What do you think?
Rate this book
Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon
Like Plato’s fictional island kingdom, most of Bayocean sank below the sea long ago. The rest lies buried beneath the shore pine, salal, and beach grass covering the four-mile-long spit that protects Tillamook Bay from the Pacific Ocean. This book chronicles the half-century the Oregon resort town existed, tells the stories of the people involved, and explains its financial and physical demise. Fifty-seven maps, photographs, and diagrams help readers visualize this unique catastrophe.
In 1907, T. B. Potter and his partner, Harkness Chapin, promised urbanites a resort grander than any other along the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lots sold quickly at first, especially those along the spit's southern, one-hundred-foot-high ridgeline, where simultaneous views of bay and ocean were breathtaking. But Tillamook’s remote location and an economic downturn slowed progress, which Potter and Chapin had not set aside sufficient reserved to deal with. Years of success developing subdivisions in Kansas City, Missouri, Portland, Oregon, and South San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and San Jose, California had made them overconfident. Lot owners sued for, and eventually were granted, receivership.
As a result, Bayocean Park was never grand, but at one point or another it featured a massive natatorium, three hotels, forty-two rental cabins, a two-story mercantile, two restaurants, three dance halls, an amusement pavilion, and fifty-nine homes. Reed College students ran the resort one summer; a military academy for boys tried but failed another. A commune invigorated the town for a couple of years during the Great Depression, as did Coast Guard war dogs during World War II. These and other episodes in Baycean’s history make it more interesting than most, but the fact that nothing remains makes it matter.
Erosion began pulling homes into the sea in the late 1920s and undercut the Bayocean Natatorium in 1932. More homes fells as the spit’s foredune continued to recede. In November 1952 a storm surge blew 3,000 feet at its base into Tillamook Bay. Four years later, the Army Corps of Engineers built a breakwater to reconnect the island to mainland, destroying what remained of the town in the process. It took geologists, geographers, and oceanographers two decades to determine that the erosion had been caused by faulty jetty planning rather than natural forces, preventing similar environmental disasters by doing so.
In 1907, T. B. Potter and his partner, Harkness Chapin, promised urbanites a resort grander than any other along the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lots sold quickly at first, especially those along the spit's southern, one-hundred-foot-high ridgeline, where simultaneous views of bay and ocean were breathtaking. But Tillamook’s remote location and an economic downturn slowed progress, which Potter and Chapin had not set aside sufficient reserved to deal with. Years of success developing subdivisions in Kansas City, Missouri, Portland, Oregon, and South San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and San Jose, California had made them overconfident. Lot owners sued for, and eventually were granted, receivership.
As a result, Bayocean Park was never grand, but at one point or another it featured a massive natatorium, three hotels, forty-two rental cabins, a two-story mercantile, two restaurants, three dance halls, an amusement pavilion, and fifty-nine homes. Reed College students ran the resort one summer; a military academy for boys tried but failed another. A commune invigorated the town for a couple of years during the Great Depression, as did Coast Guard war dogs during World War II. These and other episodes in Baycean’s history make it more interesting than most, but the fact that nothing remains makes it matter.
Erosion began pulling homes into the sea in the late 1920s and undercut the Bayocean Natatorium in 1932. More homes fells as the spit’s foredune continued to recede. In November 1952 a storm surge blew 3,000 feet at its base into Tillamook Bay. Four years later, the Army Corps of Engineers built a breakwater to reconnect the island to mainland, destroying what remained of the town in the process. It took geologists, geographers, and oceanographers two decades to determine that the erosion had been caused by faulty jetty planning rather than natural forces, preventing similar environmental disasters by doing so.
290 pages, Paperback
Published February 17, 2023
3 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Sutherland
2 books3 followersJerry Sutherland first started researching Oregon history in 2012 when his father, Art Sutherland, asked him to look up something about Calvin Tibbets at the Oregon Historical Society. What he learned during that first visit, and the process itself, fascinated him. Subsequent visits, then journeys to other archival institutions across Oregon, the United States, and Canada, eventually led to his writing Calvin Tibbets: Oregon's First Pioneer (https://www.calvintibbets.com). First published as a two-part series in the Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 issues of the Cumtux (the Clatsop County Historical Society quarterly), it was converted to a standalone book in September 2016. Public presentations followed until Covid shut things down.
When not researching and writing, Sutherland enjoys exploring the great outdoors. In the fall of 2014, he learned that Bayocean - a pristine landscape he had hiked - hosted a resort town during the first half of the twentieth century. Resulting curiosity led him to spend the next eight years applying the skills acquired researching Calvin Tibbets to expand on what others had written. He created https://www.bayocean.net to share some of what he was learning with the public. In 2015, Grant McOmie asked him to coordinate a day on the spit in order to produce a Grant's Getaway about Bayocean for KGW-TV. Four years later, Jule Gilfillan consulted him while creating an extended Oregon Field Guide episode on OPB-TV. Continued interest prompted Sutherland bring everything together in Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon. It was published by Beaver State Press in February 2023.
Editorial Reviews:
"Events in the book are especially well documented. And if the discussion of litigation early seems overly complex, subsequent events involving the Bayocean development and spit erosion are more straight forward and extremely interesting to follow...In short, Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon provides a unique opportunity to observe the birth and demise of an entire community within the timeline of approximately 50 years." -David Krogh, Southeast Examiner, August 2023
"Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon offers a comprehensive examination of a massive real estate development in one of the Northwest's most scenic and pristine ocean beaches. The many tales of speculation, promotion, and determination are interwoven with extensive research of original sources to tell the tales of a long-ago age. Jerry Sutherland teaches us history and also engages in storytelling at its best. At times, this reads like a thriller and mystery, becoming a page-turner and a biography of dreamers and adventurers, as well as many who were driven by greed and speculation. He brings speculators and pioneering residents to life, with a work that is abundantly supplemented with maps, photos, and helpful discussions of the times and the dreams of many...He manages to craft a resource of entrepreneurial spirit, natural dynamics, and tales of the lives of intriguing characters of our past. His efforts bring a much-needed reference and storybook for a land that is a fundamental part of the Oregon story." -Neal Lemery, Tillamook County Pioneer, March 26, 2023
When not researching and writing, Sutherland enjoys exploring the great outdoors. In the fall of 2014, he learned that Bayocean - a pristine landscape he had hiked - hosted a resort town during the first half of the twentieth century. Resulting curiosity led him to spend the next eight years applying the skills acquired researching Calvin Tibbets to expand on what others had written. He created https://www.bayocean.net to share some of what he was learning with the public. In 2015, Grant McOmie asked him to coordinate a day on the spit in order to produce a Grant's Getaway about Bayocean for KGW-TV. Four years later, Jule Gilfillan consulted him while creating an extended Oregon Field Guide episode on OPB-TV. Continued interest prompted Sutherland bring everything together in Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon. It was published by Beaver State Press in February 2023.
Editorial Reviews:
"Events in the book are especially well documented. And if the discussion of litigation early seems overly complex, subsequent events involving the Bayocean development and spit erosion are more straight forward and extremely interesting to follow...In short, Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon provides a unique opportunity to observe the birth and demise of an entire community within the timeline of approximately 50 years." -David Krogh, Southeast Examiner, August 2023
"Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon offers a comprehensive examination of a massive real estate development in one of the Northwest's most scenic and pristine ocean beaches. The many tales of speculation, promotion, and determination are interwoven with extensive research of original sources to tell the tales of a long-ago age. Jerry Sutherland teaches us history and also engages in storytelling at its best. At times, this reads like a thriller and mystery, becoming a page-turner and a biography of dreamers and adventurers, as well as many who were driven by greed and speculation. He brings speculators and pioneering residents to life, with a work that is abundantly supplemented with maps, photos, and helpful discussions of the times and the dreams of many...He manages to craft a resource of entrepreneurial spirit, natural dynamics, and tales of the lives of intriguing characters of our past. His efforts bring a much-needed reference and storybook for a land that is a fundamental part of the Oregon story." -Neal Lemery, Tillamook County Pioneer, March 26, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 8, 2024
An upcoming trip to Oregon caused my brother to send me this book as required reading to prepare me for an understanding of an area of the coast that I had not been familiar with even though I have been born and raised in Oregon and visited the coast many times.
Set in the early 1900s and traveling through decades after it was very interesting understanding some of the draw and later pitfalls of early entrepreneurs for developing businesses and housing along the coastline.
I now feel better prepared to provide some historical context to my trip.
Set in the early 1900s and traveling through decades after it was very interesting understanding some of the draw and later pitfalls of early entrepreneurs for developing businesses and housing along the coastline.
I now feel better prepared to provide some historical context to my trip.
March 25, 2023
Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon offers a comprehensive examination of a massive real estate development in one of the Northwest’s most scenic and pristine ocean beaches. The many tales of speculation, promotion, and determination are interwoven with extensive research of original sources to tell the tales of a long-ago age.
Sutherland teaches us history and also engages in storytelling at its best. At times, this reads like a thriller and mystery, becoming a page-turner and a biography of dreamers and adventurers, as well as many who were driven by greed and speculation. He brings speculators and pioneering residents to life, with a work that is abundantly supplemented with maps, photos, and helpful discussions of the times and the dreams of many.
Such tales not only teach us history, but also bring awareness to our current efforts to preserve and develop Oregon’s natural resources. He gives us the big picture, while bringing to life the developers and naturalists of a bygone era, and masterfully dissects the complexities of the twentieth century.
As a lifelong hiker and beachcomber of Bayocean, I’ve tramped its abandoned streets, its trails and beaches, and its now again nearly wild landscape. I’ve witnessed the evolution of this challenging and ever-changing landscape, as well as read most of the written sources of its engaging history. Sutherland’s work, among all of these, is by far the most thorough and thoughtful collection and analysis of the many dreams and investments of this peninsula and sometimes abandoned island between ocean and coastal bay. This work brings life and deeper meaning to my day hikes and adventures between ocean and bay.
He manages to craft a resource of entrepreneurial spirit, natural dynamics, and tales of the lives of intriguing characters of our past. His efforts bring a much-needed reference and storybook for a land that is a fundamental part of the Oregon story.
Sutherland teaches us history and also engages in storytelling at its best. At times, this reads like a thriller and mystery, becoming a page-turner and a biography of dreamers and adventurers, as well as many who were driven by greed and speculation. He brings speculators and pioneering residents to life, with a work that is abundantly supplemented with maps, photos, and helpful discussions of the times and the dreams of many.
Such tales not only teach us history, but also bring awareness to our current efforts to preserve and develop Oregon’s natural resources. He gives us the big picture, while bringing to life the developers and naturalists of a bygone era, and masterfully dissects the complexities of the twentieth century.
As a lifelong hiker and beachcomber of Bayocean, I’ve tramped its abandoned streets, its trails and beaches, and its now again nearly wild landscape. I’ve witnessed the evolution of this challenging and ever-changing landscape, as well as read most of the written sources of its engaging history. Sutherland’s work, among all of these, is by far the most thorough and thoughtful collection and analysis of the many dreams and investments of this peninsula and sometimes abandoned island between ocean and coastal bay. This work brings life and deeper meaning to my day hikes and adventures between ocean and bay.
He manages to craft a resource of entrepreneurial spirit, natural dynamics, and tales of the lives of intriguing characters of our past. His efforts bring a much-needed reference and storybook for a land that is a fundamental part of the Oregon story.
April 9, 2024
A sad sad tale, of money, dreams and lost lives on Oregon coast near Tillamook. I heard stories from my mom born in 06 of trips on railroad from Lincoln high school in Portland and fun times in Rockaway natatorium. She always discouaged my wanting to go to the coast. Although I never enjoyed this area as much as all the other beautiful Oregon coast sites. I have always enjoyed true history tales of times in the past. This excellent, well researched book with tons of footnotes will charm you and frightened you. Years ago i read a book "coast" on all the money making mistakes, building, moving sand on eastern seaboard and how things were ruining from Quebec to Florida, in the name of dreams and greed. A tale of cautious!!!
May 28, 2024
This is a well-written amazingly true tale of the concept of the development of a resort town on the Oregon coast (Bayocean) and the tangled story that determined its eventual demise. This is a historical story of human dreams of adventure and money making, human folly and worse, along with, scientific and tactical mistakes from all sources. It is also about the never ending truth and power of nature and how big issues caused grief to generations of Bayocean residents and investors. The human story told is a strong one. I read this in rapture. Only stopping to sleep last night. The care taken in investigating this story is self-evident. The detailed chronological narrative created by Mr. Sutherland is an authentic one, as it is supported by a mega complete and rich source/credit list. The author's voice is subtle, but clear one. I enjoyed those short passages, as I chuckled about how true his statements fit the given scenario. This novel is a gift to Oregon history. Besides history buffs, this book would appeal to lovers of the ocean, physical engineering interests, and people who enjoy a tale of people making terrible decisions and the people who randomly follow those strong personalities and headline news of day. This is more than a resort idea gone wrong. It is a novel about influencers creating a new American enterprise in the 1900's and how governments used broad irregular strokes to make decisions for big problems. You won't put this novel down until the last page.
April 27, 2023
Halfway through this exciting historical book, that reads like a novel, by local author Jerry Sutherland, leaves the reader, turning pages, not wanting to stop. Jerry Sutherland has a winner with his accounting of Bayocean which chronicles the half century of the development of this Oregon resort town before it was destroyed by the Pacific Ocean. The author spent eight years researching and collecting information. He is featured in the OPB special on Bayocean. The documentary is so well- done, I have saved it and will watch it several times a year. Now with Jerry's book, the entire story is shared in detail starting with December 1941, during a storm with winds and rain battering her home, Betty Coats finds her backyard missing—it dropped 100 feet down into the sea and she sees the waves crashing directly below her feet.
The story how the town of Bayocean was conceived, land sold, resort developed, people who were the movers and the shakers, is gripping. The Tillamook Spit where the Tillamook Indians lived, hunted and gathered bounty along the shores would give way to this new grandest resort planned on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
A must-have book for Oregon Coast lovers, local history buffs, and those who enjoy a great story, well-told.
The book contains photos, maps, charts, diagrams, is indexed and has extensive notes and a bibliography.
The story how the town of Bayocean was conceived, land sold, resort developed, people who were the movers and the shakers, is gripping. The Tillamook Spit where the Tillamook Indians lived, hunted and gathered bounty along the shores would give way to this new grandest resort planned on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
A must-have book for Oregon Coast lovers, local history buffs, and those who enjoy a great story, well-told.
The book contains photos, maps, charts, diagrams, is indexed and has extensive notes and a bibliography.
March 28, 2023
Jerry Sutherland deserves six stars for his exhaustive research on Bayocean! I visited the Bayocean peninsula for the first time this summer and immediately fell in love with the place. I set out to learn everything I could about its history, and Jerry's blog - and now this book - are far and away the best resource available on the subject. History books come in all shapes and sizes. Some books have the ability to grab the attention of a reader who was previously unacquainted with the subject and then carry them all the way through to the end. Other books are special because they answer the million questions kicking around in the minds of those who are already interested in a subject. This is the latter sort of book. If you already have an interest in Bayocean (and if you don't, I suggest a visit to the spit!), you will find a wealth of information here and answers to many of your questions. I'm beginning work on a novel set in Bayocean, and I will be turning to Jerry's book again and again in that process.
October 31, 2023
Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon was a maddening, delightful, and inspiring read. Years ago, I lived in nearby Oceanside, and read Bert and Margie Webber's book on the topic. Jerry Sutherland takes the story of Bayocean to the next level. The reader feels like they are walking alongside Jerry to experience, through practically a century of archival factual and anecdotal material, the rise and fall of the Bayocean spit, to decide who was responsible for the fluctuation of this lone stretch of sand.
January 13, 2024
Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon
Mother Nature Always Wins
This is a well-researched book about a fascinating seaside town that battled Mother Nature. Needless to say, the town lost! This is a good read! Author Jerry Sutherland did a marvelous job telling his story.
Brian D. Ratty
Author
Mother Nature Always Wins
This is a well-researched book about a fascinating seaside town that battled Mother Nature. Needless to say, the town lost! This is a good read! Author Jerry Sutherland did a marvelous job telling his story.
Brian D. Ratty
Author
December 5, 2024
Interesting history to discover in this book, written after a deep dive into the past of a beach town that got destroyed by the Pacific and from humans acting with hubris. I did enjoy the premise of the work but got bogged down and lost in the extensive details and personal stories. While there was some wider analysis here and there, the book had too much of a singular focus on the players involved for my taste. While not a bad read for an Oregonian, the general reader, or someone interested in ocean communities, there wasn't enough commentary here for a strict non-fiction reader like myself. I also lament (perhaps tangentially but it questions the research within) his characterization of the rupture of the Cascadia subduction zone at the very end of the book as being "long overdue"--according to science, an absolutely misleading assessment. In sum, an exhaustively researched book sometimes makes for an exhausting read; so it was here.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews