05/27/2026
History Tidbit
Before the North Head Lighthouse in 1898, the ocean side of the North Beach Peninsula was an unguarded length of beach stretching from Cape Disappointment north. In 1889, the Ilwaco Beach Lifesaving Station was established at a location roughly halfway between Cape D and the entrance to Shoalwater (Willapa)Bay. Two acres of land, on the I.R. &N. rail line, were purchased from Edwin Loomis.
Originally, volunteers from the community would patrol the beach on foot, from north of Ocean Park to south of Loomis. Sightings of ships in trouble would be telegraphed to Cape Disappointment. The station did not yet have a boat, but was given a lifesaving apparatus for practice. In 1892, permanent buildings for the station were constructed. A crew of eight men was hired, consisting of seven “surfmen” and one leader, known as the “Captain.” Crews had to be under the age of forty, in good physical condition, and able to read and write.
The station soon became a vital part of lifesaving efforts on the peninsula. The crews could travel up and down the beach by rail and participated in many rescue efforts. Twice each week, they held lifesaving drills, which were very popular with locals and visitors. The train would always stop at the station during practice so that passengers could watch the proceedings.
In 1912, a planned resort community named “Klipsan” grew up around the station. The Captain of the station petitioned the lifesaving service to change the name, in part due to confusion with the town of Ilwaco at the southern end of the peninsula. And so it became known as “Klipsan Beach.”
In 1915, the Life Saving Service merged with the US Cutter Revenue Service to become the US Coast Guard, and the station became USCG Station No. 309. After World War I, the station closed. It was reopened during World War II and gained great importance as one of four west coast radio compass stations, used to help ships at sea pinpoint their exact locations.
With the end of World War II and the great strides in technology, the station was no longer needed. It closed permanently in 1947, and the property reverted to descendants of the Loomis family. It was later sold to private parties.
On July 5, 1979, thanks to great efforts by local historian Larry Weathers, the Klipsan Beach Lifesaving Station was placed on the Washington State Register of Historic Places.
Sources: CPHM Larry Weathers Collection; Chinook Observer: January 14, 1938; The Sou’wester 1998 Centennial Edition; “Auld Lang Syne” articles by Frank L. Turner.
CPHM Photo Collection: Klipsan Life Saving Crew c1893 (2009.017 Wilson)
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