Cape Alava

Cape Alava

Cape Alava, in Clallam County, Washington, U.S.A., is the westernmost point in the contiguous 48 states, with a longitude of nowrap|124° 44′ 11.8″ W (during low tide and walking out to the west side of Tskawahyah Island). The westernmost point is located in Olympic National Park and the Ozette Indian Reservation. Cape Alava is accessible via a 3-mile nowrap|(5 km) boardwalk hike from a ranger station in the park.

Due to erosion and differences in forms of measurement, it is contested that Cape Blanco in southern Oregon is the westernmost point in the contiguous 48 states. Its claim as the westernmost point is also disputed because during high tide, Cape Alava is just as far west as nearby Cape Flattery.

Name

The cape was named after the Spaniard Don José Manuel de Álava (born in Vitoria, January 1, 1743) for his role as commissioner during the solution of the conflict of Nootka in 1794. [cite book |last= Phillips |first= James W. |title= Washington State Place Names |year= 1971 |publisher= University of Washington Press |isbn= 0-295-95158-3 |pages= p. 5]

History

In early 1834, a Japanese ship, the "Hojun Maru", made landfall at Cape Alava after a 14-month drift on the Pacific Ocean. It was supposed to bring rice to Edo, but was then carried away by a storm. At the time of arrival at Cape Alava, only three of its crew were alive. They were then looked after and briefly enslaved by Makah; see the Otokichi article for more information on this.

Geology

The beaches surrounding the trail terminus are composed of a variety of different rock types and formations.The rich mixture is a result of the combined erosive power of the ocean and relatively recent glacial activity. According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the area's sediments are classified as Unconsolidated Deposition, translating to the geological equivalent of a grab bag. More finely, the deposits are listed as “Quaternary Sediments, Dominantly Glacial Drift, includes alluvium”. The Quaternary time period dates to the end of the most recent ice age, roughly 10,000 to 14,000 BCE. A [http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/pdf/pagemap.pdf?title=A geologic map of Washington] shows the unique nature of such sediments being exposed to the full grinding force of the Pacific Ocean. There are many such areas scattered about the Puget Sound, yet very few areas on the unprotected Washington coast.

References

External links

* [http://www.outdoordb.org/index.php?title=Sand_Point Hiking to Cape Alava from OutdoorDB.org] ----


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  • Cape Flattery (Washington) — Cape Flattery is the furthest northwest point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, and is the northern… …   Wikipedia

  • Cape Blanco (Oregon) — Cape Blanco is a prominent headland on the Pacific Ocean coast of southwestern Oregon in the United States, forming the westernmost point in the state. It contests with Cape Alava in Washington for the title of westernmost point in the contiguous …   Wikipedia

  • Cape Blanco Lighthouse — ist ein Leuchtturm am Cape Blanco im US Bundesstaat Oregon. Er ist der älteste noch existierende Leuchtturm des Bundesstaates. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alava — /al euh veuh/, n. Cape, a cape in NW Washington: westernmost point in the contiguous U.S. * * * ▪ province, Spain       provincia, northern Spain. Álava is the southernmost of the three Basque Country provincias of northern Spain and is located… …   Universalium

  • Alava,Cape — Al·a·va (ălʹə və), Cape A cape of northwest Washington State just south of Cape Flattery. It is the westernmost point of the coterminous United States. * * * …   Universalium

  • Alava, Cape — geographical name cape NW Washington S of Cape Flattery; westernmost point of conterminous United States, at 124°44′W …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Alava — Al•a•va [[t]ˈæl ə və[/t]] n. geg Cape, a cape in NW Washington: westernmost point in the contiguous U.S …   From formal English to slang

  • Alava — /al euh veuh/, n. Cape, a cape in NW Washington: westernmost point in the contiguous U.S …   Useful english dictionary

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