Surf Pines Association Blog

Early Life in Gearhart: Memories Before World War II This oral history transcript features a conversation between Bob McEwan, Russ Taggard, and Tom Smith, recorded on July 17. Bob shares vivid recollections of Gearhart, Oregon, in the 1930s prior to World War II. Topics include the demolition of the old Gearhart Hotel for condo development, encounters with local figure Mr. Badger—a Black businessman, city councilman, and entrepreneur—and McEwan’s early work delivering fuel and caring for horses at the local riding academy. The conversation explores the area’s transformation, the economic impact of the mills in Warrenton, and memories of family farming life, including transporting poultry by steamboat back to Portland Paul See Digital…

Early Life in Gearhart: Memories Before World War II This transcript is part of an oral history interview conducted on July 17 with Bob McEwan, Russ Taggard, and Tom Smith, focusing on Gearhart, Oregon before and after World War II. McEwan recounts memories of early city infrastructure including the original city hall and fire department, run largely by one man, Harold Teberg. He mentions the city’s first grocery stores and early local figures like Jim Cutler, Nettie McKickney, and Fat Washer. The discussion also explores residential development, particularly near Ocean Avenue and Marion Avenue, and mentions wealthy Portland families like the Malarkeys and Millers who built summer homes in Gearhart. McEwan also…

In this oral history interview recorded on July 17, Bob McEwan shares his experiences serving in the U.S. Merchant Marine during and after World War II. Initially mistaken for an Army veteran, Bob clarifies that he served in the Merchant Marine as part of the Black Gang, working in the ship’s engine and boiler rooms. He describes the extreme temperature changes he endured—from the freezing cold of Wyoming to the sweltering Persian Gulf—and various ports of call, including Hobart (Tasmania), the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, South Africa, Brazil, and Dutch Guiana (Suriname). Bob recounts dangerous and grueling conditions working as a fireman and later an oiler, a role requiring hand-oiling massive reciprocating steam…

Summary:In this segment recorded on July 17, Bob McEwan, interviewed by Tom Smith and Russ Taggard, recounts his time serving aboard the Yugoslavia Victory, one of the late-model Victory ships used as combat ammunition carriers in the final stages of World War II. He describes the process of loading and delivering ammunition in the South Pacific, using DUKW amphibious trucks (“ducks”) to ferry cargo directly from ship to shore and up into mountainous jungle terrain, including action around Peleliu. Bob details the logistics of ammunition delivery—how ships carried multiple ammunition types like a floating “drugstore,” and how cargo officers coordinated real-time resupply to the 1st Marine Division during combat. He recalls working…

Aug 2, 2025 In this interview dated July 17, 2024, Bob McEwan shares his early life and education with Russ Taggard and Tom Smith, beginning with grade school in Seaside, Oregon, and secondary school at the original Gearhart School (now a private home near the Trails End Art Center). He later moved to Portland, attending Kenton School and then graduating in winter 1941 from Benson Polytechnic High School, known at the time as a strict and prestigious public technical school. He recalls summer travels on steamboats and trains between Astoria and Portland, describing the fare and travel schedules. Bob also discusses working summers in Seaside and Gearhart with his grandmother, and a…

This oral history excerpt, recorded on July 17, features a conversation with Bob McEwan, joined by Russ Taggard and Tom Smith. Bob recounts moving to Gearhart, Oregon in 1929 at the age of seven with his grandmother, following his mother’s financial struggles during the Great Depression in Portland. His grandmother purchased the Brandenburg farm property in Gearhart, where they lived in a simple shack without plumbing or electricity. She found work at local hotels, continuing a career that had previously taken her along the Union Pacific Hotel Company line through Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and eventually Seaside, Oregon, where she ran a dining room at the end of the SP&S Railroadline. Bob vividly describes early Gearhart: tall old-growth timber, few houses, a wooden sidewalk, and a dirt road that later became the main street.…