One of four history signs at the Neahkahnie Mountain View Point on Hwy 101. There are also 6 information signs.
Marker Name: Neahkahnie Mountain
Marker Text: You are standing on the west shoulder of Neahkahnie Mountain - at 1,661 feet, it is one of the highest points on Oregon’s coast. Th mountain’s name is said to be a Native American word for “home of the supreme being.” This basalt, sandstone, and shale monolith has guarded Oregon’s North Coast for thousands of years.
A Roadblock
The beach was the road along Oregon’s coast during the late 1800s. Hourses and wagons traveled for miles along the firm, wet sand - until Neahkahnie Mountain. With no room to pass around its base, travelers braved the mountain’s dangerously steep slopes and loose rock on an Indian trail. This problem persisted well into the 20th century, until construction of the Pacific Coast Highway, which became U.S. Highway 101. Even today, Neahkahnie Mountain often creates significant maintenance and repair headaches for Oregon’s Department of Transportation.
Neahkahnie Mountain has also proved hazardous to seafarers - many ships have wrecked along this stretch of Oregon’s coastline. One of the most puzzling was the wreck of the British vessel “Glenesslin.” The ship ran headlong into the base of Neahkahnie Mountain on September 30, 1913. Why she wrecked, with a full crew of skilled “old salts” on board, remains a mystery.
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