The Maryland end of Assateague is so different in character form the Virginia section, they could just as easily have been two different islands. Ninety percent of visitors to Assateague, Maryland, do not venture beyond the developed areas of the park. This helps to preserve most of Assateague in its natural state.

In the early 1900's, Assateague was actually part of a peninsula connecting it to the mainland! The Great Hurricane of 1933 (which occurred before hurricanes were given names) severed it from what is now Ocean City by opening Ocean City Inlet. Littoral currents, the waves that hit the beach at an angle, have since attempted to fill it with sand , but dredging and painstakingly - maintained jetties maintain the waterway.

In the late 1950's and early 60's, Assateague was the target for beach resort development. Over two thousand lots were surveyed to turn Assateague into Ocean Beach, and over 200 structures were built. A sturdy paved road, Baltimore Boulevard, ran to the Virginia state line. Marshes were disturbed to dig channels for mosquito control. The developing company strategically donated a sizable tract of land to the state of Maryland to create Assateague state park, which prompted the building of the state- funded Veranazo bridge. Assateague was on its way to becoming another bustling resort city - - until the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962.

This powerful Nor'easter destroyed almost every home on the island. Sheets of seawater literally picked up houses and dumped them in the marsh. Two new inlets cut across the island. Baltimore Blvd. was ripped apart.(Today large broken chunks of roadway can be observed along the "Life of the Dunes" nature trail, in the National Seashore.)

After this reality check, developers and home owners alike wondered if perhaps the barrier island was too unstable to support a resort community. Ideas to turn the whole island into a National seashore were revived, and finalized in 1965.

Assateague is a very popular park in the summer, lying, as it does, within a half-day's drive of one fifth of the United State's population. In 1994, two million visitors came to Assateague. Compare this to the census for Cumberland island, another undeveloped barrier island with horses, off the Georgia coast. Cumberland saw only 4,000 visitors that same year.

As most of the visitors stay in the developed area, it is still easy to find empty beach and seclusion if one is willing to hike a short distance. Great beauty is everywhere, in all seasons, and the solitude provides room for introspection.