Remnants
of the "new" Jump-Off Joe structure, located about a quarter
mile north of the Nye Beach Turnaround - and less than a mile from
Agate Beach.
The premonitory
in Nye Beach now nicknamed Jump-Off Joe has a tale with several
parts to it: one for each rock structure that bore the name.
About 1890,
construction of the jetties at Yaquina Bay caused the tides to change,
and a sandstone landmass jutting 150 feet into the surf eroded away.
Within a decade, a large chunk of rock with an arch and something
that looked like a dinosaur tail was left. This was named Jump-Off
Joe, from a mix of legends from settlers and local tribes.
As Nye Beach
grew into a major destination, Joe caught the imaginations of visitors
and locals alike. A.L. Thomas, a doctor and businessman, turned
artful photos of it into a lucrative postcard business around 1900.
Erosion of Jump-Off
Joe continued, and around 1916 the arch crumbled. By the 40's, almost
all traces of it were gone.
For
more on the Jump-Off Joe story, keep clicking.... |