This little brass marker was at the top of the east side of the stairway under the Depoe Bay Bridge on highway 101. I figured it was some geological survey doohickey. Found on September 30, 2006 on vacation with the parentals.

Does the arrow point north?

The year appears to be 1952 (as verified by the links below)
Evidently its a geodetic tidal benchmark.

Links:

• http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=QE1419
• http://www.geocaching.com/mark/datasheet.aspx?PID=QE1419
• Benchmarking Geolocating

Looks like an interesting geeky hobby. Runaround with your GPS and find these guys. This one was a bit worn. I imagine 50 years of foot traffic would do it as it is in a highly visible spot.

Maybe I should go visit the Willamette Stone State Heritage Site again!