| Ecola State Park | |
|---|---|
 Southern view of the coast from Ecola State Park withHaystack Rock in the distance. | |
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| Location | Clatsop County, Oregon, United States |
| Nearest city | Cannon Beach |
| Coordinates | 45°55′22″N123°58′09″W / 45.92278°N 123.96917°W /45.92278; -123.96917[1] |
| Operator | Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |
| Website | Ecola State Park |
Ecola State Park is astate park located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north ofCannon Beach inClatsop County in theU.S. state ofOregon on theOregon Coast. It is administered by theOregon Parks and Recreation Department.[2]
The park encompasses 9 miles (14 km) of coastline between Cannon Beach andSeaside and includesTillamook Head.[2] In 1806,William Clark and other members of theCorps of Discovery traveled through the area in search of a beached whale and saw burial canoes of theTillamook;[2] the park is included as part ofLewis and Clark National Historical Park, though separate entrance fees are charged. Archaeological sites within the park dating to as early as 1100 CE have revealed much about the Tillamook.[3] Included within the park are 8 miles (13 km) of theOregon Coast Trail.[2][4] Scenes from several movies have been filmed atIndian Beach and other park locations.
Multiple archaeological sites located within park boundaries were added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1997.[5][6]
The Bald Point Site (Smithsonian trinomial: 35CLT23) features ashell midden and possiblehouse pit, dating toca. 1550 CE. Associated with theTillamook people, it has the potential to yield information related to environmental change in the Oregon Coast region, settlement andsubsistence patterns, emergence of ethnographic patterns among coastal people, baseline cultural patterns prior to the arrival of European Americans, and other topics. Parts of the site have been lost tocoastal erosion since the first scientific investigations in 1976, but the remaining portions appear mostly secure.[7][6]
At the Ecola Point Site (Smithsonian trinomial: 35CLT21), several ground depressions have been interpreted by researchers ashouse pits, indicating the presence of a semipermanentvillage. Two denseshell middens have preserved extensive faunal remains, along with other artifacts.Radiocarbon dates taken at the site roughly span a period fromca. 1100CE toca. 1700 CE. The site has the potential to yield information related to environmental change in the Oregon Coast region, settlement andsubsistence patterns, emergence of ethnographic patterns among coastal people, the change in cultural patterns from before to after contact with European Americans, and other topics.[3][6]
Much of the 1985 filmThe Goonies was filmed within the park, as was the school picnic scene inKindergarten Cop.[8] Indian Beach was the filming location for the time-jumping final act ofPoint Break, and several scenes ofTwilight.[8] The park also appeared inFree Willy including several scenes where it served as the exterior background of the Northwest Adventure Park's aquatic theater. In reality, the tank was filmed at the formerReino Aventura inTlalpan,Mexico.[9]
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| National | |
