Looking Back: March '64 Tsunami That Wrecked Oregon Coast, Photos

Published 03/27/2020 at 5:54 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) – On March 27, 1964, about 5:30 p.m., it was anything but a good Friday when the infamous Good Friday quake hit Alaska. What is called a megathrust quake violently shook Anchorage later in the evening, which then caused a massive tsunami to strike the Oregon coast and destroy property and take the lives of four children. It did much more damage farther south at Crescent City, California. (Photo above: surveying the damage in Cannon Beach, courtesy Cannon Beach History Museum).

Seaside geologist Tom Horning was just a teen then, asleep in an upstairs loft in a cabin separate from the main family house on their property on the Necanicum River. He awoke to the startling noise of water rushing through the structure. If he had been sleeping downstairs he would not have made it.

That incident helped steer him into the field of geology, which includes much documentation of that fateful night. He’s acquired loads of photos of the melee in Seaside, found here in this article.

“The Seaside tsunami of 1964 was from 8.5 to 19 ft high and came in on a 7.8 ft tide,” Horning said.

It all hit about 11:30 in the evening, on an otherwise clear and pleasant moonlit night.

Cars and entire structures were moved around like toys. Bridges in Seaside were taken out, and in Cannon Beach the only bridge there was smashed to bits, leaving residents literally stranded if they had only automobiles to use.

The Cannon Beach History Museum has compiled many stories from the great tsunami. It writes:

“The news of the quake in Alaska and tales of an approaching tsunami was rebuffed by some, at least at first. The community of Cannon Beach was prepared for any number of Northern squalls, floods, and fires, but this was something different, something unexpected.

“Bridget Snow and her husband had a unique view from one of the bluffs in Cannon Beach. As they scanned the sea they noticed the wave approaching, ‘from a distance (it) moved in flat, curling to shore and rising in height about a foot a second, about ten feet in all.’ “

Museum archives show Margaret Sroufe spotting dancing blue and green orbs just as the power went out, likely coming from electrical systems shorting out in what she described as a 30-foot wall of water. She watched an entire home move, swirl around a telephone pole and the bridge getting shoved into a nearby pasture.

The northern end of Cannon Beach got the worst of it, with homes torn from their foundations.

On the central Oregon coast, this photo from the Lincoln County Historical Society in Newport shows debris the next day at Ona Beach near Waldport.

At Newport’s Moolack Beach it was seriously tragic. A family of six from Washington had set up camp on the beach and was sleeping when a small, initial wave came in and nearly drowned them. The McKenzie couple tried frantically to grab their four children but couldn’t hang on to all of them.

The second surge threw mother Rita some 400 yards up the beach and took away the two kids. Father Monte was thrown up against a cliff with the water also snapping the kids out of his hands. All four kids and the dog were swept away.

As disastrous as this was to the Oregon coast, it did give future generations a guidepost for planning for the big quake / tsunami that will hit the region someday. In Cannon Beach, the lost bridge inspired locals to create the sand castle festival that June, which has grown into a nationally-recognized event. More at Oregon Coast Geology, and deeper details of this tsunami in the Ultimate Oregon Coast Travel books.

See other parts of the coast: Part 1 covers the south coast (1964 Tsunami Part 1: Its Impact on S. Oregon Coast ), and part 2 covers the central Oregon coast , where five people died (1964 Tsunami Part 2: Tragedy, Destruction Hits Central Oregon Coast).

Oregon Coast Hotels in this area - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

 

One Sweet Set of Reviews: Oregon Coast's Agate Beach Motel Scores High As Cli...
17 Aug 2026 at 8:26pm
Newport hotel reviews: soaring sights onto Yaquina Head, favorable scores

Oregon Coast Warm 'n Fuzzies: Manzanita's Ocean Inn Launches Winter Deals
20 Oct 2026 at 9:22pm
Nifty special to get your bones warmed on those chilly to windy winter beach days. Ocean Inn, Manzanita hotel specials, Manzania reviews

Three Capes Lodging Reviews, North Oregon Coast
Find the ultiamte views. Three Capes Lodging, Oceanside hotel reviews, vacation rentals, Tillamook Coast Hotel Reviews

Cannon Beach Hotels - North Oregon Coast, Haystack Rock
Cannon Beach Hotels, Cannon Beach hotel reviews, vacation rentals

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles)

South Oregon Coast Spooky: Port 'Goreford' Turns Itself Into Immersive Game / Treasure Hunt
20 Oct 2026 at 9:51pm
Battle Rock Kraken Treasure Hunt returns October 24 - 31. Port Orford events

Freeze and Frost Advisories, Watches Tonight for Washington, Oregon, Coastline
30 Oct 2026 at 8:41pm
Good chances rural areas in NW Oregon and SW Washington get below 32. Portland, Chehalis, Weather, Eugene, Silverton, Wine Country

Central Oregon Coast's Siuslaw Forestlands Will Begin Seeing Pile-Burning
28 Sep 2026 at 8:31am
It begins in the central coast and Hebo areas. Tillamook, Lincoln City, Nehalem, Manzanita, Garibaldi, Pacific City, Depoe Bay, Yachats, Florence, Reedsport

Two Fatal Wrecks: South Oregon Coast and Coast Range
9 Nov 2026 at 6:41pm
Two single-vehicle wrecks: one near Coquille and the other in the central Oregon Coast Range near Florence. Traffic, rescue

South Oregon Coast's Holidays Go Bonkers at Brookings, Gold Beach, Cape Blanco
9 Nov 2026 at 6:41pm
Brookings' Festival of Lights, Hughes House, Gold Beach kids party and a musical. Gold Beach events, Brookings events, Port Orford events

N. Oregon Coast Native American Culture Celebrations For Two Days at Bay City
16 Oct 2026 at 9:22am
November 6 - 7, at the Bay City Arts Center on Tillamook Bay. Tillamook events, Pacific City events, Garibaldi,

Oregon Wildlife Officials: Bear Advice for the Season, Especially the Coast
25 Oct 2026 at 10:06pm
Autumn temps are triggering Oregon's annual bear feeding season. Sciences

Avian Influenza Hitting Oregon's Migrating Fowl, Especially Willamette Valley
10 Nov 2026 at 3:51pm
A growing number of sick and dead birds across the state. Salem, Eugene, Silverton, Albany, Corvallis

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright © Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted

Keywords: 1964 Tsunami Oregon coast, 1964 quake Alaska, tsunami damage Oregon, lost lives in Oregon, Oregon tsunami date, Oregon coast history