It's where something unusual once stood at Hug Point.

These photos from 2012 weren't the only evidence of these curiosities. Oregon Coast Beach Connection had seen them here years before that, but the photographs are lost. A wooden beam with giant iron screws that fastened it this into the ancient rockface itself. Weird. No explanation.

In earlier years there was no rope hanging from it.

It had been rumored this was from an old traffic light that was on the millions-of-years-old rock going round the point. Supposedly, this was the remnant of such a device, set there back in the 19-somethings to keep cars and whatever else from smacking into each other. That explanation had been floated around the north Oregon coast town of Cannon Beach for some time.

At one point, chatting with Oregon State Parks, it was discovered that was not the case. There was no traffic light here – nor any manual sign of any kind. Nope, said local rangers, that was there as an emergency device. The rope had been there to hang onto in case anyone needed it during a high tide event.

Well, that just made too much sense. The former explanation now seemed truly silly. After all, there was no electricity here.

Which is odd, because right across from this old beam stuck into the rocks there was a little brass knob with the inscription of Pacific Power on it. Surely this was a sign there was electricity here?

No, again. We asked Pacific Power and although they could not find any real documentation on the knob, longtime workers there recognized it as a survey marker. Exactly why there's a survey marker remains the historic mystery.

Within a couple of years, by the way, the beam and the giant screws disappeared. It's unknown if it was taken down or washed away by heavy surf.

Below, the ancient road when it was first built:

More on the history of Hug Point as well as other parts of north Oregon coast highways:

Oregon Coast History: Life Before Highway 101, When Beaches Were Roads - You probably haven't stopped to think about it, but there was a time when Highway 101 didn't exist along the Oregon coast. What did early Oregon settlers do to get from one coastal town to another?