For 100 miles along the western edge of Washington State, an unusual agricultural community hugs the Pacific shoreline. Bogs of bright cranberries stretch from the Long Beach Peninsula at the mouth of the Columbia River north to Grayland, Ocean Shores, and Copalis Crossing. Here, along this remote stretch of stormy seacoast, is a prime farming center for a fruit that grows in very few areas on earth. For countless centuries before pioneer settlement, indigenous peoples harvested the wild cranberries that thrived in boggy regions of the coast. When enterprising mid-19th-century settlers saw the possibilities for a vigorous cranberry farming venture, they faced many challenges before success could be achieved. Theirs is the story of hardworking, forward-thinking people who have become leaders in their field.
Author and historian Sydney Stevens is a fourth-generation peninsula resident. She devotes herself to research and publication of regional history, specializing in stories of generational achievement. For Washington’s Cranberry Coast, her sixth Arcadia Publishing title, Stevens worked with growers throughout the coastal region to tell their century-long story of determination and innovation, ultimately resulting in the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation. This modern cooperative nonprofit enterprise is unique among cranberry growers of the world. Its success has been generously facilitated by the work of Kim Patten, PhD, a Washington State University Extension agent.