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Coos Bay
http://www.coosbay.org/
Coos Bay was established
in the 1850s as Marshfield, named for the Massachusetts birthplace of its
founder, J.C. Tolman. The town was incorporated in 1874, but in 1944 its
name was changed to Coos Bay by a vote of the residents. Years later, the
cities of Empire and Eastside merged with Coos Bay, and today all exist as
one city. Coos Bay has been the commercial center of Oregon's southern Coast
since its earliest days. Transportation systems radiated from it to inland
Oregon, the Pacific Ocean and other areas of Coos County. The mosquito
fleet of small boats delivered people and products all over the world. With a current population of 15,470, Coos Bay continues to be
the commercial center of Oregon's south Coast, with growing retail,
service and professional economic sectors. The city's renovated downtown
area, adjacent to the Coos Bay Boardwalk, provides an attractive
commercial area for residents and visitors alike.
The origin of the name "Coos" is open to discussion. It means "lake" and
"place of the pines" in a Native American Language of the nation's east
Coast. According to historians, the explanation has been around so long it
has gained almost universal acceptance. Several Native American tribes
claimed the Coos Bay Region as their ancestral homelands for thousands of
years before Europeans first visited the Oregon Coast. Members of the
Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw and Coquille tribes lived, hunted, fished and
gathered food along the bay and its estuaries, area rivers, and in the
forests and meadows.
British and Spanish sea captains made the first approaches to the South
Coast beginning about 400 years ago. Sir Francis Drake is said to have
sought shelter for the Golden Hinde somewhere near Cape Arago in 1579, but
few white explorers visited the region by land until the 1820's. Legendary
trader and adventurer Jedediah Smith journeyed through the region seeking
furs and Hudson's Bay company dispatched Alexander McLeod to search for an
inland passage.
This area remained largely unknown to Euro-Americans until the 1852
stranding of the schooner Captain Lincoln on the North Spit. The
survivors' 4-month encampment and subsequent rescue the brought attention
of gold prospectors who came to seek their fortune from beach placer
mining. The Coos Bay Commercial Company arrived the following year from
the Rogue Valley to open the wilderness to settlers. They established
Empire City, the county seat of government until 1896.
Early on, entrepreneurs were drawn to the area's waterways, pristine forests and
fertile valleys. Sawmills and shipyards at Old Town North Bend and Empire
City fueled economic development and brought workers and their families.
Bay towns provided early commercial hubs for transportation systems
reaching inland as well as a home for the Mosquito Fleet of small boats.
Rivers and sloughs served as highways for transporting agricultural,
forest and coal products as well as carrying people to and from town.
Early promoters, in fact, called the Coos region the "Venice of the West".
Coal mining and salmon canning helped build the economy along with timber
harvesting and production, shipbuilding and farming.
Immigrants of pioneer days came from Canada, the British Isles, Germany,
Austria and a host of other far-off lands. One of the best known was Gow
Why, a Chinese man who sold vegetables door to door before opening his own
grocery store in Marshfield (Coos Bay). The Scandinavian-American Bank,
Suomi Society and Scandia Shipbuilding Company reflected the prevalence of
Swedes and Finns.
Before the mid 1910's, difficulties of fording rivers and crossing the
Coast Range isolated the Coos region from the rest of Oregon. The Pacific
Ocean became the regional link to the outside world. A journey to San
Francisco by sailing ship took 48 hours and was easier and more
comfortable than the 150 mile, 3 day trip inland to Eugene via Scottsburg
and Drain by steamer and stage coach. Establishing passenger and freight
rail service to the interior valleys in 1916 --"Where Rail Meets
Sail"--opened this region to widespread commercial trade and tourism.
The 1930's - 1950's brought about major changes. Shipyards contracted with
the U.S. Government to build minesweepers and rescue tugs for World War II
defense purposes. Large national lumber companies set up operations and
expanded significantly for the next two decades. Jetty improvements,
commercial fishing and crabbing shaped the development of Charleston. The
completion of the Coos Bay Bridge (now McCullough Memorial Bridge) in 1936
and the Roosevelt Highway significantly improved modern transportation
connections and provided the final link in opening the Coos region to the
outside world. The formerly remote district known as the Coos Bay country
had come of age.
North Bend
http://www.northbendcity.org/
Originally named Yarrow, after the flowering plant, a river in
Scotland or a vessel, North Bend's name reflects its geographic location
at the north bend of the Coos Bay channel. Timber baron Asa M. Simpson and
his son Louis built large sawmills and shipyards which helped fuel the
economy. Another prominent figure was Vern Gorst, a member of aviation's
Hall of Fame, whose land, water and air service provided the embryo of
United Airlines. He was a prominent figure in the town's transportation
improvement and expansion. Today, North Bend is home to 9,370 people and
enjoys a diversified economy including a U.S. Coast Guard air station,
Oregon International Port of Coos Bay's Business Enterprise Center, Pony
Village Mall - the largest enclosed mall on the Oregon Coast, many antique
stores and other unique shops throughout the downtown area. With its
historic McCullough Bridge serving
as the Bay Area's northern gateway via Highway 101, the city is also the
site of the North Bend Municipal Airport, managed by the Oregon
International Port of Coos Bay, offering commercial passenger and freight
service, as well as general aviation facilities.
 Charleston
http://www.charlestonoregon-merchants.com/
Located at the ocean entrance to Coos Bay, the unincorporated community of
Charleston is the area's commercial and sport fishing center which
provides
seafood processing and support services. Several shops and
restaurants draw tourists to the area. The Charleston Marina Complex,
owned and operated by the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, provides
moorage for commercial and pleasure boats and can accommodate more than
550 vessels. Charleston is home to the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
and the U.S. Coast Guard Charleston Lifeboat Station. It is also the
gateway to Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks and the
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Interpretive Center.
LIGHTHOUSES
Cape Arago Lighthouse
The Cape Arago Lighthouse is 12 miles SW of Coos Bay. Located 100 feet
above the ocean on an islet just off Gregory Point. The original
structures built on this site in 1866 and 1908 were damaged by the weather
and waves. These wooden structures served until the present octagonal 40
foot concrete tower replaced them in 1934. The Lighthouse still operates as a navigational aid,
therefore no public access is available. You will find fantastic views from Bastendorff Beach County Park and Oregon Coast Trail
between Sunset Bay and Shore Acres State Parks.
 Coquille River Lighthouse
Coquille River Lighthouse is 20 miles S of Coos Bay off Hwy 101 at
Bullard's Beach State Park, Bandon. This lighthouse was built in 1896 then decommissioned in 1939,
and restored as interpretive center in 1979. Open daily, Memorial
Day-Labor Day. Volunteer interpreters offer guided tours to tower.
541-347-2209.
 Umpqua River Lighthouse
The Umpqua River Lighthouse is 19 miles N of North Bend off Hwy 101
is the first
lighthouse sited on Oregon Coast. It was originally built in 1857 and till operates
as navigational aid. Tours are available during the summer months. 1-800-247-2155.
SHIPWRECKS
A must-see for many South Coast visitors is the site of the stern of the
wrecked freighter New Carissa, which ran aground on February 4, 1999.
While most of the wreckage has been removed, a large portion of the stern
section is still mired in the sand on the North Spit, just beyond the
surf. The site is accessible year-round via 4 wheel drive vehicle or by
hiking the 2.1 miles over the sand from the paved road. North on Highway
101, visitors must pass through North Bend then cross the
McCullough Bridge, make a left turn at the Oregon Dunes National
Recreation area Horsfall Beach turnoff. The road takes drivers across the
north bay and over the railroad tracks. At a fork in the road, take the
left fork onto the Trans Pacific Parkway and follow the road for a few
miles to the Bureau of Land Management boat ramp. Go about 100 yards
farther you will find the entrance to the North Spit road to the New Carissa
is on the right. The best site is an overlook two miles
down the road from the start of the North Spit access. Please Note: During
summer months, the dry sand areas of the North Spit beach are off limits
since this is one of the preferred nesting areas of the threatened Snowy
Plover birds. The Bureau of Land Management requires visitors to keep pets
on leashes and stay in the wet sand portion of the beach that is exposed
at low tide, to avoid disturbing the nesting shorebirds.
Winter storms change the surface of the sand at Horsfall Beach enough to
expose the remains of the Sujameco, a ship that ran aground there in 1929.
While most of the ship was removed during salvage operations, iron
projections can still be seen in the winter sand at the low tide line
north of the parking lot. For more information on the Sujameco and other
ships that have run aground in the Coos Bay/North Bend area click on this
link:
Local shipwrecks
WHALE WATCHING
From November through May, view the migration of gray whales from the
Arctic Sea to Baja California and back. By late December they are seen in
number off the Oregon Coast as they head south. Official whale watching
stations, including one at Shore Acres State Park, are staffed with
volunteers during the 'Official Winter Whale Watch Week' between Christmas
and New Year's Day. Whales also can be sighted from the headlands at Cape
Arago State Park, Simpson Reef Overlook, and Bastendorff Beach County
Park.
Adult males and females without calves again pass Oregon in March and
April going north. The 'Official Spring Whale Watch Week' coincides with
Spring Break. Females with calves can pass as late as May. Look for the
"blow" or for portions of the head, back ridge or tail as the large
mammals surface. An adult whale will reach 46 feet long (a Greyhound bus
is about 40 feet). Early mornings or calm, overcast days are the best for
spotting the whales.
Whale species on the Oregon Coast include:
Sperm Whales: Square-shaped head, blows at a 45-degree angle from the top
of the head, ridges along tail stalk, wrinkled-looking skin.
Killer or Orcas Whales: Tall dorsal fin, very distinct black and white
pattern.
Humpback Whales: Long white flippers, bumps on the top
of the head, very strong angle of the back when diving, short dorsal
fin.
Gray Whales: Splotchy gray color with barnacles on skin
and ridges along the back just in front of the tail.
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