Oswald West State Park

The Oswald West State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located both in Clatsop as well as in Tillamook County, approximately 14 km south of Cannon Beach Park preserves a 6 km long pristine section of the Pacific Coast.

Geography

The 1005 -acre park stretches between Arch Cape in the north and lying directly on the coast, 506 m high Neahkahnie Mountain in the south along the Pacific coast. Within the park, the Oregon Coast Range falls steeply to Smuggler's Cove called bay from where the 400 m Short Sands Beach is a long time. The beach is bordered to the north by the 228 m high, located about 1,5 km to the sea extending Cape Falcon and the south by the Neahkahnie Mountain. Through the park flows the streams Short Sand Creek and Necarney Creek, both of which open out at the Smuggler's Cove from the sea. At Smuggler's Cove also falls Blumenthal Falls, a 13-meter high waterfall, directly on the beach and flows into the sea. The waterfall was named after Dan Blumenthal, a ranger who was shot in the park in 1999.

History

On Short Sand Beach archaeologist finds have been excavated, demonstrating that Tillamook and Clatsop Indians have visited the beach. In the 19th century the beach pioneers served on their journey along the coast as a resting place, allegedly landed on the beach and smugglers, the Smuggler's Cove gave their name. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first trip guests came to the picnic on the beach.

Samuel Boardman, first superintendent for the state parks in Oregon, followed at the beginning of the 1930s, the project to establish a state park on the north coast of the state. His choice fell on the beach of Short Sands, where he wanted to create a resting place on the new Highway 101. Boardman won in 1931 several landowners to give their land in what is now the park area to the State until 1976, the park area was extended by further donations and purchases to its present size. 1940 and 1941 laid the Civilian Conservation Corps to paths in the park area, in 1941, the highway was completed along the Neahkahnie Mountain. Originally the park Short Sands Beach State Park was named. 1956, the park was named after Oswald West, who was from 1911 to 1915 Governor of Oregon and preserved the freedom of access to the beaches in the state. From the 1970s, the park was a popular destination for surfers. Today, the park is considered one of the most popular parks of Oregon and is visited by one million visitors annually.

Flora and Fauna

The park is a forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock and American giant trees of life and a dense understory of blueberries, raspberries splendor, and Shallon bill berry, the floor is covered with mosses, ferns and forest lilies covered. Cape Falcon is covered with a rain forest of Sitka spruce, while the slopes of the mountain Neahkahnie to 1942 were used for sheep grazing and are therefore less forested.

The park is home to numerous bird species such as Marmelalke, Steller, hair woodpeckers, Dippers, Warbler, Rotrückenmeisen. At Mount Neahkahnie lives a herd of elk, in the rainforest occur banana slugs. On the rocks of Cape Falcons seals and sea lions can be observed.

Tourist Facilities

As a highway rest stop the use of the park is free of charge. The park contains picnic areas, several footpaths lead through the woods to the beach which is popular with surfers and kayakers. Through the park a 21 km section of the Oregon Coast Trail, which runs through the park to Cape Falcon to continue toward Arch Cape. Highway 101 runs along the sea side of the Neahkahnie Mountain, along the route are seven viewpoints, which are edged with yet built by the Civilian Conservation Corps stone walls.

By 2008, the park also had a campground. This summer, however, a tree fell over three meters in diameter on the square. A review of other trees showed that even more trees could fall over. For conservation reasons, but they were not like and instead closed the campground.