Sunset Shore and a Seaside Adventure

by

Seaside is a town that bustles with tourists during the summer season. It’s right on the rugged Oregon coast with miles of beautiful beaches right on the water.

The first inhabitants of the area were Clatsop Native Americans. They lived there for centuries until explorers arrived in the 1700s, seeking a water route across the continent. They are first mentioned in written history in 1792 by a merchant captain named Robert Gray. He explored 20 miles up the Columbia River, and named it after his ship “Columbia.” Sadly, the explorers and merchants brought smallpox along with them. By the time the first European settlers arrive in the area, only around 250 tribe members remained.

The famous Lewis and Clark Expedition—the Corps of Discovery—also visited Seaside. In November 1805, they reached the Pacific Coast and set up a winter camp near the mouth of the Columbia River. They’d run out of salt, so an expedition of three men were sent to find a place to establish a salt-making operation.

They established the salt-making camp in what would become present-day Seaside where they boiled 1,400 gallons of seawater to make four bushels of salt for their trip home. Today, a recreation of the original gives visitors a glimpse into the salt camp of the past. Lewis and Clark’s expedition is memorialized in a huge statue at the center of Seaside’s round-about at the end of Broadway, the busiest street in town that leads down to the beach.

John Jacob Astor was the next to come to the area. In 1811, he established a fur trading post and Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. By the early 1820s, people arrived and began forming permanent settlements and claiming land in the Seaside area.  However, the city was not incorporated until 1899.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, going to Oregon’s beaches from Portland wasn’t an easy trip.

Trunks were hauled down from attic storage. Bathing suits were cleaned and repaired. Bed linens, clothing, toys, food supplies, and cooking utensils were packed. The adventure was at least a week long and it could last all summer. Prior to 1890, the main means of travel were river boats down the Columbia River to Astoria, or by horseback and stagecoach. It was an all-day trip. Hotels were limited, and vacationers rented cottages or set up tents and camped.

After 1890, a train connected Portland to Seaside. It cut the travel time in half, even though the trip included the Ecola Toll Road with 111 motion sickness-inducing curves. Because the trip wasn’t easy or simple, families who could afford it would often stay in cottages all summer with the fathers commuting on the weekends on what became known as “daddy trains.”

Seaside grew. Hotels were constructed. A highway along the Columbia River opened in 1920, making travel even easier.

 


August 7, 1921, was a memorable day in Seaside.  A new promenade that stretched for a mile and a half was dedicated in a ceremony that brought thousands of people to town. Visitors flocked to the area for the proceedings. Oregon State dignitaries and politicians traveled from the capitol to give grand speeches and join the throngs of merry makers.  The dedication of The Prom, as it would become known, was held with parades, cornet and trumpet orchestras, and fox-trotting into the wee hours at the dance halls on Broadway. Today, people still stroll along vintage lamp-lit walk watching the waves caress the shore.

During the 1920s until World War II, Seaside was a popular place for musicians to stop along the West Coast, with names such as Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller among the most popular acts.

In 1942, Seaside witnessed the shelling of Fort Stevens by a Japanese submarine in the only attack on a mainland American military site during World War II. It happened June 21, 1942. After covertly following American fishing vessels to bypass minefields, a Japanese submarine  entered the mouth of the Columbia River. It surfaced near Fort Stevens, an old Army base that dated back to the Civil War. Just before midnight, the submarine used its deck gun to fire 17 shells at the fort. Wisely, the commander of Fort Stevens ordered his men not to return fire, fearful the muzzle flashes of the fort’s guns would reveal their position. The plan worked, and the bombardment quickly ended. A nearby baseball field bore the brunt of the damage.

Seaside survived a tsunami that swarmed the coast March 27, 1964. A 9.2-magnitude earthquake hit near Alaska and sent waves down the West Coast. According to local legend, some people dancing at a club in town noticed water rising to their ankles. Thinking a pipe had burst, the dancers went outside to find water streaming through town ,carrying along debris from destroyed buildings.

Today, Seaside continues to be a popular tourist destination with many historic buildings and landmarks near the sandy beach where visitors can take in spectacular sunsets.

Just like those in my soon-to-release book Sunset Shore.

 

An artist, a fire chief, and a troubled teen team up to track down an arsonist.

Hallie Hart roams the country seeking inspiration for her cyanotype creations. After deciding to spend the summer in Seaside on the rugged Oregon coast, she unexpectedly encounters the fire chief, a man who captivates her. Despite her hesitancy to set down roots, she forges friendships, discovers a newfound sense of belonging in Seaside, and treasures the love blossoming in her heart.

Seaside Fire Chief Sloan Davis faces a daunting challenge as an elusive arsonist escalates from dumpster fires to burning buildings. Amid the chaos, Sloan crosses paths with a spirited traveling artist. Their immediate attraction sparks a tender romance, making him realize Hallie is everything he’s been missing in his life.

Forced to spend the summer with his aunt in Seaside, Dellas Reeves fights his boredom by following fire trucks out on calls. While his admiration for the first responders grows, he unwittingly becomes entangled in an arsonist’s scheme.

As they join forces to unravel the mystery surrounding the arsonist, their bonds deepen. When Hallie gets too close to the truth, will Sloan and Dellas be able to save her before the arsonist adds murder to growing list of charges?

Find out in this wholesome small-town romance full of hope, love, memorable characters, mystery, and humor.

Today, you can get the prequel to my Love on the Beach series (Sunset Shore is book 2) for just 99 cents. I hope you’ll check out Rose and Moonlight Cove!

 

Just for fun, I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of both
Rose and Moonlight Cove to once lucky winner!
To enter, share your favorite beach location
(can be real, or a fictional place).
Website |  + posts

After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky western heroes.
When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

110 thoughts on “Sunset Shore and a Seaside Adventure”

  1. What a neat bit of history and the story sounds good as well. My favorite beachs are in Hawaii. I would give a particular beach, but it seems I cannot spell it.

  2. My favorite beaches are on the Gulf coast of Florida. Siesta Key, Sanibel Island, and Fort Walton Beach. White sands and blue water.

  4. Hello Shanna! Thanks for the background of Seaside! My favorite beach side is St. George Island off the gulf coast of Florida. It’s not as busy as the other beaches in Florida, And the simplicity of the small island doesn’t take away the beauty of a sunset and sunrise. And it’s not as touristy.

    Best wishes always Shanna!

  5. The only beach I have even been to is Daytona Beach. I’m sure there are much prettier beaches elsewhere, but my in-laws live in Daytona Beach.

  6. Honestly, I’d love to visit fictional Chapel Cove in Oregon, or also fictional Hope Harbor also in Oregon!! I live 15 to 20 minutes (depending on traffic) from the Atlantic Ocean, and rarely go. I burn fast, even with sunscreen, so while I like the beach, I avoid it.

  14. Your book, Sunset Shores is spectacular. You always put so much feeling in your writings. That makes them very special to me. Thank you so much for engaging so many of us with your writing.

  16. The beaches of Rhode Island are my favorite! This includes Charlestown, Watch Hill, East Beach, Block Island and a few others. There are just so many to choose from in little rhody ;o)

  19. A beach that I enjoy visiting and is very special is Newport Beach, Ca. Walk for miles, enjoy the surroundings and relax.

  20. My favorite beaches are at Port Aransas, Texas which is actually Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico. The whole Padre Island is available. When we were young we used to camp right on the beach in tents. Great memories.

  21. Although there are many beautiful beaches (some I’ve visited and some I only dream of visiting), I’ll say my favorite day trip is to nearby Galveston Island, Texas. It doesn’t have white sand and blue water, but it has a history that can be felt among the Victorian mansions, hotels and professional buildings still standing today. It was the port city of the south until the 1900 hurricane damaged buildings and took many lives.

  23. I live in Arizona and every summer I go to the beach in La Jolla, California. I have been to the beaches in Hawaii but they are always so crowded,

  24. I live in South Texas and South Padre Island is close by so I normally go to that beach often especially during the summer months

  25. I really only remember the name of one beach where I spent any time. South Padre Island is a beautiful place.
    I love the history of sunset Cove and am looking forward to visiting via your book.

  26. I loved your history lesson on Seaside today.

    My favorite beaches are all in Oregon. My top two are Bandon and Yachats but they are closely followed by many others, including Seaside. I’ve been going to Seaside since the late 1940’s when I was a little kid.

    • Thank you, Barbara. It was fun to look up all those details! I’ve never been to Bandon, but we have visited Yachats. How neat is that you’ve been visiting Seaside since you were a little kid. Love it!

  30. Living in the Land of 10,000, I would have to say Pelican Lake Beach, which is five miles from our home.
    An ocean beach would be Ruby Beach, along the coast of the state of Washington. It is about fifty miles south of the Olympic National Park.

  31. Gulf Shores, AL

    Thanks for the chance to win. I love all the research you do for your books. So interesting reading the history of the places and events described in them.

  33. My favorite beach is Flagler Beach on the east coast of Florida. When our children were little we used to park the camper at a campground on the beach itself. I have so many wonderful memories of them making sandcastles and just being kids there.

  39. I love any and all beaches, but if I have to name just a few, they would be South Haven on Lake Michigan, and Tybee Island, Georgia. (I do love Seaside Beach in Oregon, but I’ve only been there in cooler weather.)

    • Those sound like wonderful places to visit, Eunice. If you get a chance Seaside in the last spring or early fall, it is beautiful (and not as many tourists as during the summer!).

  40. An amazing variety of beaches have been mentioned–as a peripatetic traveler (army brat), I was delighted at how many I’ve actually visited! Love them all.

    Loved your history of Seaside, so I’ll name Seaside, California (Fort Ord), where my high school boyfriend took me to watch the submarine races. Since there was a sub pen nearby around Monterey, I took him literally… He had to explain, wryly, that submarines run underwater, so you wouldn’t be able to see them race.

    The new book sounds wonderful.

    • The submarine races – how fun! It sounds like you’ve had the opportunity visit many beautiful beaches. That is wonderful! Thank you for stopping in today and for your kind words!

  41. Thank You for this amazing chance to win one of your books My favorite beach is Myrtle Beach! And Thank you for sharing this bit of history with us! Have a Blessed Day!

  42. I haven’t been to a lot of beaches, but Coco Beach in Florida and St. Pete Beach in Florida are both just beautiful. I love to watch the ocean waves, and the sunsets over oceans are just gorgeous.

  43. Oregon Coast beach, because that’s the only one I’ve ever been too. Hopefully i can experience a Hawaiian Beach some day.

  44. I love Waikiki Beach! But I suppose say my fave is Vero Beach, FL where one of our children and her family live….

  45. My favorite beach is Galveston because that is the only one I ever get to go to. But I would really like to visit the beaches in Hawaii.

  46. I enjoy any beach I can read about in books but I don’t really want to visit one in real life. Once upon a time, way back in the day, I did enjoy going to Du Bois Park in Jupiter, Florida(I probably spelled it wrong). I also enjoyed hanging out with friends at the Lake Worth Beach in Florida as a teenager at night. We hung out in the parking lot because it was one of the only beaches where you could drive up along the beach.

  49. We live near Lake Erie. With being in a wheelchair, I do not get to the beach. The closest one would be Maumee Bay State Park. Thank you so much for the opportunity. God bless you.

  50. I’m not really a beach person for just sitting on the sand in the sun. I do enjoy the Maine coast and the Northwest coast. They can be rocky but do have stretches of sand. I like to walk the rocky shore, checking tide pools, and collecting stones, driftwood, and “treasures” washed in from the ocean. We have been on the Oregon coast a few times, but never got to Seaside. In all our trips, we were passing through and never really got a chance to see as much as we wanted. If we get out there again, we will be visiting that area.

  51. Any beach with a beautiful sunset or sunrise. There’s something magical about a sunrise or sunset on the water.

  53. I live on the east coast and I just love the coast line of Maine it’s just has spectacular views To Portland lighthouse, Kennebunkport, home of the Bush’s right up to Bar harbor, absolutely beautiful.

  56. In Jamaica. Don’t remember name. Went there on a Mission trip in 1979. Had small water fall you went through

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