You Can’t Visit These 3 PNW Tourist Attractions Anymore

The Pacific Northwest has great tourist attractions. Washington has the majestic Mount Rainier and Lake Chelan. Oregon brings visitors who flock to Wallula Lake and Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. The Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service manages Haystack Rock. Both do a tremendous job of keeping the wildlife habitat intact - despite the high number of visitors at low tide.

Three PNW Landmarks - Gone Forever

Some well-known places are no longer with us.

In recent years - Mother Nature and humans have combined to wreak havoc on landmarks and natural wonders around the country.

Two places along the Oregon Coast that used to attract many annual visitors - have now vanished or been destroyed by vandals. One lost tourist attraction was once anchored in Puget Sound. 

The Mighty Mo' Used to Call Bremerton Home

I saw the USS Missouri in 1984 on its final weekend in Bremerton.

It was here on the decks of this battleship where the historic surrender papers were signed in August of 1945 by Japan in Tokyo Harbor, which marked the end of World War II.  After the Korean War, the ship was retired and served as a tourist attraction that drew 250,000 tourists a year - from 1955 to 1984.

The Missouri briefly was called back into service from 1984 to 1990. After its final decommission, it returned to Bremerton - only to set sail again in 1998 for its final resting place in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“Duckbill Rock” Tillamook County, Oregon

Much of the Oregon coast has ornate geological formations: Sea stacks, caves, and rugged cliffs. The Duckbill Rock was one of them. 

Surfers and beachcombers flock to the beachfront preserve at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area every summer. The famous seven-foot “The Duckbill” - named for its distinctive shape - was destroyed by vandals in 2016. 

Jump-Off Joe, Newport, Oregon

Jump-Off Joe was a glorious 100-foot sea stack - located at Newport’s Nye Beach on Oregon’s Central Coast. Oregon’s residents in the late 1800s - many of them arriving on the wagons of the Oregon Trail - made trips to Newport to see Jump-Off Joe.

Its untimely fate was due to altering tides due to the man-made jetties in the late 1800s. The Jetties changed the water flow of the tides - which drastically sped up the erosion and eventual collapse of Jump-Off Joe in 1916.

INFO: LoveExploring.com, Historylink.org