Neskowin group makes history

Proposal Rock, the Ghost Forest and generations of beachgoers, farmers and fishing families come to life this Friday, June 5, when the Neskowin Historical Foundation presents its new book “Neskowin: A Book of Found Photos 1880-1980” at the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum.

The presentation centers on the foundation’s first published book, a 300-plus-page hardcover collection tracing a century of life in the small coastal community through rare historic photographs and newly uncovered stories.

Foundation member and co-creator Jim Affolter will lead the presentation. A retired Oregon schoolteacher with a longtime passion for Oregon history, Affolter and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Neskowin five years ago in what they describe as “a sort of a homecoming.”

Rather than creating a traditional history book, the foundation chose a more visual approach.

“We wanted to create an artbook that was photo-driven, and the captions would give the context and the history,” foundation member Michael Schlicting said. “The ‘fun’ was the act of discovery, pulling on threads, and seeing the tapestry unfold in front of us of how Neskowin came to be what it is.”

The project grew out of a community call for photographs, resulting in the discovery of rare images and stories that had never previously been documented. The book follows Neskowin’s evolution from an early fishing settlement into a farming and summer resort community, featuring photographs of clambakes, dances, pioneering families and iconic local landscapes.

“The interesting thing that we found was that Neskowin became a farming community and a beach resort from day one,” Schlicting said. “People came from the valley in 1880 to camp for the summer and have clambakes and dances.”

Copies of the book will be available for purchase during the event for $100, with cash preferred.

For more information about the book or to purchase copies online, go to neskowinhistoricalfoundation.org.

Friday’s presentation begins at 5 pm at the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, located at 2106 2nd Street. Registration is required. For more information and registration, go to tcpm.org.