Crescent City, California: Site of the Worst Tsunami in U. S. History

On a recent trip to the northwest United States, my wife and I spent a few days with my brother and his wife. Dick and Penny retired and moved from the Los Angeles area in 2002. Wanting a slower lifestyle and an ocean view, they finally settled in Crescent City, California, a town of about 8000 people located on Highway 101 about 20 miles south of the California/Oregon border.

I hadn't heard about the Crescent City tsunami until my brother gave us a walking tour of the town. We eventually ended up on the waterfront where there are signs of the tsunami and a monument to the victims. According to my brother, the residents of Crescent City have had a difficult time moving on from the disastrous effects of the tsunami.

The tsunami had its origin in an 8.4 magnitude earthquake that struck 75 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska, on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. One result of the earthquake was a tidal wave that eventually made its way down the west coast of the United States, striking Crescent City about midnight. A series of four waves virtually destroyed the downtown business district of the town and killed approximately a dozen people. According to Wikipedia, 289 buildings and businesses were destroyed. That doesn't include the numerous cars and boats that were also destroyed. Approximately 60 city blocks were under water.

It was only when reading The Raging Sea by Dennis M. Powers (see reference information below) that I learned that the Crescent City tsunami was the worst tsunami in the history of the United States. The depth of the water that washed over downtown Crescent City was not the only problem. The force of the incoming waves along with the debris carried by them caused much of the damage to the town. A deceptive aspect of the tsunami was that the first two waves were relatively minor, lulling the residents into the belief that the tsunami would amount to nothing. In the past, there had been tidal wave warnings that had proved to be false alarms. Many residents assumed that this was the case in 1964. Then, when the third and fourth waves came in, many residents were caught in the danger area. In the years since the tsunami, the town has made some improvements to decrease the effects of any future tsumanis. The beach area has been built up, breakwaters have been strengthened, and more tetrapods (protective devices to channel waves into less dangerous areas) have been installed in the harbor.

Crescent City is still dealing with the psychological and physical effects of the tsunami. A series of planning consultants have made recommendations for reviving the town, but the recommendations largely have not been carried out. According to my brother, there is a fear of transforming the town into a "touristy" place. Businesses are started and survive for a few months or more, then fail. Despite a beautiful location, the town conveys a slow, sleepy mood. During the walking tour, my brother had us stop in the middle of an intersection and told us to time how long it took for a car to come along. It was well over a minute.

All of this is not to say that Crescent City is a town to avoid. There are some great restaurants and scenery. The town is located near spectacular Redwood forests. The best reason to come is that you won't be overwhelmed by crowds of tourists.

Crescent City calls itself "Comeback Town, U.S.A." The final decision on whether and how well the town can come back from its disaster of nearly 40 years ago remains to be seen. In the meantime, if you're in the area, stop in.

Sources:
Powers, Dennis M., The Raging Sea (New York: Kensington Publishing, 2005)
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=crescent+city%2C+ca%2C+tsunami&go