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Treasures, Shipwrecks Create Huge Publicity for Oregon Coast

Red towers at Arch Cape, a geologic oddity caused by compacted iron deposits beneath the sand, are a sizable attraction on the coast right now. (photo Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium)

(Oregon Coast) – It may be the biggest chunk of press the Oregon coast received since Keiko the Whale or the New Carissa shipwreck debacle in the 90’s. Some say it even eclipsed the coverage of last December’s crippling storm – coverage which managed to damage the image of the coast among potential tourists, who stayed away for two months after the worst was over.

The discovery of the two historically significant cannon, the shipwrecks on the southern Oregon coast and the run of emerging ghost forests and geologic oddities unearthed by low sand levels sent the media into a frenzy in late February, with heavy coverage locally, but also extensive stories done around the U.S. and abroad.

It hasn’t resulted in a flood of visitors to the coast recently, but it has made a difference. Tourism entities and businesses on the north coast report a sometimes-significant spike in phone calls and visitors asking about some of the wild stuff found recently. Some of the beaches that host this stuff – like Hug Point and Arch Cape – have seen increased traffic. The shipwreck near Coos Bay long ago started causing traffic problems, even though it’s a six-mile hike to the wreck that has emerged from a sandy cliff.

Coos Bay shipwreck (photo Boothe)

The ghost forests that line the beaches of the Newport area have seen a slight bump in visitors as well.

All that after endless front page coverage on Oregon and Washington newspapers of these various events, and Portland-area TV and radio ran some of these as their top stories for a few days. But even more importantly, these stories were greatly syndicated all over the U.S. and the world, across an endless array of websites, and in a wide variety of publications outside the U.S.

“People are really excited about all this,” said Kim Bosse, director of the Cannon Beach Chamber, which fielded the most calls from visitors about the cannon discoveries.

And it couldn’t come at a better time. After the December ’07 storm, the power was out for five days on the north coast, but the central coast was back to normal within a day or two. Roads were open almost immediately. The tourism industry on the coast took a heavy hit – financially more disastrous than the storm itself, as people were still asking a month and a half later if roads were open to the coast. A strong ski season also took a lot of attention away from the beaches, as did bad snowy conditions on the passes to the coast.

Cannon found at Arch Cape (photo Boothe)

December and January were an economic mess for the Oregon coast. It had PR firms for towns like Astoria and Seaside Tourism Director Mikaela Norval shooting out press releases reminding the press and the public that the “coast is open for business.”

Ironically, those same storms that lashed the shore and downed trees in massive numbers also sucked out lots of sand from the beaches, resulting in the amazing finds that have popped up.

Norval and others at the Seaside Visitor Center said they’ve received a few calls asking about the location of various discoveries on the north coast.

Bosse’ said the big flurry came just after the cannon were discovered. They’re probably from the USS Shark – the ship whose first cannon gave the town its name - and more than 150 years old.

Ancient ghost forest stump near Cape Kiwanda

“We got about 20 emails and calls a day for the first few days after the story broke,” Bosse’ said.

Sharon Visser, who works at the front desk of the visitor center, said she fielded many calls and emails from people who wanted to see the cannon. “I had to explain they’re not open for viewing right now.”

The cannon are sitting at an Oregon State Parks and Recreation facility as researchers are working to keep them preserved.

“I think it’s great, all this coverage,” said Keith Chandler, manager of Seaside Aquarium. “It’s really good that we enlighten everyone on this, all around the world. But I wouldn’t say it’s bigger coverage than the storm, however, because we were getting calls from all over the U.S. asking if we were alright. Some people thought we were dead.”

Stumps south of Newport (photo Guy DiTorrice)

Chandler reports fielding a few dozen calls himself on the subject, and he’s not even sure how many more other employees at the aquarium have had to answer on the subject. “I’ve seen more locals out on the beaches, looking for stuff,” he said. “We had somebody stop by from New York to look for these things. They were staying in Portland, but decided to drive out here to see this stuff after reading about it.”

At the Cannon Beach Historical Society, where the original cannon that was found in 1898 is on display, program director Tricia Gates Brown said there was some sizable increase in media activity at the museum and with visitors.

“On the first day the story broke, I was interviewed on TV,” Brown said. “And we did notice a sizable uptick in visitors in the first week or two. But we’re not sure how much of that is the spring weather and just more people come out later in the year. I would say it’s about twice the amount of visitors as normal for the last couple weeks.”

Red towers at Hug Point

Seaside Aquarium had some of the biggest national and international exposure because of the ghost forests and the geologic oddities called “red towers.” One Associated Press story was syndicated in what appears to be more than 200 news outlets around the world, where the aquarium’s Tiffany Boothe was quoted extensively talking about the ghost forests of the north coast and the red towers.

That article also highlighted the cannon and the shipwrecks on the south coast.

Then, press often begets press, and NPR interviewed Boothe on the subject as well – a story which also ran online.

Ghost forest at Neskowin

BeachConnection.net staff reports seeing more people than usual for this time of year at Hug Point and the north end of Arch Cape. One group from Washington asked staff for directions to the ghost forest, saying they’d heard about them on NPR.

The result was the tiny town of Arch Cape and more well known Cannon Beach getting national and international exposure. It helped put tiny Arch Cape on the map as never before.

Barbara Dau, owner of Arch Cape House in the village, was among several lodging owners who kept hoping the phones might start ringing off the hook after such a disastrous winter. The surge in publicity didn’t seem to help immediately, but it now seems to be percolating.

“Some of my guests this past weekend were looking for the ghost forests,” Dau said.

Inn at Cannon Beach. Beautifully wooded natural setting at quiet south end of Cannon Beach. Great during winter storms with a new book by the fireplace – or when the sun is out for family fun and beach strolling. Handsome beach cottage-style architecture. Lush flowering gardens and naturalized courtyard pond. Warm, inviting guest rooms. Continental buffet breakfast. Warm Cookies. Family and Pet Friendly. Welcome gifts. Smoke-free. Complimentary Wireless Connectivity. Wine and book signing events. 800-321-6304 or 503-436-9085. Hemlock At Surfcrest, Cannon Beach, Oregon. www.atcannonbeach.com.

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