DAMON POINT NATURAL AREA
Damon Point, a 61-acre day-use park, is the southeastern tip of the Ocean Shores Peninsula. The park consists of a one-mile-long, half-mile-wide stretch of land jutting out into the sea. Damon Point is a textbook example of accreted land, and is one of the few remaining nesting sites of the snowy plover. This park features a one-mile walkable strip of land to the end of Damon Point, the southeastern tip of the Ocean Shores Peninsula. It offers spectacular views of Grays Harbor, the Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier. The point contains one of the few remaining nesting sites of the snowy plover, and is a textbook example of accreted land and natural plant selection. This is a popular site for bird watching and agate rock collecting.
Beginning in 1925, the S.S. Catala plied the Canadian coastal waters carrying miners, loggers and adventurers. The Catala was retired in 1958 and was used as a floating hotel at the 1962 World?s Fair in Seattle and also at Ocean Shores in 1963. A winter storm grounded the ship at Damon Point in 1965, and sand accreted around the rusting relic, eventually burying it.
Winter storms in February 2006 revealed part of the wreck, and oil was found in the hull in April 2006. The Department of Ecology is coordinating the effort with response contractors and state, federal and local agencies to safely remove the oil. Visitors to Damon Point State Park are asked to keep their distance from the wreck for their own safety and to maintain the stability of the site.