Dear Sara, my sweet dead Sister —
I offered to write a thumbnail history of Ocean Shores for HistoryLink.org, a free online encyclopedia of Washington state history. My debut on the website was the thumbnail history of Snohomish, posted the day after my 66th Birthday in 2008. I’m happy to be a member of the HistoryLink family, Sis.
My only connection with Ocean Shores was when Sarah (with an ‘h) and I decided to split. We were living with Chad in a grand apartment on Capitol Hill. Sarah was a decade younger than me and wanted to make babies; two were enough for me. Fortunately, we had the wits to plan a farewell trip to the Pacific Ocean, which Sarah wanted to see while so close. We found an ok beachfront motel in Ocean Shores, one of the things it’s noted for, and proceeded to make a lasting memory.
Sarah married Michael, a friend from my Boston days, and they raised two children in a tiny apartment on the upper west side of NYC. Fascinating how seeing the town’s name on the editor’s list of needed writers triggered an instant desire to visit the place. I had never been back, as I told Nick, the editor, who still gave me the job.
I released reporter vibes approaching the couple pictured above—Bill and Sharon, I learned later. Sharon is showing me the tulips she bought for 60 cents each, “with the blub!” They are volunteers who retired to Ocean Shores from Snohomish for Sharon and Startup for Bill. Making small talk, I asked when was this entrance ‘thing’ built?. “Oh, in the sixties, when Pat Boone was here,” Sharon said. Even the briefest history of the town mentions the singer Pat Boone … could he be the Founding Father of Ocean Shores?
Heading south on Brown Point Road and following the signs, I arrived at the Costal Interpretative Center. Today, I plan to visit two museums in the area that are open only on Sundays.
Pat Boone, 89, lives in his birth city Jacksonville, Florida. He became a local resident in 1967 as a stockholder in Ocean Shores Estates Incorporated. Boone promoted the development through his Celebrity Golf tournaments. On the left of the top shelf is an object with Ginny Simms's name across the top. She was a popular singer who lent her name to a business that opened the first restaurant and nightclub in town, which attracted Hollywood celebrities. She may be the Founding Mother of Ocean Shores.
My first shot, my first impression!
Shot #2 shows the other end of the habitat diorama. The exhibit, stunning in detail, also reminds us, even this grown-up kid, that we are not alone on this planet. I wanted to learn more about how this professional-looking diorama came to be in this town of fewer than 7,000 people, but the receptionist, Margaret, was swamped with Sunday visitors.
And I had to get on my way to the next museum, the Museum of the North Pacific in Moclips.
Google searching while writing this letter, Sis, I’ve learned that the ‘entrance monument’ referred to in the opening is officially named “Ocean Shores Gate!” Where we stop to turn right onto State Rt.115, the way out. Turning left is access to the beach, which is a State Highway; I’d love to try it someday.
We stay on Rt.115 until its junction with Rt.109, where we head north on the Hidden Coast Scenic Byway. And for many miles, the coast is hidden by thick vegetation. Less than an hour on our way, a cluster of homes in thick woods appears on the hill above us. Coming to the top of the hill, we turn into the town of Seabrook, founded in 2004.
Wish I had taken a shot of GO SARA posing with the faux town hall, but my mind was on camping odds and ends for tonight's stay in the Kalaloch Campground. Walking past the buzzing outdoor tables of a pizza place and another restaurant on the corner, I crossed the street to the two-story market, which sits on its own block of the cozy town. It was a wonderful upscale market where I easily found kitchen matches and a package of Wet Ones, plus the second to the last Roasted Chicken in the large heated rack! It was way beyond lunchtime, and I tore into the picture-perfect bird under the hatchback of GO SARA on main street Seabrook on a bright Sunday afternoon.
Seabrook is not a town but a very successful real estate corporation, just what Ocean Shores intended to be. Selling lots from a tent on the beach, Ocean Shores Estates, Inc. took off in the 1960s but was broke less than ten years later. When the developers stopped paying $5000 a month for the police, residents rallied to establish the City of Ocean Shores, incorporated on November 3, 1970.
The Museum of the North Beach is located in this temporary location with the aspiration to rebuild the 19th-century Railroad Depot—when people would either walk the beach or take the train to visit Moclips.
The small building, a former gas station, was hosting its annual Avalon Glass Float Sale. I had passed it and turned around to take another look. This time, I stopped where the group of people were gathered around a joyful display of colored glass floats under the gas station portico.
Inside was what you see in these two photos: small and crowded! It was time to head north around the Quinault Indian Nation to find a campsite for the night.
I love this campground, which overlooks the sea and is enveloped in its sound. It’s my second visit; the first was in October 2020, when I was in Loop A, farther away from Rt. 109. On the long night in Loop F, the sound of the surf was lost to the similar sonic signature of rubber tires on asphalt.
Tai Chi on the beach in both the evening and morning is highly recommended. I retraced my route back to Ocean Shores in the morning and took the opportunity to drive on the beach.
We miss you every day, dear Sara —
If you are new to this letter, follow this link for the background of our monthly Letters to Sara, and if you enjoyed reading this letter, please share it with a friend. Thanks ~w.
I remember Sarah, both when you two passed through MN and again in Seattle where I think she was involved in corporate art. Ginny Simms was probably the grandmother of Ocean Shores as she was 54 in 1967. The video of the beach drive was very affecting.