Oregon Inlet was formed when a hurricane lashed the
Outer Banks in 1846, separating Bodie Island from Pea Island. One ship
that rode out that storm in Pamlico Sound was named the
Oregon. After the storm the
crew of this ship were the first to tell those on the mainland about the
inlet's formation. Hence, it has been known as Oregon Inlet ever
since.
Akin to many other inlets along the Outer Banks, Oregon Inlet moves
southward due to drifting sands during tides and storms. It has moved
south over two miles since 1846, averaging around 66 feet per year.
The Coast Guard station at Oregon Inlet is currently
located at its fourth site since it began as a lifesaving station in 1883.
It was one of 29 lifesaving stations Congress approved and appropriated
funds for a decade earlier. By 1888, the Oregon Inlet Station had to be
relocated to a new site. It is assumed that this relocation was necessary
because of the shifting of the channel to the south and the encroachment
of the ocean from the east. The station was decommissioned and moved to a
new safer location some 400 feet westward toward the sound. Less
than a decade later a storm totally destroyed the Oregon Inlet Station.
In 1897, Jessie B. Etheridge
deeded 10 acres of oceanfront property on a remote stretch of Hatteras
Island to federal officials so they could build a lifesaving station
there. The station was completed in 1898 for less than $7,000. As part of a modernization
program in 1933-34, the Oregon Inlet Station was extensively modified to
look very much like it does today. In 1979, a new extension was added. By
1988, the station was completely abandoned when the southward migration of
the Oregon Inlet threatened to swallow it. In July 1990, a ceremonial ground breaking was held for
a new $3.5 million building, located just behind the Oregon Inlet Fishing
Center, on the north side of the inlet. The new station was designed with
the traditional architectural design of older stations located on the
Outer Banks in mind. [See a photo of the new station
here.]
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