How Cape Disappointment got its name

Discover the answer to one of the most common questions at Cape Disappointment State Park. Enjoy a time lapse video of the mouth of the Columbia while you hear the answer from Interpretive Specialist Aaron Webster. The camera was inside the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center looking south towards Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, the South Jetty and the Oregon Coast. Buoy 10 is right near the center of the scene. Ships and commercial fishing boats come and go in the main channel at all hours and flocks of Surf Scoters congregate at the base of the cliff, and constellations, including Scorpio can be seen at night.