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Lincoln County was named for Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the
United States and created by the Legislative Assembly on February 20,
1893, from the western portion of Benton County and Polk County. There
were boundary adjustments and annexations in 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, and
1949. The county is bordered by Tillamook County on the north, Polk and
Benton Counties on the east, Lane County on the south, and the Pacific
Ocean on the west. It covers an area of 992 square miles. The county was
named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
When Lincoln County was formed, Toledo was picked as the temporary county
seat. In 1896 it was chosen as the permanent county seat. In 1897 there
was agitation to build a county courthouse and with the growing demand a
courthouse was finally built in 1899. The city jail of Toledo was also
made the official county jail in that same year. In 1913 a new county jail
was built. Three elections were held to determine if the county seat
should be moved from Toledo to Newport. Twice these votes failed in 1928
and 1938. In 1954, however, the vote went in Newport's favor.
The 1900 census measured Lincoln County's population at 3,575. By 2000, it
had grown to 44,479 representing an increase of 14.37% over 1990.
The northern part of Lincoln County includes the Siletz Indian Reservation
which was created by treaty in 1855. The reservation was opened to white
settlement in 1895 and closed to white settlement by the federal
government in 1925. The Siletz's tribal status was terminated by the
federal government in 1954. In 1977 the Siletz became the first Oregon
tribe to have their tribal status reinstated. The current reservation
totals 3,666 acres.
The Coast Highway, completed in 1925, and the Salmon River Highway
completed in 1930, improved inland transportation within the county. In
1936 as part of federally funded construction projects, bridges were
constructed across the bays at Waldport, Newport, and Siletz thus
eliminating the ferries that had formerly traversed these bays. A 1910
election created the ports of Toledo, Newport, and Alsea.
Principal industries of the county are lumber, fishing, agriculture and
tourism. Newport is Oregon's oceanography research center with Oregon
State University's Marine Science Center, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and
its fleet of ocean-going vessels. |
