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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2017)
June 30, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A Possible shipwreck debris uncovered in Cannon Beach State will examine wood object SIUBMITTED PHOTO By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach celebrates the 50th anniversary of the state’s beach bill. Cannon Beach Gazette What at first glance looks like one of the many logs that line Cannon Beach may be an uncovered keel of a boat from a possible shipwreck. The wood object, which measures about 18 feet long and several hundred pounds, was found Wednesda, June 14, on the beach close to the Taft Street access by Jeffrey Smith of Portland. Looking for a place to rest after walking with his wife, he noticed rusty square nails, notches and square cut- outs in the log and decided to call the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. “Maybe this isn’t a big deal, but when you look at the square nails and the cutouts, it looks like this is from a very old ship,” Smith said. After Elaine Trucke, the museum’s director, came out to take a look, she called the Columbia River Maritime Mu- seum and Christopher Dewey from the Maritime Archaeolog- ical Society to help identify the object. “Looking at the parts makes me think it could be from the mid-1800s, but I’m not an ex- pert,” Trucke said. “In general shipwrecks are pretty common on the coast, but if it were actu- Celebrating a legacy COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP Christopher Dewey with the Maritime Archaeological Society examines a wood object re- cently uncovered near Cannon Beach that may be historically significant. ally that old it would be a rare situation.” The wood is some variety of old growth timber, Dewey said, which would make the object historically significant. But defining the age and exact nature of the wood will require an evaluation from the state archaeologist’s office in Salem, Dewey said. Without a thorough examination, the ob- ject could be anything from a structural part of a ship to de- bris still washing ashore from the tsunami in Japan in 2011. Dewey, an anthropology and archaeology adjunct instructor at Clatsop Community College who specializes in investigat- ing shipwrecks, said there are many ways to determine age. Some methods include looking at different types of fastening, machinery cuts and analyzing wood samples to see if the spe- cies is local or from somewhere around the world. “The fact that it’s washed up onto the beach, it means it could be from any- where on the coast,” Dewey said. “Trying to find a record of a ship that matches this piece of wood from a wreck would be difficult.” Shipwrecks are not uncom- mon along the Oregon Coast. Three men using metal detec- tors in the dunes uncovered a large piece of wood in 2014 that turned out to be a 1950s trawl- er, and a 21-foot keel turned up in the dunes at Seaside in 2015. Ultimately, the state will determine what to do with the object and whether or not it is valuable enough to move and conserve. With the closest con- servation lab in Texas, Dewey said, transportation and conser- vation costs would climb for an object so large and heavy. “This is significant,” he said. “This could be many things, but it’s still really cool for anyone interested in under- water archaeology.” Arch Cape native tapped for Parks and Rec post Deur from Page 1A stepping up as the new coast representative on the Oregon Parks and Recreation Depart- ment Commission seemed like a natural fit. Road to commission Deur has replaced Cannon Beach resident Robin Risley on the commission after she reached her eight-year term limit. The commission estab- lishes policies, sets fees, ac- quires property and promotes the state’s outdoor recreation policy, among other tasks. Commissioners serve four- year terms and are appointed by the governor, then con- firmed by the state Senate. There are two other new com- missioners starting their terms with Deur: Steve Grasty, rep- resenting Burns, and Victoria Berger, representing Salem. When Risley came near the end of her term in May, members of the North Coast community started encourag- ing him to apply for her spot, Deur said. “It’s about my personal connection to Oregon parks. I feel like all Oregon citizens have an obligation to take care of parks so future generations can see these same places I enjoyed and my grandparents enjoyed,” he said. “It was an offer I could not refuse.” Deur has been studying North Coast history for years, which included publishing “Empires of the Turning Tide.” The book, published and funded by the National Park Service, details the creation of the parks and tells the stories of the relationship between these places and indigenous people. He’s also a founding mem- ber of the fundraising group Friends of Haystack Rock Awareness Program, the Ecola Creek Forest Reserve initiative, as well as other environmental groups and movements in Cannon Beach. Changing Oregon Parks and Recreation De- partment Associate Director Chris Havel said that, while all of the commissioners share a deep love of Oregon and the desire to improve the parks system within, Deur is notable for his background as a histo- rian and anthropologist. “In Doug’s case, his strong credentials as a historian fits in well with the department mission, with his experience with national registry, local museums, and with his role in the state through recreation and history,” Havel said. “I think people who are natu- rally drawn to that will find the commission a welcoming place. State parks have many challenges before them. While on the commission, Deur hopes to address how to bolster infrastructure better to accommodate the influx of traffic at heavily used parks, such as Oswald West and Eco- la State Park, as well as look for ways to improve beach access points with small land acquisitions. But most notably, he wants to use his background to tell the stories of all Oregonians and their relationship to the parks system. “We need to tell these sto- ries so we don’t forget that these parks still mean some- thing to Native Americans. Different communities have different stories associated with the parks that relate to their histories,” he said. One of the most encom- passing challenges is to fig- ure out how to keep parks relevant for a culturally and demographically changing Oregon, Havel said. Most of the growth and development of state parks happened between the 1950s and 1970s, Havel said. Since then, the demographic and cultural landscape of Oregon has changed, leading to usage changes such as an increase in day trips rather than overnight camping. “In the last five years, we’ve had increasing visita- tion every year. We’ve found it’s many of the same people visiting more often, maybe not as diversified as it could be,” Havel said. “We won’t know if we are serving every Oregon city until we ask bet- ter questions.” Deur hopes his back- ground in cultural studies can help bridge this gap to encour- age more park access for more people, he said. “Oregon is changing. 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The Oregon Shores Con- servation Coalition and Hay- stack Rock Awareness Pro- gram, however, decided to celebrate the anniversary of the day the bill was actual- ly with a special beachwalk, speeches from local environ- mental activists and a dinner party. Oregon Shores Execu- tive Director Phillip Johnson said the goal of the event is to not only celebrate the past 50 years of conservation and preservation efforts, but to inspire action to sustain these actions for the next 50 years. “We don’t always think the beach as an ecosystem — and it’s a fascinating one,” Johnson said. “We hope to ed- ucate people about the natural history of this area as well as the history of the bill.” Johnson said Oregon Shores Conservation Coa- lition’s inspiration to hold this event comes out of the fact the group formed in part because of the passage of the Oregon Beach Bill. Dining on the North Coast Since 1976 discriminating diners have sought out this Seaside landmark. 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The route intentionally passes the Surfsand Resort, where the campaign for the Beach Bill in 1967 began when the former owner staked out part of the beach for the exclusive use of his guests. “[The Haystack Rock Awareness Program] want- ed to get involved with this event because Cannon Beach was and is the center of the action,” Executive Director of HRAP Melissa Keyser said. “There are still so many community activists who still have a voice here.” The celebration will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Cannon Beach Community Hall with refreshments and a remarks from Johnson, Cannon Beach resident and conservationist Ed Johnson, environmental activist, author and filmmak- er Stephen Grace, and others, before starting the beach walk at 2:15 p.m. NORMA’S SEAFOOD & STEAK Serving the North Oregon Coast for Over 28 Years Pre-Hung Doors • Garage Door Sales Installation • Complete Trim Packages Stair Parts • Door Hardware Environmental groups sponsor more Oregon Beach Bill celebrations PIG ‘N PANCAKE 223 S Hemlock 503-436-2851 7AM - 3PM Daily From hashbrown potatoes ground fresh daily and award-winning sourdough pancakes to homemade soups and clam chowder, you’ll find delicious family friendly dining at the Pig ‘N Pancake. 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