The first passenger train came to Rockaway in 1912. Prior to the railroad, it was a 2 week journey from Portland to Rockaway Beach along the Wilson River Trail by wagon and the steam train quickly became the main mode of transportation. It was quite an occasion when...

A simulated tsunami reaches Japan ten hours after its start along the Pacific coast of North America. On the evening on January 26, 1700 a mysterious tsunami struck the villages and fields on the coast of Japan. After being “orphaned” for over 300 years, scientists...

Glass floats, glass fishing floats, or Japanese glass fishing floats are popular collectors’ items. They were once used by fishermen in many parts of the world to keep their nets afloat. These glass floats are no longer being used by fishermen, but many of them are...

Every now and then the sands on the beach shift just right, revealing a shipwreck more than 100 years old.   The Emily G. Reed ran aground in 1908, and claimed the lives of eight crewmen.  The shifting sands reclaimed a portion of the ship, hiding it just a few...

Although no longer operational due to a plane accidentally striking a nun walking on the beach, this was a popular attraction in Rockaway Beach after the end of World War I. People would line up to take a joyride in an authentic WWI plane. The bi-planes used the sand...

Old Growth Cedar Wetlands Preserve   A 45-acre old growth Cedar wetlands preserve in the coastal forest behind Rockaway Beach is home to a mammoth Western Red Cedar. This rare treasure is 49 feet in circumference, making it among one of Oregon’s largest trees. An...

The Original Pronto Pup The original Pronto Pup that we have all come to know and love was actually invented by a husband and wife duo in Rockaway Beach in the late 1930s. George and Versa Boyington ran a very successful hotdog stand on the beach. There was only one...

Wide enough to fly a helicopter through Originally called “Profile Rocks” this majestic structure was renamed in 1925 due to another Profile Rocks in the region. Millions of years of erosion have worn away the once fully-connected...