Westport (formerly Beall's Landing) is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Mendocino County
Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah.
Mendocino County consists whol ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, United States.
It is located on
California State Route 1
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At , it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Monta ...
, near the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, north of
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
,
and at an elevation of .
The first post office at Westport opened in 1879.
Originally called Beall's Landing in honor of Samuel Beall, its first white settler, the place was renamed in 1877 by James T. Rodgers, who built a timber loading facility for the name to contrast with his home town of
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a city and archipelago in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,288 at the 2020 census, making Eastport the least-populous city in Maine. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainlan ...
.
As of July 2010, the population of Westport was 60. It has a community store with gas pumps, several inns, and, as of 2020, nine
Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...
or
VRBO
Vrbo ( ) operates an online marketplace for vacation rentals. It was originally known as Vacation Rentals by Owner or VRBO. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is owned by Expedia Group.
History
The VRBO website was created by David Clou ...
rental homes.
Westport and its vicinity have been the locale of several disappearances and homicides over the years, including:
* Linda Lee Lovell and Stephen Locke Packard, disappeared in June 1974;
* Christine and Craig Langford, disappeared in January 1981;
* Harlan Sutherland, homicide victim, remains found in August 1987;
* Clyde William Stanley, homicide victim, remains found in March 1988;
* Donald James Cavanaugh and David Virgil Neily, disappeared in March 2005 and April 2006, respectively, from the same address;
["Donald Cavanaugh And David Neily: Two Missing Men, Two Unsolved Mysteries", ''Huffington Post,'' 21 November 2013]
Retrieved 16 January 2017.
* Matthew Coleman, murdered in August 2011;
* Abigail, Ciera, Devonte, Hannah, Jeremiah, and Markis Hart, all
Hart family murders, murdered by their adoptive mothers, Jen and Sarah Hart, on March 26, 2018, when their SUV intentionally drove over a cliff in a mass murder-suicide, two miles north of Westport.
The family had been living in Washington State before the road trip which culminated in the fatal crash. Both perpetrators were known to have abused their six children before the crash.
Devonte Hart family mystery: Podcast sheds new light on horrific deaths
/ref>
* Timothy Sweet is suspected of being murdered by his half brother on September 12, 2021.
See also
*Dodge Gulch
Dodge Gulch is a valley located near Westport in Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the ...
*Westport-Union Landing State Beach
Westport-Union Landing State Beach is located in Mendocino County in Northern California. Covering over of rugged and scenic coastline, this beach consists of 46 campsites with ocean and mountain views. This scenic opportunity gives new photogra ...
References
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Unincorporated communities in California
Unincorporated communities in Mendocino County, California
Populated coastal places in California