Moclips is a community between the south shore of the Moclips River and Mocrocks Beach, about 83 miles (134 km) west of Tacoma and 27 miles (44 km) northwest of Aberdeen, Washington. According to Edmond S. Meany the word “moclips” comes from a Quinault word meaning a place where girls approaching puberty were sent. However, according to William Bright, the name comes from the Quinault word meaning “large river or stream”. The Moclips River originates on the slopes of MacAfee Hill and flows generally west to the Pacific Ocean.

Mocrocks Beach stretches for 18 miles (29 km) from the Moclips River to the Copalis River. Like many of the beaches on the Washington coast, Mocrocks Beach can expose a sand flat over 0.25 miles (400 m) at low tide. This extensive intertidal area is an excellent habitat for Pacific razor clams. This species has an elongated oblong narrow shell, which ranges from 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) in length. Pacific razor clams are a highly desirable shellfish and are collected by both commercial and recreational harvesters.

Although settled earlier by homesteaders, Moclips was not incorporated until 1905 with the completion of the Northern Pacific Railway. The town featured the Moclips Beach Hotel, a three-story structure that loomed above the dunes. Moclips was promoted as a medicinal health resort where travelers could escape city life. The town grew to host numerous restaurants, hotels, a theater, several canneries, and a lumber mill. On February 15, 1911, more than half of the business district of Moclips was swept into the sea by a Pacific storm and the hotel was severely damaged. By the end of 1913, fires had destroyed many of the buildings along the beach. In 1948, a welding accident caused a fire that destroyed many of the remaining homes and businesses. Read more here and here. Explore more of Moclips here: