How the Oregon coast became accessible to everyone

By Melissa Hart

In 1966, having witnessed how property owners cordoned off private beaches in California and Washington, Oregon Governor Tom McCall alerted the media and jumped into a helicopter. He disembarked outside a Cannon Beach hotel and lobbied for public ownership of the coast from sea to vegetation lines on dry, sandy beaches. McCall signed The Beach Bill into law on July 6, 1967, declaring Oregon’s beaches accessible to everyone.