Westport (formerly Beall's Landing) is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California, United States.[1] It is located on California State Route 1, near the Pacific Ocean,[2] 13 miles (21 km) north of Fort Bragg,[3] and at an elevation of 125 feet (38 m).[1]

Westport
Unincorporated community
Westport's town center
Westport Location in California Show map of California Westport Westport (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°38′09″N 123°46′59″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Mendocino County
Elevation [1]	125 ft (38 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	60
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95488
Area code	707

The first post office at Westport opened in 1879.[3] 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.[3]

As of July 2010, the population of Westport was 60.^{[citation needed]} It has a community store with gas pumps, several inns, and, as of 2020, nine Airbnb or VRBO rental homes.[4]

Though small, the village of Westport has a strong community that contributes greatly to the betterment of the village. The Westport Village Society raised over $100,000 to build a staircase down to the town beach. The residents of Westport maintain a community garden from which organically grown produce is available year-round for consumption by Westport residents and visitors alike. Through annual Westport events like the Westport Whale Festival, the Mothers Day Rubber Ducky Race and the Westport Volunteer Fire Department BBQ, folks from town and throughout Mendocino County come together to build community and raise funds for various civic needs.

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;[5]
• Christine and Craig Langford, disappeared in January 1981;[6][7]

• Harlan Sutherland, homicide victim, remains found in August 1987;[8][9]
• Clyde William Stanley, homicide victim, remains found in March 1988;[10]
• Donald James Cavanaugh and David Virgil Neily, disappeared in March 2005 and April 2006, respectively, from the same address;[11]
• Matthew Coleman, murdered in August 2011;[12][13]
• Abigail, Ciera, Devonte, Hannah, Jeremiah, and Markis Hart, all 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.[14] The family had been living in Washington State before the road trip which culminated in the fatal crash.[15] Both perpetrators were known to have abused their six children before the crash.[16]
• Timothy Sweet is suspected of being murdered by his half brother on September 12, 2021.

See also

• Dodge Gulch
• Westport-Union Landing State Beach

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westport, California.

References