There have been family reunions in Seaview since the founding of the village, but no others like this one in 2004, when about 260 descendants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition gathered at the beach in Seaview for a group photo near where some of their ancestors first walked 200 years ago this November. Gail Baer photo

Seaview was founded in 1881 by Jonathon L. Stout and his wife Anne Elizabeth Gearhart, daughter of Phillip Gearhart, for whom the town in northwest Oregon is named. The two villages share parallel traditions of history and charm.

Seaview is located between Ilwaco and Long Beach, but has a character very distinct from its two neighbors. It is, most would agree, one of the Peninsula’s “classiest” villages.

Seaview is home to some wonderful B&Bs and restaurants, including the nationally recognized Shelburne Inn and the popular Sou’wester Lodge.

Seaview’s waterfront is a popular launching spot for walks south and north on the Northwest’s longest beach.

It is somewhat less busy in the summer than the Long Beach access points to the north, and thus makes for a more peaceful time.

It is in Seaview where growth (also called accretion) of the beach is most noticeable, with 2,000 feet or more of dunes separating the village’s original shoreline from the ocean today. This means several shipwreck sites lie under what is now dry land, including the Vandalia which wrecked in 1853 with a loss of nine lives and the Marie, which wrecked in 1852, also with a loss of nine.

Best attractions on Seaview beach: This is a classic Northwest beach, the original seashore resort for the Portland elite, and deservedly so. There are miles of clean sand, many shorebirds, friendly people and pretty views of the distant cliffs and bobbing crab boats.

Depending on the outcome of legal wrangling, the new Discovery Trail may finish threading its way through the Seaview dunes in 2005, providing a walking/biking path from north Long Beach to Ilwaco.

Cautions: Don’t swim. Watch for cars. In the winter be aware that storm surges can even come far up the beach approach road.

Restrooms and other facilities: Public restrooms are located near the beach end of 38th Place. Food, lodging and other conveniences all may be found in Seaview.