Sampson Johns: First ‘Modern’ Hero on the Hidden Coast
Over a century ago, North Beach resident Sampson Johns received a congressional life saving medal for rescuing over a dozen shipwrecked men who were otherwise doomed at sea. Can you imagine being a 19th century sailor; far from home on a sinking ship in unforgiving waters, praying for someone, anyone to jump the breakers and […]
Talking Crows on the Washington Coast? Who said that!
Over the summer, I was chatting with Boaz Backus, the chainsaw carver guy who built Ocean City Marketplace in 1995, and son of woodcarving pioneer (and my friend) Judy McVay. Boaz doesn’t live along the Washington Coast anymore but his legacy lives on in stories; about saving Dorothy Anderson’s cabin, drunk adventures, travel, carving, […]
Dead Crabs all Over the Beach at Pacific Beach & Moclips
All sorts of people wander into the shop on any given day and many of them ask interesting questions and we get into conversations about history, pickin‘ and the North Beach. But recently I was asked an odd question and surprisingly — I knew the answer! A couple came, shopped around and at checkout they […]
Clam Digging on the Hidden Coast in the 1930’s; an Oral History
Clam Digging on the Hidden Coast Scenic Byway in the 1930’s; a Personal Story In April 1990, Harriet Baller, a 48-year resident of Moclips wrote about the trials and tribulations of clam digging on the coast. Upon her death at the age of 90, her stories were donated to the Museum of the North Beach […]
Ocean Shores Fog Festival 1973
We live at the end of the USA, on the Washington Coast, where things have always been drastically different than city life on the I-5 corridor. Born out of a desire for fun, just a few decades ago, Ocean Shores was a party town complete with a resident shipwreck (the SS Catala), celebrities (Pat Boone, […]
