The story of Bayocean, Oregon is still largely unknown today. Once a thriving beach resort town, it was completely submerged by the ocean and lay along Tillamook Bay. We explore the emergence, decline, and lasting impact of Bayocean in this story.
The Bayocean’s Rise:
When the visionary Thomas Potter founded Bayocean in 1906, it was envisioned as the grand “Atlantic City of the West.” Potter purchased a massive 1,600-acre spit of sand that separated Tillamook Bay from the Pacific Ocean and developed it into an opulent vacation community. Potter’s concept drew crowds of people with its abundance of amenities, which included a hotel, dance hall, natatorium, movie theater, and more. Bayocean prospered and became known as “the town that dreams built.”
The Bayocean’s Decline:
However, Bayocean’s wealth did not last long. Significant erosion resulted from Potter’s projects, especially the jetty and seawall, which unintentionally disturbed the tides’ normal cycles. Buildings disintegrated, infrastructure broke down, and the once-thriving town fell into desolation as the ocean grew closer. By 1952, Bayocean had been completely submerged and left to the elements as a ghost town. Its downfall embodied a warning story about the conflict between environmental realities and human desire.
What’s Left of the Bayocean:
Little remains of the Bayocean exist now; they are only discernible at low tide in the form of strewn concrete foundations and debris. In order to stabilize the shoreline, the Army Corps of Engineers stepped in and built a new jetty and dike. The property, which is now a part of the Tillamook State Forest, provides recreational options in the middle of its moving past. To ensure that Bayocean’s memory lives on, a single historical monument and plaque serve as somber reminders of the place’s past.
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In summary:
Once a ray of hope, Bayocean now lies beneath the waters, a melancholy reminder of human foolishness and its consequences for the environment. Its brief but dramatic existence leaves a lasting legacy as Oregon’s Atlantis, a legend carved into the dunes rather than lost to time.
