Cranberry Inlet facts for kids

Cranberry Inlet was a natural waterway that connected Barnegat Bay with the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean County, New Jersey. It was also known as New Inlet or Toms River Inlet. This important passage closed up in 1812.

Where Was Cranberry Inlet?

Cranberry Inlet was located in Ocean County, New Jersey. It separated two long strips of land: Squan Beach and Island Beach. Today, these areas are part of the Barnegat Peninsula.

The inlet was roughly located where Ortley Beach and Seaside Heights are today. It was almost directly across from the mouth of the Toms River. In the past, people described it as a connection between the ocean and Barnegat Bay.

A Look Back at Cranberry Inlet's History

Cranberry Inlet was mentioned in important documents even before it closed. For example, in 1767, it was part of the description for creating Dover Township. It was also mentioned when Berkeley Township was formed from Dover Township.

How the Inlet Formed and Closed

Edwin Salter, who was once a leader in the New Jersey General Assembly, wrote a lot about Cranberry Inlet in 1874. He said that a century before his time, Cranberry Inlet was one of the best waterways on the coast. It was sometimes called Tom's River Inlet.

No one knows the exact year the inlet first opened, but it likely broke through around 1750. It appeared on maps from 1755, where it was sometimes called New Inlet. Cranberry Inlet began to fill up around 1812. It got shallower and shallower each year until it was completely closed.

Cranberry Inlet During the Revolutionary War

During the American Revolutionary War, Cranberry Inlet was very important. It was a good spot for American privateers to watch for British ships. Privateers were like armed ships owned by private people, but they had permission from the government to attack enemy ships. They would look for British vessels going in and out of New York.

Even though we don't know exactly how deep the water was, large ships could sometimes enter the inlet. A man named David Mapes, who lived nearby as a boy, saw the inlet break through. He woke up one morning to find that the sea had cut across the beach during the night.

Challenges After the Inlet Closed

When Cranberry Inlet closed, it caused big problems for people who used Barnegat Bay for trade. Ships from the upper part of the bay had to travel many extra miles to reach Barnegat Inlet to get to the ocean. This made travel much longer and harder.

Attempts to Reopen the Inlet

After Cranberry Inlet closed, people tried to open new waterways.

• Ortley's Attempt (around 1821): A man named Michael Ortley tried to open a new inlet near the top of the bay. He worked on it for several years and spent a lot of money. One day, many people helped him finish the job. They celebrated, but the next morning, they found that the tide had pushed enough sand to close the new inlet even faster than it was opened!
• Ivens' Attempt (1847): People thought an inlet might work better closer to where Cranberry Inlet used to be. So, on July 4, 1847, about 200 to 300 men tried to open another inlet near the Toms River. They tried to let water in when the bay was high tide and the ocean was low tide. But this attempt also failed, filling up almost as quickly as Ortley's.

Finally, in 1925, a new way to access the upper part of Barnegat Bay was created with the opening of the Point Pleasant Canal. This canal helped ships travel between the bay and the ocean more easily.