Jump Off Joe was a popular tourist attraction before World War I. It formed a barrier across the beach and forced beach walkers to climb over it and jump off the other side. That, of course, is where it got its name. It was also reputed to play an important role in Native American mythology, but that itself may be mythology.
What's particularly interesting about the USGS site is that it shows pictures of Jump Off Joe over time and pretty much explains why I have never seen or heard of it. The postcard above shows Jump Off Joe (the rock formation with the arch in it) in about 1900. By 1910, it already looked drastically different. By 1920, it was severely diminished, and by 1970, it was virtually gone.
See the USGS pictures here.
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How interesting! I've been visiting Newport for years and years--When we weren't heading for Sand Lake or Gerebaldi, my family vacationed there when I was a kid! In fact, my husband and I honeymooned in an A-frame vacation home, in Newport.
ReplyDelete(sigh) Makes me homesick for the beach!
Christine, I'm glad the disapperance of Jump Off Joe has not been attributed to global warming:)
ReplyDeleteI just now noticed that you have the exact postcard I do of the little girl in the airplane up in your banner:)
Trishia, You had the same thought I did. Somehow I was sure that it was going to turn out that some sort of human action caused the erosion. I think we were innocent this time. Yeah!
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