Les Shirley Park

Les Shirley Park is a quaint public park located at the north end of Cannon Beach, Oregon. The park provides a nice spot to picnic as well as access to the beach, salt marshes, and wetlands. The park holds historical significance, as it was the location where one of Lewis and Clark’s team members, Private Hugh McNeal, perished.

On January 8, 1806, while exploring the area around what is known today as the city of Cannon Beach, Oregon, Captain William Clark, a handful of men from the Corps of Discovery, and the group’s native guide found themselves on a stretch of beach looking to bolster their dwindling supplies. They were hoping to scavenge meat and blubber off of a dead whale, but found that there was not enough left on the bones to sustain them. Instead, they returned to a small village they had passed earlier and purchased supplies from the Tillamook people. Some of the Tillamook men came to smoke with the captain, but their visit was interrupted by a loud commotion from across the creek. Concerned, Clark, his men, and the Tillamook visitors discovered that Private Hugh McNeal was missing.

Private McNeal’s throat had been cut after an altercation with some of the Tillamook, and therefore the camp spot was deemed “McNeal’s Folly”. This spot is now home to Les Shirley Park.