When Captain Robert Gray, sailing the American ship Columbia, found the Harbor entrance and anchored in the bay now known as Grays Harbor on May 7, 1792. A “Lone Tree” spruce, located near the tip of the peninsula, was the landmark for him and other ships for more than a century.
Matthew McGee was the original homesteader, near the “Lone Tree” in the 1860’s. A. O. Damon acquired the southern tip from McGee and settled here in 1878. A pier was built nearby and another later on the bay side of Oyehut Road. Supplies and mail came across by boat from Hoquiam, then on land to Taholah and Quinault areas.
The Minard family took over the peninsula in 1929 and bought other parcels of land on which they operated a cattle ranch.
In January, 1960, a group of investors with a dream of developing Washington’s premier resort community, purchased what is now Ocean Shores from the Minards for $1,000,000.
The first sales office was in a trailer, parked on the sand dunes. Pacific Northwest Bell construction crews extended a 45,000 foot cable from Copalis switching center to Ocean Shores, providing service for 37 customers. Lots sold for as little as $595. Sales were good; people stood in line outside the trailer to buy lots. Prices steadily increased. Lots were sold from the first plat maps “sight unseen” by the enthusiasm generated by word of mouth advertising. Customers were driven along the beach and told, “You’ve bought a lot somewhere in there.” Property lots were staked and numbered as soon as the road workers and graders were able to do so.
A fully incorporated city since 1970, Ocean Shores is now established as a major destination resort in the Northwest.
A Benchmark was placed in the area of the Lone Tree. From what I could tell while placing this cache, the benchmark is about 100 yards out into the water.
While walking to the site we watched a year old Eagle fishing and at the cache site is a Seagull Nest.
The Cache contains:
Tapered Magic Cards
Red and blue beads
Screwdriver set
Long nose pliers
Mini plier set
Scissors
2 for 1 Mountain Dew Top
Family emergency handbook
Jeep TB
Barrel of monkeys
Pirate eye patch
Golduck Character