Should beaches be public land or private land? In 1913, Oregon Governor Oswald West wrote a concise sixty-word bill which declared Oregon’s seashore a public highway. While he realized that someday there would be an actual road along the coast, by declaring the seashore a public highway meant that Oregon beaches were remain public lands.
In 1966, the idea of beaches as public lands was challenged when the owner of a Cannon Beach motel fenced off a portion of the beach adjacent to the motel and put up a sign: “Guests Only Please”. Beachgoers, accustomed to using the beach, were upset about this action and contacted state authorities.
In the spring of 1967, HB 1601 (the Beach Bill) was introduced by Rep. Sidney Bazett, Rep. W. Stan Ouderkirk, and Sen. Anthony Yturri. The bill initially attracted little attention, but then reporter Matt Kramer wrote a series of stories explaining what the public would lose if the bill failed to pass. The political battle over the bill became intense, but it was finally passed by the House and the Senate. On July 6, 1967, Governor Tom McCall signed the bill into law. Oregon’s beaches now belong to all, not just the wealthy elite.
While there are conservative Republicans today who would like to see this change so that beaches could be privatized, Oregon’s beaches remain open to the public—meaning all public, not just those who can afford to pay to use them.
Public Lands
Public Lands is a series of photo tours of all kinds of public lands, including national parks, state parks, tribal lands, city parks, and other areas. More from this series:
Public Lands: Formal Gardens at Shore Acres State Park (Photo Diary 2)
Public Lands: Sunset Bay State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: A Dam Day Use Area (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: The Garnet Ghost Town (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Cactus in the Arboretum (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Glacier's Mountains (Photo Diary)