The Pacific Pier stretched out from the Hotel Moore north of the Turnaround in Seaside from 1904 to 1914. Or rather, this is where the future Turnaround would eventually be built. As you can see from this photo, back in 1906 Seaside’s oceanfront looked more like a Wild West theme park than the quaint resort town we know today. In 1906, the Oregon Coast was the Wild West. Or at the very least, it was one of the furthest outskirts on the edge of the continental US.
You can distinctly see the looming tree line right at the edge of the coast. The tree line today is about one mile away at the base of the coast range, so you can observe how little Seaside had been developed at this point. The beginnings of the old wooden Boardwalk flank the beach. The photo is shot from the west end of the Pacific Pier and reveals the popularity of this recreational wharf. Fishing, strolling, watching the sunsets, the Pier was a major attraction and public gathering place for locals and visitors alike. The wooden structure of the Pacific Pier endured from 1904 to 1914. However, during this ten year stretch it was constantly being pounded by stormy high surf, and was finally hammered into oblivion by a winter storm in 1914.
