Katie Harman, Miss Oregon 2001 and Miss America 2002. 

So you think you know Seaside? Could be! Culled from the Signals archives of facts, factoids and tidbits from the past 115 years, here’s a test of your knowledge.

1. The Gearhart Post Office operates as a branch of the Seaside Post Office. In what year did they merge?

A) 1961

B) 2005

C) They never officially joined.

D) They’ve always operated together.

2. The Miss Oregon Pageant began in Seaside in 1947. Which of the following Miss Oregon’s went on to win Miss America?

A. Patti Throop 1954.

B) Katie Harman 2002.

C) Judith Hansen, 1958.

D) All of the above.

3. This 1960s TV star spent summers in Seaside and Gearhart:

A) Robert Culp

B) James Darren

C) Adam West

D) Tiny Tim

4. Which of the following is NOT among Ben Holladay’s achievements?

A) Stagecoach king

B) Seaside hotelier

C) Founder of the Oregon and California Railroad

D) Close friend and associate of Wyatt Earp

5. Which of the following buildings formerly housed the Seaside Library?

A) Cleanline Surf Shop

B) The Desler Building

C) Seaside Brewing

D) All of the above

6. Seaside’s Prom turns 100 this year. The design was modeled on which of the following beach communities?

A) Brighton, England

B) Atlantic City

C) Cape Cod, Massachusetts

D) None of the above

7. These stars are memorialized on a bench in the Cove:

A) Willie Nelson and Tommy Smothers

B) Jake LaMotta and Robert De Niro

C) Mike Connors and Lindsay Wagner

D) None of the above

8. This timeless rock ‘n’ roll hit debuted in Seaside:

A) Spirit in the Sky

B) All Shook Up

C) Louie Louie

D) All of the above

9. The Gulls won their last state divisional football title in which of the following years?

A) 1994

B) 1969

C) 1958

D) All of the above.

10. She was Seaside’s first woman mayor:

A) Claire Lovell

B) Joyce Williams

C) Rosemary Baker-Monaghan

D) There never has been a woman mayor

11. This political conference was first held in Seaside in 1970, remaining until its move in 2017.

A) Timber Unity

B) The Oswald West Society

C) The Dorchester Conference

D) None of the above

12. The building that houses the Seaside Aquarium was built in 1924, but didn’t operate as an aquarium until 1937. In the years, it served as which of the following?

A) Swing dance hall.

B) Salt water bath house and swimming pool.

C) Public works building

D) All of the above.

13. Which of these famed surfers successfully swam to the Terrible Tilly lighthouse?

A) Wally Hug and Jim Reed

B) Dana Williams

C) Dick Wald

D) It’s never been done.

14. This Seaside Signal editor was also a state legislator.

A) Max Schaefer

B) R.J. Marx

C) E.N. Hurd

D) None of the above.

14, C. E.N. Hurd served, editor and publisher of the Signal, was a legislator from the 19th District in Oregon, representing Clatsop County. Hurd operated the Signal until Jan. 1. 1928, when he sold it to Max Schafer.

15. This former major league pitcher was a member of the 1956 Seaside Connie Mack Legion national championship team.

A) Jim Dickson

B) Garry Holmes

C) Hugh Springer

D) All of the above.

16. This national organization with a branch in Seaside celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.

A. The Elks

B. Kiwanis

C. American Legion

D. None of the above

17. This Seaside hotel broke ground in September, 1983.

A. WorldMark/TrendWest

B. Shilo Inn and Suites.

C. The River Inn.

D. The Comfort Inn and Suites

18. Which swing jazz musician died while signing autographs at a downtown Seaside record store in 1947?

A. Count Basie

B. Jack Teagarden

C. Jimmie Lunceford

D. None of the above

19. The original Broadway School was opened in 1949. Building costs approved by voters for the school were:

A. $23,000

B. $230,000

C. $2.3 million

D. $23 million

20. Ken Smith and family ran Ken’s Market before Mike Hamilton and Natasha Montero purchased it last year. Before the Smiths, the grocery was known by which of the following:

A. The Ocean-View Shopping Center

B. A vacant lot.

C. The original Grocery Outlet.

D. None of the above.

Answers:

1. In November 1961, Gearhart became a branch of the Seaside Post Office. The change in status was made in order to achieve savings of an estimated $1,653 annually.

2. A. Miss Oregon 2001 Katie Harman is the only Miss Oregon to win Miss America. She graduated from Centennial High School in Gresham in 1999, and was crowned Miss America in 2002.

3. C. Adam West’s mother resided in Gearhart, and the former “Batman” was known to spend summers in both Gearhart and Seaside.

4. D. Seaside’s Ben Holladay was stagecoach king, railroad entrepreneur and hotelier, but Doc Holliday was an American gunfighter, gambler and dentist.

5. All of the above. The Seaside Library had numerous locations before its current home at 1131 Broadway.

6. B. The Prom was inspired by the walkway in Atlantic City New Jersey, but unlike Atlantic, constructed of concrete, not wood.

7. Willie Nelson and Tommy Smothers led fundraising efforts at Seltzer Park, including a concert at the convention center in May 1995.

8. C. Louie Louie was first performed to acclaim at Seaside’s Pypo Club by the Kingsmen in the summer of 1961.

9. A. The championship Gulls have one two state titles, the last in 1994. While they won their division in 1958, they didn’t win the title until the next year, 1959.

10. B, Joyce Williams, who became mayor in 1977. Claire Lovell of course was a Signal columnist and Baker-Monaghan served as mayor in the 1990s. Williams died in 2008.

11. The oldest political conference in the United States, the Dorchester Conference, brought political leaders to Seaside for more than four decades. This year it will be held in Welches, April 24-26.

12. B. The building was a salt water bath house and swimming pool “Seaside Baths Natatorium”. The natatorium closed in the early 1930’s, underwent major renovations, and in 1937 opened as the Seaside Aquarium.

13. A. Wally Hug and Jim Reed are the only swimmers recorded to swim the nine miles from Seaside’s shores to Terrible Tilly, accomplished in July, 1934.

14, C. E.N. Hurd served, editor and publisher of the Signal, was a legislator from the 19th District in Oregon, representing Clatsop County. Hurd operated the Signal until Jan. 1. 1928, when he sold it to Max Schafer.

15. D. Dickson was to become a major leaguer; some said the team’s ace Garry Holmes could have been “even better” had he pursued a professional career. in the national finals held in San Bernardino, California. Holmes won two, Dickson won one, including a six-hit shutout in a 1-0 thriller. Pitcher Hugh Springer won Game 2 in a 1-0 shutout.

16. C. The veterans group, American Legion celebrated 100 years in 2019. They are represented by Post 99 in Seaside. Happy anniversary!

17. B. Shilo Inn and Suites broke ground on the Turnaround with local dignitaries and owner Mark Hemstreet.

18. C. Lunceford collapsed while greeting members of the public before a concert at the Bungalow in 1947.

19. B. Building cost for construction of Broadway School was $230,000, With architect’s fees, the building cost exceeded $250,000, the Signal reported at the time.

20. A. Before becoming Ken and Sons in 1967, the grocery was the Ocean-View Shopping Center.

Scoring: How’d you do? If you got them all right, you’re a Seaside whiz! 16 out of 20, you know your stuff! If you scored 10-15, you’re on your way. For 1-10, pay a visit to the Seaside Museum and Historical Society.