Subversive to Odd Oregon Coast History: Details of Seaside Part 2

Published 9/04/24 at 5:15 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Seaside, Oregon) – It turns out, there's a lot of sides to Seaside – and some of it's stuff you won't expect.

In part one of this deep-dive into the north Oregon coast town's curiosities, you got to look into Seaside's occasional, crazed feeding frenzies at the Necanicum River, how that relates to whales in the area, and some glimpses of its past like the rather out-there idea of a Ferris wheel. Plus, there's those castle-like ruins of an old bunker hiding along a trail. See Details and Twists of Seaside, Part I: Curious Oregon Coast History, Ruins to Whales

Now, in part two, Oregon Coast Beach Connection takes you down yet another kooky road in the famed, 140-year-old tourism hotspot. It's had a lot of time to pick up some oddities in its history and surroundings. Did you know an FBI investigation happened because of a song that was inspired here? Did you know part of the beach grew rather suddenly by hundreds of feet not that long ago? What can you find more of in Seaside than any other town on the coast? And what's up with those brown waves sometimes?

Seaside can be delightfully freaky sometimes.

Photo Tom Horning: the Cove as it was filling up with new stones in the '80s

The Cove Grew in the '80s. One really striking fact about Seaside and its geologic history is that the cove area at the southern was much shorter before the early '80s. The area ended up gaining about 300 feet of beach when a massive landslide came off Tillamook Head and caused scores of boulders to pool up the water for a few years. Eventually, sand filled in those areas, creating the long stretch between the Avenue U access and the tide.

For a weird little bonus road, check out what's beneath Seaside geologically.

Seaside's “Dangerous” Rock 'n Roll History. The '60s saw something revolutionary here in the world of music, namely Pypo Club. The unassuming all-ages spot managed to bring in quite a few biggies of the period, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gene Vincent – and a little band called The Kingsmen. Before they were famous they frequented its stage, and it was here they were inspired to do their own version of “Louie, Louie,” for decades rock 'n roll's most well-known tune.

Rather notoriously (hilariously), the lyrics of that tune were sung so garbled that government officials actually felt threatened by it and initiated an investigation into what the song was really saying. Yup, all that got started in Seaside. More on the Pypo Club

What's In A Name in Seaside? Take a look at Highway 101's signage and you may notice occasionally it's called Roosevelt – and not Highway 101. This is a leftover from when the entire highway along the Oregon coast was called the Roosevelt Coast Military Highway as it was first being constructed in the '20s (named after Teddy Roosevelt, not his cousin the president at the time). Before it was finished in the '30s, it was named the Oregon Beach Highway, but has changed names and nicknames at least twice since then.

Broadway Avenue is now the main drag through downtown, but when it was first constructed around 1900 it was called Shell Avenue. Historians believe many of the streets along the Oregon coast with this name are believed to have been initially built by using the shell middens from ancient tribes who lived in the area. That's not a pretty bit of history.

Oregon Coast Beach Connection

North Coast Brown Waves. Periodically – especially Seaside and Warrenton – get hit by a host of brown waves. Sometimes, they're even kind of globby, black and sludgy in spots. Don't be alarmed – it's a good thing. Although it freaks out tourists because they think it's pollution. In fact, it's huge amounts of phytoplankton: what's called a phytoplankton bloom. Conditions along Clatsop Beach are sometimes more conducive to growing gobs of these microorganisms. When you get enough, they turn the surf brown or even sludgy in certain patches. Weird, Brown Waves Return to N. Oregon Coast - It's a Good Thing and What Else It Means

More Whole Sand Dollars Found Here. This is actually related to the fact above. A very little known aspect of town is that the northernmost edge and the southern part of Gearhart (around the Necanicum River) are where you can find more whole sand dollars than anywhere else on the Oregon coast. This has to do with so many nutrients in that area that they simply thrive (the same nutrients feed the brown wave-inducing phytoplankton) and the fact very few people are here to pick them clean.

Aside from that, exactly why so many sand dollars end up here is a bit of a mystery. There are some theories, though. Why This N. Oregon Coast Spot Has So Many Sand Dollars, Brown Waves, Clams

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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