Cannon Beach, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Cannon Beach is a city in Clatsop County
, Oregon
, United States
. The population was 1,588 as of the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 1,680 residents.
The first recorded White
journey to what is now Cannon Beach was made by William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
in early 1806. The expedition was wintering at Fort Clatsop
, roughly 20 miles to the north near the mouth of the Columbia River
. In December 1805, two members of the expedition had returned to camp with blubber from a whale
that had beached
several miles south, near the mouth of what is now known as Ecola Creek. Knowing that the expedition needed some variety in their monotonous winter diet, Clark decided to journey south from Fort Clatsop over Tillamook Head
, which he described in his journal as "the Steepest worst and highest mountain I ever assended …". 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 from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Clark and about 14 of his companions, including Sacagawea
completed the 3 day journey on January 10, 1806, where they found the flensed skeleton of a 105-foot whale on the beach and the Tillamook
(Nehalem) Indians
busily boiling blubber for storage. Clark's measurement of the whale skeleton is considered accurate, since he was a professional surveyor
, thus it is likely the carcass was that of a blue whale
, judging by its size. Clark and his party bartered for 300 pounds (136.1 kg) of blubber
and some whale oil
and returned to Fort Clatsop.
Clark applied the name "Ekoli" to what is now Ecola Creek. Ehkoli is a Chinook jargon
word for "whale". Early settlers later renamed the creek "Elk Creek", and a community with the same name formed there.
In 1846, a cannon from the US Navy
schooner Shark
washed ashore just north of Arch Cape, a few miles to the south of the community of Elk Creek. 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 cannon, rediscovered in 1898, is in the city'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.
The community of 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
. Elk Creek was renamed Ecola Creek to honor William Clark's original name.
U.S. Route 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
. The subsequent flooding inundated parts of Cannon Beach and washed away the highway bridge at the north side of city. The city, now isolated from the highway, decided to attract visitors by holding a sand castle contest-an event that has continued annually.
, 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 line
s, and during the 1993 Scotts Mills earthquake, 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.
of 2000, there were 1,588 people, 710 households, and 418 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,066.8 people per square mile (411.5/km²). There were 1,641 housing units at an average density of 1,102.4 per square mile (425.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.57% White, 0.19% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 3.27% from other races
, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.52% of the population. 17.2% were of German
, 12.6% English
, 11.4% Irish
and 5.7% American
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 710 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,271, and the median income for a family was $45,329. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $21,641 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $24,465. About 8.2% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
, it is particularly known as a weekend getaway spot for Portlanders.
The city also hosts an annual Fourth of July parade. Parades in recent years have featured a military flyover, a "Lawn Chair Brigade" and marchers who toss candy to spectators standing along Hemlock Street.
Cannon 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
, and events are not allowed within 100 feet of either side of the rock.
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 McDonald's
have been discouraged from building in Cannon Beach in order to preserve the local economy and small town feel.
A wooden whale commemorating the encounter between Clark, his companions and the Native Americans sits in a small park at the northern end of Hemlock Street.
A shuttle runs from the north of Cannon Beach to the south.
Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement. As of 2010, the population was 37,039. The county seat is Astoria.-Economy:The principal...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,588 as of the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 1,680 residents.
History
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
journey to what is now Cannon Beach was made by William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
in early 1806. The expedition was wintering at Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Country near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806...
, roughly 20 miles to the north near the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. In December 1805, two members of the expedition had returned to camp with blubber from a whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
that had beached
Beached whale
A beached whale is a whale that has stranded itself on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, the body collapsing under its own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole.-Species:...
several miles south, near the mouth of what is now known as Ecola Creek. Knowing that the expedition needed some variety in their monotonous winter diet, Clark decided to journey south from Fort Clatsop over Tillamook Head
Tillamook Head
Tillamook Head is a high promontory on the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It is located in west-central Clatsop County, approximately 5 mi southwest of Seaside. The promontory forms a steep rocky bluff on the ocean, approximately 1,200 ft high, forested with...
, which he described in his journal as "the Steepest worst and highest mountain I ever assended …". 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 from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Clark and about 14 of his companions, including Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
completed the 3 day journey on January 10, 1806, where they found the flensed skeleton of a 105-foot whale on the beach and the Tillamook
Tillamook (tribe)
The Nehalem or Tillamook are a Native American tribe from Oregon of the Salish linguistic group. The name "Tillamook" is a Chinook term meaning "people of Nekelim " and is also spelled Calamox, Gillamooks and Killamook....
(Nehalem) Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
busily boiling blubber for storage. Clark's measurement of the whale skeleton is considered accurate, since he was a professional surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, thus it is likely the carcass was that of a blue whale
Blue Whale
The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
, judging by its size. Clark and his party bartered for 300 pounds (136.1 kg) of blubber
Blubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
and some whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
and returned to Fort Clatsop.
Clark applied the name "Ekoli" to what is now Ecola Creek. Ehkoli is a Chinook jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word for "whale". Early settlers later renamed the creek "Elk Creek", and a community with the same name formed there.
In 1846, a cannon from the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
schooner Shark
USS Shark (1821)
The first USS Shark was a schooner in the United States Navy. Built in the Washington Navy Yard, Shark was launched on 17 May 1821. On 11 May 1821, Matthew C. Perry was ordered to take command of Shark, and the ship was ready to receive her crew on 2 June 1821.-History:Shark sailed from the...
washed ashore just north of Arch Cape, a few miles to the south of the community of Elk Creek. The schooner was wrecked while attempting to cross the Columbia Bar
Columbia Bar
The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the US states of Oregon and Washington. The bar is about wide and long....
, also known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific
Graveyard of the Pacific
The Graveyard of the Pacific is a nickname for a stretch of the coastal region in the Pacific Northwest, from Tillamook Bay on the Oregon Coast northward to the tip of Vancouver Island...
" because of the danger of the bar. The cannon, rediscovered in 1898, is in the city's museum and a replica of it can be seen alongside U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 101, a major north–south U.S. Highway, runs through the state along the coastline near the Pacific Ocean. In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon–California border, south of Brookings, to the Oregon–Washington border on the Columbia River, between Astoria,...
. Two more cannons, also believed to have been from the Shark, were discovered on Arch Cape over the weekend of February 16, 2008.
The community of Cannon Beach was originally named Ecola, after the creek that empties into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
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
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
because the name was frequently confused with Eola
Eola, Oregon
Eola is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States four miles west of Salem on Oregon Route 22 at the confluence of Rickreall Creek and the Willamette River....
. Elk Creek was renamed Ecola Creek to honor William Clark's original name.
U.S. Route 101 formerly ran through Cannon Beach. In 1964, a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
generated by the Good Friday Earthquake
Good Friday Earthquake
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964...
came ashore along the coast of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The subsequent flooding inundated parts of Cannon Beach and washed away the highway bridge at the north side of city. The city, now isolated from the highway, decided to attract visitors by holding a sand castle contest-an event that has continued annually.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, 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 line
Fault line
In geology, fault line refers to the surface trace of a fault.Fault line, Fault Line, or faultline may also refer to:* "Faultline", a song from the 2008 studio album Versus by The Haunted...
s, and during the 1993 Scotts Mills earthquake, 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.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,588 people, 710 households, and 418 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,066.8 people per square mile (411.5/km²). There were 1,641 housing units at an average density of 1,102.4 per square mile (425.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.57% White, 0.19% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 3.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.52% of the population. 17.2% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 12.6% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 11.4% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 5.7% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 710 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,271, and the median income for a family was $45,329. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $21,641 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $24,465. About 8.2% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Cannon Beach is an affluent tourist resort destination. Because of its proximity to Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, it is particularly known as a weekend getaway spot for Portlanders.
Annual cultural events
The city hosts an annual sand castle-building contest in June.The city also hosts an annual Fourth of July parade. Parades in recent years have featured a military flyover, a "Lawn Chair Brigade" and marchers who toss candy to spectators standing along Hemlock Street.
Museums and other points of interest
Haystack Rock
Haystack Rock is a 235-foot sea stack in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is sometimes claimed locally to be the third-tallest such "intertidal" structure in the world, but there are no scientific references to support this. A popular tourist destination, the monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and...
, located to the southwest of downtown Cannon Beach, near Tolovana Park
Tolovana Park, Oregon
Tolovana Park is an unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Tolovana Park is located along the Pacific coast south of Cannon Beach. Tolovana Park has a post office with ZIP code 97145....
. This igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
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
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge off the southwestern Oregon Coast. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges comprising the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex...
, and events are not allowed within 100 feet of either side of the rock.
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
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
and McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
have been discouraged from building in Cannon Beach in order to preserve the local economy and small town feel.
A wooden whale commemorating the encounter between Clark, his companions and the Native Americans sits in a small park at the northern end of Hemlock Street.
Transportation
The main road through Cannon Beach is Hemlock Street, which runs from the north end of the city to the south, through Tolovana Park. Both ends of the street connect to U.S. Route 101.A shuttle runs from the north of Cannon Beach to the south.
External links
- City of Cannon Beach (official website)
- Listing for Cannon Beach in the Oregon Blue BookOregon Blue BookThe Oregon Blue Book is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon copyrighted by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. As Governor Ted Kulongoski notes in his introduction for the 2005–2006 edition, it "provides...
- Cannon Beach Oregon Web Cam