Shore Acres State Park

Shore Acres State Park
Shore Acres State Park
	Formal garden in the park
Type	Public, state
Location	Coos County, Oregon
Nearest city	Coos Bay
Coordinates	43°19′25″N 124°22′55″W / 43.323672°N 124.38192°WCoordinates: 43°19′25″N 124°22′55″W / 43.323672°N 124.38192°W
Area	745 acres (301 ha)
Created	1942
Operated by	Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Visitors	About 250,000 a year
Open	8am to dusk
Website	http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=68

Shore Acres State Park is a state park 13 miles (21 km) south of Coos Bay in the U.S. state of Oregon.^[1] It is one of three state parks along the Cape Arago Highway, which runs along the Pacific Ocean west of U.S. Route 101. Sunset Bay State Park is about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Shore Acres, and Cape Arago State Park is about a mile south.^[3]

The park features 5 acres (2 ha) of formal gardens including a rose-testing plot and Japanese lily pond,^[3] as well as ocean views and beach access.^[1] In the cooler months, visitors can watch storms and migrating whales from the park's sandstone cliffs.^[3] Another seasonal attraction is the Shore Acres Holiday Lights, lasting from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, when the gardens are decorated with lights and illuminated sculptures.^[3]

Shore Acres was originally an estate owned by Louis J. Simpson, a Coos County timber baron and son of shipping magnate .^[4] After fire and financial losses devastated his estate holdings, Simpson sold the land to the State of Oregon for use as a park in 1942.^[4] The state, which acquired park additions from other owners between 1956 and 1980, began restoring the garden in 1970.^[2]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Shore Acres State Park". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Park History". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Shore Acres State Park" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Wagner, Richard; Wagner, Judith. "Louis J. Simpson (1877–1949)". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved May 12, 2016.