In this pop quiz on Newport Beach's origins, you’ll be tested on:
- Why Newport Landing (Newport’s Plymouth Rock and first port, which is on the site of what’s now the Lower Castaways) became a ghost town virtually overnight after a successful 18-year run.
- What ingenious method did Newport’s pioneers use to widen and deepen the entrance to Newport Bay in 1876. (It's mindboggling!)
- How the McFadden brothers, Newport’s founding fathers, selected the site for their oceanside wharf (eventually replaced by the Newport Pier) to accommodate the largest commercial ships of the era.
- What was the fatal design flaw in the construction of the first wharf that caused its destruction after just four years after completion.
- How many structures, including warehouses, shanties and a two-story home, were moved from Newport Landing inside the bay to McFadden Wharf on the ocean. (You'll never guess!)
