Factoid #44 - The town of Cannon Beach actually got its name from a specific shipwreck. In 1846, the Navy schooner USS Shark wrecked nearby, and one of its deck cannons eventually washed ashore, leading locals to rename the settlement in its honor.
Factoid #43 - Most people know about "squatter's rights" (adverse possession), but Oregon has one of the highest bars in the nation for actually winning a claim.
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Factoid #42 - Legally, the Oregon Coast from the vegetation line to the water is still classified as a State Highway by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
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Factoid #41 - While the 1967 Beach Bill famously declared Oregon’s beaches "public," it didn't actually seize the land from every owner. Instead, it created a Public Easement.
Factoid #39 - Long before the Lewis and Clark expedition, local oral histories from the Tillamook tribes spoke of a "giant with very dark skin" who survived a shipwreck in the 1700s near Cascade Head.
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Factoid #37 - Until the mid-1900s, there were no bridges along the coastal route that later became US highway 101; stagecoaches made the trip by driving on the sandy beaches.
Factoid #35 - Coastal development is heavily regulated to protect the public's access and the natural landscape, contributing to a scarcity of buildable land that helps maintain high property values over time.
Factoid #31 - Since before 1700, chunks of beeswax with numbers carved into them have washed up near Nehalem Spit, believed to be from a Spanish galleon wreck.
