There are a lot of little communities along this section of coast and we’re visiting them all! Manzanita, Oregon is a little resort town just north of Rockaway Beach.
At least two of Oregon’s historical shipwrecks occurred off the Manzanita coast: the Glenesslin in 1913, and the Santo Cristo de Burgos (disappeared 1693) which has generated rumors of treasure buried on Neahkahnie Mountain. A real life treasure mystery! The Santo de Burgos left the Philippines in the summer of 1693 carrying exquisite Asian trade goods. The ship was headed for Acapulco but was never seen again. Among other things, the wreck left a massive cargo of beeswax blocks, often stamped with shippers’ marks, scattered and buried on Nehalem Spit and in the vicinity of Nehalem Bay.
Manzanita was platted as a beach resort in 1912 and indeed, the little town is very touristy with shops and restaurants lining the main street. It’s very walkable and we parked at one end and walked all the way down to the beach. We spent the afternoon watching the waves, eating our picnic and reading in the sun. So relaxing!
