Monday, July 22, 2013

1939

After seeing last night's post, Janet wrote to ask about the history of Bodega Harbor and the jetties at the harbor entrance.  There are many stories to tell there (too many for one night!), but her questions spurred me to include this picture of the entrance to Bodega Harbor in 1939.


Many people haven't seen what the entrance to Bodega Harbor looked like before the North and South jetties were built in 1942.  Note that the tip of Doran Beach was recurved inward towards the inner portion of the harbor (on the inside of Campbell Cove) — creating a very narrow entrance to Bodega Harbor (sometimes referred to as Bodega Lagoon at that time).  It now curves outward, but the current shape is artificial and is dependent on the jetties and bulkhead (on the inside of the spit).

This U.S. Army Corps image also shows the natural shoreline before Westshore Road was constructed and before PG&E began development of the site for a nuclear power plant (never completed) at Campbell Cove.  

It also illustrates Gaffney Point (the sandy point at the top of the image) in a nascent stage without much vegetation (dune or salt marsh)...and the Gaffney Ranch site just to the right of Gaffney Point.

Thanks, Janet, for inspiring me to share this historical image!

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2 comments:

  1. ClaudiaJuly 23, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    Look at the crazy foam patterns off the tip of the head. Pretty.

    And, my memory is already getting rusty, but isn't that Owl Canyon, looking naked without all its trees?

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  2. Jackie SonesJuly 23, 2013 at 8:51 AM

    Yes! That is Owl Canyon carved into the bluff, about parallel with the tip of Gaffney Point, treeless at that time.

    And along with the foam patterns off the southern end of the Head, note the sand bars at the entrance to the harbor. Older records describe the harbor entrance as quite shallow and dangerous at times.

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