Photo: Finetooth / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Just south of Waldport, a beach access called Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site gives visitors a long stretch of sand. Its name honors a governor whose term ended suddenly.
A short term
Isaac Lee Patterson, a Republican, became governor of Oregon in 1927. He died in office in December 1929, partway through his term.
Roads and parks
His years in office came as Oregon was building roads and starting to set aside land for parks, including along the coast. The wayside near Waldport is one of the places that keeps his name on the map.
Visiting
The site has parking, picnic tables and an easy walk to the beach, where the sand runs for miles in both directions.
Marnie Holcomb is the editor and publisher of Oregon Coast Daily News and covers Lincoln County government and community life.
