Beach erosion on the Bayocean peninsula left houses perched on sand dunes a few yards from the shore, including the Burger Boodie house on Clark Street, pictured here in 1950.

On the narrow, sandy spit enclosing Tillamook Bay, there were once well-lit sidewalks for people living in dozens of bungalows.

There was a grand hotel that promised to be among the largest north of Monterey Bay, California. There was a general store and a steam-powered saltwater swimming pool. By 1960, all of it had washed into the sea.

Bayocean Park, a coastal resort named in 1907 by a pair of Portland developers for its wide vistas atop a 100-foot ridge line, is the subject of research by author Jerry Sutherland in “Bayocean: Atlantis of Oregon,” released earlier this year.

The book details the peninsula’s history, development and battles with coastal erosion. By 1926, sand began to wash away from underneath its saltwater pool and cottages began to wear away. Nine years earlier, a single jetty had been completed at the mouth of Tillamook Bay, causing erratic wave patterns.

After reading Sutherland’s book, I was curious enough to take Bayocean Road from Tillamook to see what remains of the peninsula. Having taken many trips on the road out to Cape Meares, I hadn’t known the spit was accessible.

Despite signs warning of slide areas and high water, most of the area’s erosion stopped when a second jetty was built in the 1970s. The spit is now home to a county park with shore pines, dunes and narrow trails. All that remains of Bayocean is its name.