Scratchpad: Oswald West's log cabin
Sep. 7—The summer getaway of onetime Oregon Gov. Oswald West, a log cabin once situated on a slope overlooking Haystack Rock, may lie at the root of the state's 363 miles of public shoreline.
Some years before holding elected office, West worked as a banker in Astoria, during which time he enjoyed spending time in Cannon Beach. In 1912, one year after taking office, he began to purchase land in the area.
The following year, West established a bill to preserve Oregon's beaches, making the state's entire coastline to the high-tide line a public highway. This law remains in place, and has since been expanded by further efforts.
Some might suppose this interest in protecting the state's pristine coastal beaches arose from the construction of West's log cabin, an Adirondack-style home overlooking the sea, in that same year.
Though the original log cabin tragically burned in the early 1990s, an extensive replication allowed the home to live on. The Bouvy family, who have passed the cabin through generations since the 1930s, collaborated with Portland architecture firm Fletcher, Farr and Ayotte to restore the cabin with near-identical materials and character.
To see it from the inside, visit the Cottage & Garden Tour in Cannon Beach, where the home will make an appearance as a raffle item — a potential spot to host an event and appreciate a slice of history. Or think of West's cabin on a walk along Oregon's public shores.
