The Robert Gray Chapter was organized in March 1903 in Hoquiam, Washington. The chapter is named after Capt. Robert Gray, an early explorer of the Pacific Northwest coast and a Revolutionary War Patriot. Gray's explorations helped the newly created United States counter efforts by Spain and England to claim what we now call Washington and Oregon.

In 1792 Captain Gray "discovered" the entrance to what came to be called Grays Harbor, then home to hundreds of Native Americans. According to legend he was guided into the harbor by a tall Coastal Spruce, a "lone tree" on the horizon at what is now Damon Point in Ocean Shores.

In 1911 the Robert Gray Chapter created and dedicated the "Lone Tree Marker" near the spruce that guided Gray and later mariners. The plaque reads: "Tradition links this tree with the name of Captain Robert Gray who on May 7th 1792 entered this Harbor in his ship Columbia. This tablet was erected in his honor by the Robert Gray Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution May 7th, 1911. The site was donated by Mr. A. O. Damon."

May 7, 1911, original dedication of the "Lone Tree" plaque.

 

The "Lone Tree" plaque.

The original spruce was destroyed by a storm in the 1930s and the original boulder on which the plaque was mounted was later lost to the sea due to erosion. The plaque was rescued, remounted and twice moved to new locations.

 

 During the summer of 2017, members of Robert Gray Chapter cleaned the monument and arranged for its relocation to the Ocean Shores Coastal Interpretive Center, 1033 Catala Ave SE, Ocean Shores, WA where it will be more easily viewed.

 

May 7, 2018, Rededication of the "Lone Tree" plaque at the Coastal Interpretative Center - With a little help from our friends, Sons of the American Revolution.

     We hope that you will take time to visit our pages and learn about us and NSDAR.  Be sure to read the short but interesting biography of Robert Gray.  Inquiries and comments are always welcome!

      

Updated June 30, 2020

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