The Beach Bill, Born From a Fence
Near Cannon Beach, Oregon
The reason you can walk this beach freely, from the tide line all the way up the dry sand, traces back to a fight that began right here in Cannon Beach. Back in nineteen thirteen, Governor Oswald West had declared Oregon's beaches a public highway, but that only protected the wet sand below the high tide line. In nineteen sixty six, a Cannon Beach motel owner named William Hay fenced off a stretch of dry sand above the tide line and reserved it for his paying guests only.
The public was outraged. The dispute went to the state legislature, where a proposed Beach Bill nearly died under pressure from developers and property rights advocates. Then Republican Governor Tom McCall made his move.
On May thirteenth, nineteen sixty seven, he staged a dramatic media event, flying by helicopter with surveyors, scientists, and reporters along the coast. The public rallied, and the Oregon Beach Bill was signed into law on July sixth, nineteen sixty seven. It guaranteed public ownership and access to the state's beaches.
Because of a fence on this shore, every mile of Oregon's coast belongs to everyone.
