner Shark washed ashore just north of Arch Cape, a few miles to the south of Elk Creek, the current Cannon Beach. The schooner was wrecked while attempting to cross the Columbia Bar, also known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific" because of the danger of the bar. The townspeople of Elk Creek renamed their town after the cannon. The cannon is in the town's museum and a replica of it can be seen alongside U.S. Route 101. Two more cannons, also believed to have been from the Shark, were discovered on Arch Cape over the weekend of February 16 2008.
Highway 101 formerly ran through Cannon Beach. In 1964, a tsunami generated by the Good Friday Earthquake came ashore along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. While it did not destroy the town of Cannon Beach, it did inundate parts of it and washed away the highway bridge at the north side of town. The town was thus isolated from highway and to attract visitors they decided to hold a sandcastle contest-an event which is repeated annually to this day. Cannon Beach is now an affluent resort town.
GeographyCannon Beach is located at (45.889155, -123.960738).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.
Cannon Beach is located near several significant fault lines, and during the Scotts Mills earthquake in Oregon in 1993, Cannon Beach's tsunami warning system was activated immediately following the shocks that were strongly felt there in the early hours of the morning, evacuating residents and vacationers alike up steeply sloped Highway 101 towards Cannon Beach Junction.
Public transportationA shuttle runs from the north of Cannon Beach to the south.
Points of interestCannon Beach is recognized by its well-known landmark, Haystack Rock, located to the southwest of downtown Cannon Beach, near Tolovana Park. This igneous rock has an elevation of 235 feet, and is often accessible at low tide, especially in the summertime. There is a small cave system that penetrates the rock and can be seen from the coastline. The rock is also protected as a marine sanctuary, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Near Haystack Rock are the Needles, two tall rocks rising straight out of the water.
Downtown Cannon Beach is filled with small businesses. Chain stores such as Safeway and McDonalds have been discouraged from building in Cannon Beach in order to preserve the local economy and small town feel.
The main road through Cannon Beach is Hemlock Street, which runs from the north end of town to the south, through Tolovana Park. Both ends of the street connect to U.S. Route 101.
External linksCity of Cannon Beach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Anto12
5 days
This is a nice, 5-Day trip where you visit 4 of Oregon's Cities. You start out in Portland, then head over to Seaside, Cannon Beach, and end up in The Dalles.
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By Jamie
5 days
This is a nice, 5-Day trip where you visit 4 of Oregon's Cities. You start out in Portland, then head over to Seaside, Cannon Beach, and end up in The Dalles.
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4 people reviewed Cannon Beach
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Top
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at 8:39PM May 28, 2008
There are lots of shops to explore in this town and some great dining as well. The beach is wonderful to walk.
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at 6:50PM November 16, 2008
one of my favorite beaches in north america
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at 12:40PM August 2, 2008
you can only dream of...
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at 9:01PM May 28, 2008
i camped there, had a blast.
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Cannon Beach Things to Do
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