HISTORICAL and GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH SOURCES
FOR OREGON'S SOUTH COAST
Prepared by Steve Greif and the Coos County Historical Society (2007)
INTRODUCTION
The following information is intended to be a general, preliminary guide for those persons conducting research on Coos County and south coast history and genealogy. Operating hours for libraries, courthouses, and museums vary, so call ahead for the latest information.
Native Americans lived on the Oregon south coast for thousands of years establishing a culture that continues today. Starting in 1542, European explorers began sea exploration of the area. A Hudson’s Bay Fur Company explorer, Alexander McLeod (1827) and an American fur trapper, Jedediah Smith (1828) became the first Euro-Americans to explore the region by land. The wreck of the Captain Lincoln occurred on Coos Bay’s north spit in 1852; the following year, Empire City on Coos Bay was established as the first townsite. By December 22,1853 Coos County was formed by the Oregon territorial legislature. The county, river, and bay took their name from the native Coos Indians and first appeared in print in the Lewis and Clark journals as “Cook-koo-oose”. The Coos County Historical Society was formed in 1891. Empire City served as the county seat from its founding until 1896, when citizens voted to move the county seat to Coquille. At various time the county economy has thrived on mining (gold/coal), shipbuilding, lumbering, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.
MUSEUMS
There are many good museums on the south coast which allow visitors the chance to view interesting artifacts. Most have very limited research capability for patrons, however. Call ahead for information about exhibits, hours of operation, and services. Some have good websites (see below...and check the "Links" connection on the menu of this website).
• Coos Historical and Maritime Museum, (www.cooshistory.org) 1220 Sherman Ave., North Bend, OR 97459. Phone: 541.756.6320
• Bandon Historical Society Museum, (www.bandonhistoricalmuseum.org) 270 Filmore, Bandon, OR 97411. Phone: 541.347.2164
• Coos County Logging Museum, 705 Maple, Myrtle Point, OR 97458 Ph: 541.572.1014
• Umpqua Discovery Center, (www.umpquadiscoverycenter.com)
409 Riverfront Way, Reedsport, OR 97467 Phone: 541.271.4816
• Coos Art Museum, (www.coosart.org). 235 Anderson, Coos Bay, OR 97420. Phone: 541.267.3901
• Marshfield Sun Printing Museum, 1049 Front St. (PO Box 783), Coos Bay, OR 97420
• Chetco Valley Historical Society Museum, 15461 Museum Road, Brookings, OR 97415 Phone: 541.469.6651
• Curry County Historical Society, 29419 Ellensburg Avenue, Gold Beach, OR 97444
Phone: 541.247.9396
GENEALOGY
The Family History Center
3355 Virginia Street, North Bend, OR 97459 Phone: 541.756.3575
The collection of genealogical material related to Coos County is large in this LDS library including: The Oregon Biography Index; the Coos County Ancestor File; Coos County territorial and federal census records; cemetery and obituary records; marriage, birth, and death records; land and probate records; tax and military records; and various directories. Open Tues (10am-9pm), Wed (10am-6pm), Thurs (10am-9pm), Fri (10am-4pm)
INTERNET
Genealogy: Roots Web for Coos County has links to birth & death records, census records, biographies, cemetery and obituary information, maps, links to family webpages, old Coos County post cards, general history, and other resources on line.
The Coos County Home Historian website has links for those people interested in finding more information about a particular home, or any other building, in Coos County.
For access to the vast library resources of Coos County or the Oregon south coast visit cooslibraries.org
• The website you are on, Coos County Historical Society (www.cooshistory.org), has a timeline of south coast history, a short history of the Coos Bay area, and other history links.
Visit the bandonhistoricalmuseum.org for a history of Bandon.
See the Marshfield High School website for information on researching Native Americans: Coos County Native Americans
You can learn about the pioneer cemetery near Marshfield High School by visiting this website: cbcemetery.home.att.net/
The Oregon Historical Society has a page about Coos County "century farms" at this site: www.ohs.org/education/folklife/Coos-County-Community-Profile.cfm
A site that contains many links about Coos County history and genealogy is: http://rebelcherokee.labdiva.com/cooscoor.html
COURTHOUSE
Coos County Courthouse
250 North Baxter, Coquille, OR 97423 Phone: 541.396.3121 or the annex at 541.756.2020
• Land Records
Index to Deed, Mortgage and Misc. Records available from1854 to present in the office of the County Clerk. Part one, an alphabetical list of all grantors and grantees, provides the index number for part two which abstracts all documents related to the individual or family represented by that number. Deeds are available from 1854 to present. Books 1 - 16 are available at the Family History Center and the CB Public Library.
• Marriage Records
Marriage certificates, consent notes are available from 1854 to present in the office of the County Clerk. Records are arranged chronologically. Microfilm copy of the early records has an alphabetical index. Remainder is indexed in each volume by first letter of the surname only. Prior to 1899 records were indexed for the groom only.
• Naturalization
Records available from 1850's to 1906, mostly at County Clerk’s office. Some records may be found in County Court minute books or in the Circuit Court Journal. After 1906 records are available from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
• Miscellaneous Records
County Commissioners Minutes: 1854 to present in office of the County Clerk. Contains early jury lists, road orders, accounts, etc. County Law Packets: early cases of minor infractions heard by County Court. Road Cases: Contain petitions, reports, road surveys and other data dealing with construction and maintenance of county roads. Birth & Death Registers: Several registers cover the time span of 1903 - 1929. Not all events recorded. Also…. Womens Separate Property; Authority to Solemnize Marriage; Peddlers Licenses 1909 – 1917; Record of Registered Nurses; Medical Licenses; Warrants; Mechanics Liens; Mining Claims
• Probate Records
Available from 1854 to the present located through the Court Administrator for Coos County Circuit Court. Have been microfilmed, but some of the early packets are unreadable. Packet may contain petitions for probate, lists of heirs at law, sometimes wills, inventories, guardian records, accounts, receipts, etc. Original wills are in the probate packets. The first book of recorded wills is labeled Will Book "B" and begins in 1870. Circuit Court Journal contains many early naturalization records. Circuit Court Record packets have divorce actions and other civil court cases, many dealing with probate and land disputes. Packets contain petitions, answers, depositions, motions, subpoenas, etc. Criminal Packets contain indictments, depositions, motions, etc.
LIBRARIES
Area libraries have published material available for check out with additional rare or out-of-print resources available for reference use in the library only. Some also house microfilm for newspapers and oral histories (see below). For vast library resources on Coos County or the south coast visit www.cooslibraries.org
• Coos Bay City Library, 525 Anderson, Coos Bay, OR 97459. Phone: 541.269.1101
• North Bend City Library, 1800 Sherman Ave., North Bend, OR 97459 Ph: 541.756.0400
• Coquille Public Library, 105 Birch Street, Coquille, OR 97423, Phone: 541.396.2166
• Bandon City Library,1204 11th St. SW, Bandon, OR 97411 (PO Box 128) Ph: 541.347.3221
• Myrtle Point Public Library, 435 5th Street, Myrtle Point, OR 97458 Phone: 541.572.2591
• Lakeside Library, 915 North Lake Road, Lakeside, OR 97449 Phone: 541.759.4432
• Hazel M. Lewis Library, 302 Fir Street, Powers, OR 97466 Phone: 541.439.5311
• Dora Public Library, 56125 Goldbrick Road, Myrtle Pt, OR 97458 Phone: 541.572.6009
• SW OR Comm. College Library, 1988 Newmark, Coos Bay, OR 97420 Ph: 541.888.7270
• Reedsport Public Library, 395 Winchester, Reedsport, OR 97467 Phone: 541.271.3500
• Curry Public Library, 29775 Colvin, Gold Beach, OR 97444 Phone: 541.247.7246
MAPS AND GEOGRAPHY
Maps provide a context for the study of historical sites and events. Pioneer Trails of the Oregon Coast by Samuel Dicken (1978, 1971) is an important work showing Native American and pioneer routes. Samuel and Emily Dicken also produced The Making of Oregon: A Study in Historical Geography (1979). This text covers the entire state but includes information, maps, and photos of south coast. The Atlas of Oregon by William Loy (2001) is a newly revised atlas of the entire state. Also consider Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest by Derek Hayes (1999) or Resource Atlas: Coos County,OR by Oregon State University (1973). Information about the origins of place names is found in Oregon Geographic Names by Lewis McArthur (7th edition, 2003). Fire insurance maps (Sanborn-Perris Map Company), located in local libraries, are good sources for what buildings stood in the cities at various times in history.
ORAL AND VIDEO HISTORIES
A “Living History Series” is held at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. The impressive, indexed oral history collection has over 250 interviews on taped cassettes of long-time county residents relating their memories. There are also videos on various aspects of Coos County history in the county library collection.
PHOTOGRAPHS
• The Coos Historical and Maritime Museum in North Bend has approximately 3000 historic negatives from the Jack Slattery Collection, another 7000 prints, postcards, glass plates and other negatives, and about 50,000 images from past issues of The World newspaper. The Society's images are being digitalized and indexed and will eventually be available for the public to browse and purchase. Researchers should note that The World images have not yet been indexed but are currently arranged by their date of publication.
• The Coos County Historical Society and The World newspaper jointly published two volumes of Coos County historic photographs in 1998: Coos County: The Early Years and Coos County: The Glory Years. These volumes are for sale both at The World in Coos Bay and the Coos Historical and Maritime Museum in North Bend.
• The Bandon Historical Society Museum in Bandon also has a large collection of digitalized images, many of which are available for sale. A volume that has many historic photos of Bandon, contrasting them with more modern photos of the same places, is Bandon Then & Now, by the Bandon Centennial Committee (1989). See the Langlois Centennial Committee (1981) for an album of that Curry County town called Langlois: 1881-1981. For pictures of early Reedsport see Pictorial History of the Lower Umpqua an official Bicentennial project of the Lower Umpqua Historical Society (1976) .
PUBLISHED MATERIAL
The Coos Historical and Maritime Museum, and local bookstores, are good sources for books available for sale. Currently the museum stocks a number of modern titles in the gift shop and offers a 10% discount to current members of the Historical Society. Many of the volumes below are out of print although most may be found in special reference sections in local libraries (see above).
GENERAL HISTORY
• The standard beginning place is: A Guide to Oregon South Coast History: Following the Jedediah Smith Trail by Nathan Douthit (1999). This is the best general history of the south coast from the Chetco River to the Umpqua River. The book traces the 1826 route of Jedidiah Smith, the first American to explore the south coast by land, but also tells the story of each locality since the Smith expedition.
• The CCHS published A Century of Coos and Curry: History of Southwest Oregon by Emil Peterson and Powers (1952) that is still available for sale in the CCHS bookstore.
• One of the earliest published histories, but out of print, is Pioneer History of Coos/Curry Counties: Heroic Deeds and Thrilling Adventures of the Early Settlers by Orville Dodge (1898). It has stories of the very beginnings of white settlement on the south coast. History of Southern Oregon Comprising Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and Coos Counties by A. G. Walling (1884), which has valuable biographies, is also out of print.
• Other important standards include The Coos Bay Region: 1890-1944: Life on a Coastal Frontier by Nathan Douthit (2nd edition, 2005) and Destination West by Agnes Sengstacken (1942)
• The Way it Really Was in Coos and Curry Counties by Boyd Stone (1993)
• Also explore issues of the Coos Historical Journal found in the Coos Bay City Library and a collection of Southwestern Oregon Community College student research papers in that library titled History of Southwestern Oregon (1974).
SPECIFIC LOCALITIES
• Bandon
The Night Bandon Burned by Curt Beckham (1997, 1985); Bandon By-The-Sea by Dow Beckham (1997); Wooden Ships and Master Craftsmen by Ernest Osborne (1978); Bandon Tales by Carol Fanning (1997); Bandon Tales : Stories of Country Life by Granny Abbott [i.e. Carol Fanning] (1997); Bandon Then & Now by the Bandon Centennial Book Committee (1989).
• Charleston
The Simpsons of Shore Acres by Stephen Dow Beckham (1991, 1971); and South Slough Adventures: Life on a Southern Oregon Estuary edited by Melody Caldera (1995); Ojiisan: oh gee saan, the Life and Times of Al Qualman by Alfred Qualman (1989) who was a local oysterman.
• Coos Bay
Coos Bay, the Pioneer Period (1851-1890) by Stephen Beckham (1973); The Coos Bay Region: 1890-1944: Life on a Coastal Frontier by Nathan Douthit (2nd edition, 2005); “A History of the Port of Coos Bay (1852-1952)”, a manuscript by George B. Case (1984); Hard Times in Paradise: Coos Bay, OR, 1850-1986 by William Robbins (1988); “An Historical Sketch of Coos Bay” [manuscript] by William T. McLean (1966); Eighty-Eight Years on Coos Bay by Lorance Eickworth (1993); And Everybody Knew Everybody: Life in the Coos Bay Region in the Years from World War I through the Depression by Deanna McDaniel (1986)
• Coos River
Coos River Echoes by Charlotte Mahaffy (1965) and Above the Falls by Lionel Youst (2nd edition, 2003)
• Coquille
Bits and Pieces of Coquille History by Curt Beckham (1985); Memories from Out of the Past (1999) and You Are the Stars: History of the Coquille Area by Boyd Stone (1995); Coos County Courthouse: 100 years, 1896-1996 by the Coquille Valley Sentinel
• Eastside/Catching Slough
A Man from Eastside : the Autobiography of James Hubert Whitty by James H. Whitty (1975); Geordie: The Life and Times of George Ross, Jr., (1905-1995) by Gordon Ross (2000); Yester Years by Gordon Ross (2001)
• Kentuck Inlet
Up Kentuck Inlet by Edna Selthon (1994, 1992)
• Lakeside
Heart of Lakeside by Edna Skinner (1978)
• Myrtle Point
Myrtle Point Beginnings by Curt Beckham (1986); A Love Affair with Oregon by Dee Jamison (1989); Remember When by Nellie Palmer (1983); and As I Remember by Kenneth Peel (1993); Grandma Northup's Diary by Jane M. Northup, transcribed by Evelyn Northup (1990); Pioneers and Incidents of the Upper Coquille Valley by Alice Wooldridge (1971); Seventh Son by Aileen Barker Rickard (2001); The Baltimore Colony and Pioneer Recollections Taken from the Original Notes of the Honorable Binger Hermann by the Baltimore Colony Centennial Committee (1959)
• North Bend
LJ:The Uncommon Life of Louis Jerome Simpson by Judith and Richard Wagner (2003) is the best book about the life of the founder of the city of North Bend; North Bend Between the Wars: 1919-1941 (2005) by Dick and Judy Wagner continues the North Bend story; Louie Simpson’s North Bend by Dick Wagner (1986); “North Bend’s Depression Issue Myrtlewood” by Patricia Choat Pierce (1993); In A Small Puddle by Nellie Ripper (1987) And Afterward: a Sometimes Every Now & Then Journal by Nellie Ripper (2002) as well as Birth, Boyhood and Beyond by George E. Gebhardt (1994) are stories of two important North Bend families.
• Norway
Years ago at Norway by Mrs. Roy Robison (1983)
• Powers
The Powers Story by Victor Stevens (1979); A Love Affair with Oregon by Dee Jamison (1989) who was a cook in a logging camp above Powers.
• Reedsport/Gardiner
Umpqua: The Lost County of Oregon by Jerry Winterbotham (1994); Gardiner, Oregon: 1850-2000 by Patricia Rohde and E. Lorraine Potter (2001)
• Rogue River Area
Illahe : the Story of Settlement in the Rogue River Canyon by Kay Atwood (1978); Tall Tales from Rogue River: The Yarns of Hathaway Jones edited by Stephen Dow Beckham (1974) is an important folklore collection from the Rogue River area as presented by a famous local miner and mail carrier Hathaway Jones; Settling the Rogue Valley: the Tough Times and Forgotten People by Barbara Hegne (1995); also see many books on the Rogue River Indian War (Native American, below)
SPECIFIC TOPICS
• Agriculture
Curry County Agriculture: the People and the Land - an Oregon Documentary by Walt Schroeder (1998); Life of a Cranberry Grower by Ethel Reichenbach (1981) tells the authors life story and gives information about the cranberry industry; $10,000 or Ten Years: Memoirs of the Brelage Family by Herman Brelage (1991) known for their dairy.
• Animals
Birds of Coos County, Oregon: Status and Distribution by Alan Contreras (1998); Birding the Southern Oregon Coast by Stephen Brown (1996)
• Athletics
"Pre": The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend by Tom Jordan is the latest about the career of track star Steve Prefontaine.
• Business and Industry
Eagles of the West: Western Bank 1904-1994 by Jay Mullen and Joy Dunn (1994); The Company by the Bay: Evans Products (1928-1962) by Sandra Beebe is a book about a Coos Bay company that produced, among other things, battery separators during WWII; Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Menasha Corporation and its One Hundred Year History in Coos Bay, Oregon, 1905-2005 by William Lansing (2005) is not only a good description of the history of the Menasha corporation, but is a very good history of other lumber companies as well.
• Churches
100 Years with North Bend Methodist Church (2003); A History of Oregon’s South Coast Vicariate by Rev. Scott Vandehey and Steven Greif (1981) chronicles the first 75 years of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in North Bend; Arago Community Church History : 75th anniversary, 1923-1998; Episcopal Marriages of the Southern Oregon Coast, 1884-1940 compiled by Barbara Eakley (1997); Gloria Dei Lutheran Church [Coos Bay] Centennial Edition:1884-1984.
• Energy
The First Fifty : from Lamplights to Satellites: Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, Inc. by Rick Steber (1988)
• Education
“The No Beginning Possibly One Hundred Year History of Coos County School District 13” is a manuscript produced by Nancy M. Weybright (1986) about the history of North Bend schools; Coos River School Days by Florence Smith (1960); The Progress Club 100th anniversary, April 1904 - April 2004 commemorates the diamond jubilee of the Progress Club of Coos Bay (originally Marshfield), Oregon, a women's organization for which the original "purpose shall be the study of general and literary subjects," which also became a force for civic improvement; "Coos River School Days" by Florence Smith (1960) is a very short manuscript.
• Exploration
A Guide to Oregon South Coast History: Following the Jedediah Smith Trail by Nathan Douthit (1999) tells about each campsite of the Smith expedition on their Oregon trip and has been one of the most locally popular recent history books; Exploring the Far West with Jedediah Smith by Charles Davis (2002); The Journals of Capt. L.L. Williams edited by Richard W. Stickroth (1992) gives an account of exploration of both Coos and Curry counties.
• Fisheries
Fish or Cut Bait by Smith; World of the Oregon Fishboat: A Study in Maritime Folklife by Janet Gilmore (1986); Blood on the Half Shell (1983) and Romance on the Half Shell-- and More (1990), both by Alfred Qualman, tells of a Coos Bay oyster business.
• Guidebooks
Out Our Back Door by Tom Baake (1997) suggests numerous Coos County road trips; Oregon Coastal Access Guide and Driving the Pacific Coast - Oregon and Washington: Scenic Driving Tours Along Coastal Highways by Oberrecht; 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast and Coast Range (2000), Hiking Oregon’s History, and Trips and Trails: Oregon (2004) all by William Sullivan are the best hiking books.
• Lumbering
Swift Flows the River: Log Driving in Oregon by Dow Beckham (1990) is a book about the unique “splash dams” used to get logs to the mills; Tall Timber Tales (1989), Early Coos County Loggers, (1987) and Gyppo Logging Days (1978) are all first hand logging accounts by Curt Beckham; High Lead Logging: Tough Men and Wooden Trees by Harold Gardner (2000); The Lady and the Lumberjack is an autobiography by Olive Barber (1952); The Company by the Bay: Evans Products (1928-1962) by Sandra Beebe; the thesis of Plundertown, USA: Coos Bay Enters the Global Economy by Al Sandine (2003) is that large timber corporations were ultimately harmful to the local economy; The Woods Were Full of Men by Irma Emmerson (1963) is the true story of a female cook in a Coos County logging camp; Caulked Boots and Cheese Sandwiches: A Forester’s History of Oregon’s First State Forest “The Elliot” by Jerry Phillips (1997); The Millicoma : Biography of a Pacific Northwestern Forest by Arthur V. Smyth (2000); the setting is mainly the Rogue River valley in Timber Country: Working People's Stories of Environmental Conflict and Urban Flight by Beverly A. Brown (1995); Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Menasha Corporation and its One Hundred Year History in Coos Bay, Oregon, 1905-2005 by William Lansing (2005) is very good on this topic of lumbering.
• Maritime
The Unforgiving Coast: Maritime Disasters of the Pacific Northwest by David Grover (2002) has several chapters devoted to shipwrecks off the southern Oregon coast; A Guide to Shipwrecks Along the Oregon Coast by Victor West and R.E. Wells (1984); Sentinels of the North Pacific by James Gibbs (1955); Men of Action: A History of the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Pacific Coast by Ernest Osborne and Victor West (1981); A Star to Steer By: The Seafaring Adventures of Captain Jim Common edited by Christopher Common (2005)
• Mining
Stars in the Dark: Coal Mines of Southwestern Oregon by Dow Beckham (1995); Can't You Hear The Whistle Blowing: Logs, Lignite, and Locomotives in Coos County, Oregon (2007) by Bill Lansing is a wonderful book, full of photos, about the mining and logging railroads of the area; Gold Mines of Southwest Oregon by Roy F. Mayo (1987); The Life and Times of Daniel Giles (1836-1918): From His Reminiscences, Biographical Memoirs and Personal Remembrance of His Wife edited by Richard "Dick" Hansen (1993) follows the story of a Randolph/Whiskey Run area gold miner; They Found Gold on the Beach: a History of Central Curry County: an Oregon Documentary by Walt Schroeder (1999)
• Native American
Stephen Dow Beckham has done much work describing the history and culture of Native Americans in Oregon and on the south coast.
The Indians of Western Oregon: This Land Was Theirs (1977) is his older classic. More recently, Beckham has compiled an important collection of primary sources "that strives to let Oregon Indians tell their own story". This is called Oregon Indians: Voices From Two Centuries (2006). Many things have been written about the Rogue River Indian War such as Requiem for a People: the Rogue Indians and the Frontiersmen also by Beckham (1996); The Rogue River Indian War and its Aftermath: 1850-1980 by E.A. Schwartz (1997); Until the Last Arrow, A True Story of the Indian Wars and Gold Rushes that Opened the…Rogue River Valley by Percy T. Booth (1997); Indian Battles Along the Rogue River (1855-1856) by Frank Walsh (1972); Uncertain Encounters: Indians and Whites at Peace and War in Southern Oregon (1820’s-1860’s) by Nathan Douthit (2002); The People and the River: a History of the Takelma Indians of the Upper Rogue River Country by Elizabeth Heckert (1977). Other texts on Native American history include White Moccasins by Beverly Ward (1986); The Coquille Indian: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and People of the Coquille Estuary, both by Roberta Hall (1984); When Grandmother Sang Her Song by Esther Stutzman (1975); She’s Tricky Like Coyote: Annie Miner Peterson, An Oregon Coast Indian Woman (1997) and Coquelle Thompson, Athabaskan Witness: A Cultural Biography, (2002) are both by local author Lionel Youst. Foot prints in the Sands of Time: Autobiography of Jerry Running Foxe, Chief of the Na-so mah Indians, the Coquilles, 'Ko-Kwel' by Jerry Running Foxe (2004); Changing Landscapes, edited by Jason Younker; See also The First Oregonians, edited by Braun and Lewis.
• Storms
The Big Blow: The Story of the Pacific Northwest's Columbus Day Storm by Ellis Lucia (1963)
• Theater
Encore: A History of Theaters and Theater on Oregon’s South Coast by Dow Beckham (2003) is the most complete book on this topic. Hobblin' In and Dancin' Out by Hope Cahill (1991) is a history of the RSVP follies from 1972-1976. Doubling Back: Autobiography of an Actor by Edwards Hoag Meade (1916) who came to Coos County in 1914.
• Transportation
Can't You Hear The Whistle Blowing: Logs, Lignite, and Locomotives in Coos County, Oregon (2007) by Bill Lansing is a wonderful book, full of photos, about the mining and logging railroads of the area; Vern C. Gorst: Pioneer and Granddad of United Air Lines by Wilbur Gorst (1979) gives wonderful descriptions of how early pioneers coped with transportation issues; “A Century of Coos County Railroads” is a manuscript by Steven Greif (1974); Ships and Ship-Builders of Southern Oregon and Southern Oregon Mosquito Fleet: Stories About Coos County Boats, 1853 To 1948 (1986) as well as Mosquito Fleet of Coos County are all by important Bay Area maritime historian Victor West. For those who wish to ply the local waterways see Oregon's Coos Region Canoe & Kayak Guide by Ron Wardman (2001). A good source of information about bridges on Highway 101, including the McCullough Bridge over Coos Bay and the Patterson Bridge over the Rogue River, is Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: C.B. McCullough, Oregon's Master Bridge Builder by Robert W. Hadlow (2001). Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Menasha Corporation and its One Hundred Year History in Coos Bay, Oregon, 1905-2005 by William Lansing (2005) includes a definitive section on the history of the Coos Bay Wagon Road.
• World War II
Silent Siege by Bruce Webber (1984) describes the WWII Oregon coastal defense system; Made in Japan and Settled in Oregon by Mitzi Asai Loftus (1990) describes a first hand account of the Japanese relocation camps; Bombs Over Brookings by William McCash (2005) details the only Japanese bombing of the U.S. mainland in WWII at Brookings and the postwar friendship between Brookings and the Japanese pilot who dropped the bomb.
FICTION
• A Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick (1997). A novel based on the lives of Louis and Cassie Simpson, founders of North Bend and Shore Acres State Park.
• Tall Tales from Rogue River: The Yarns of Hathaway Jones edited by Stephen Dow Beckham (1974). Folklore from the Rogue River area as presented by a famous local miner and mail carrier: Hathaway Jones.
• Coos Bay Shanghai by Naomi Russell (1999). A pioneer family on Catching Inlet in Coos Bay experience adventures in a maritime community in the late 1800’s.
• Gold Saga of the Umpqua: an Historical Novel of Southwestern Oregon by Harriet Ward (1966) is a tale based upon actual characters of the gold era in SW Oregon.
• Zane Grey, who had a cabin on the Rogue River, is a famous western author. One novel, Rogue River Feud, was republished in 2000.
• Katie's Gold by Tom Mitcheltree (2000) is a mystery with a Rogue River valley setting.
NEWSPAPERS
Coos County has had an abundance of newspapers published in the past 130 years and most are available on microfilm at various Coos County libraries. (See chart below.) The oldest publication held is the Coos Bay News which reported about the Bay area starting from the year 1874. The Marshfield Weekly Coast Mail is on record from 1879 and the Coquille City Herald from 1883. Issues of the Bandon Recorder can be viewed from 1890 through June of 1916 and the Myrtle Point Enterprise is available from late 1895 through 1917. News of the community of Powers was reported in the Powers Patriot from 1918 to 1923. The longest-running newspapers available are topped by the Coquille Valley Sentinel with 67 years of news on microfilm from 1915 through 1982, followed by Myrtle Point’s Herald which records 61 years of stories from 1928 to 1989. The Marshfield Sun reveals 53 years of Bay area events from 1891 until mid-1944 while the Coos Bay Times reports for 51 years, starting in 1906 and running just into the New Year of 1957.
Because newspaper articles are not indexed, the most efficient search of newspaper archives should begin with a target date – the outbreak of a major fire or other news event, a death date, a seasonal event, etc. A target date will help to determine which microfilm reel will be searched for the desired article. Even with a target date, allow time to be distracted by other news of the day and history in the making.
The following table shows the names of city newspapers on microfilm. Following each newspaper name is the library where the microfilmed newspaper is located and the publication dates available for viewing.
BANDON newspapers
Bandon Recorder; Coos Bay library; (1890 - Jun 27, 1916)
Prime Time; SWOCC library; (Jun 1993 - Oct 1994; May 1997 - current)
Western World; Coquille library; (Current 6 months)
CHARLESTON newspapers
Charleston Herald; Coos Bay library; (Aug 1995 - Mar 1996 irregular)
Charleston Herald; SWOCC library; (Apr 1995 - Mar 11, 1996)
COOS BAY (Marshfield) newspapers
Bay News Weekly; SWOCC library; (Jun 19, 1985 - Oct 23, 1985)
Bay Reporter; Coos Bay library; (Feb 28, 1979 - Sep 1984)
Bay Reporter; SWOCC library; (Sep 21, 1983 - Sep 1984)
Coos Bay Harbor; Coos Bay library; (1905 - 1950)
Coos Bay Harbor; North Bend library; (1905 - 1950)
Coos Bay News; Coos Bay library; (Aug 1893 - Nov 19, 1901; Jul 16, 1907 - Oct 1917)
Coos Bay News; North Bend library; (1874 - 1876; Jul 1877 - Jan 1878; 1879 - 1901; Jul 16, 1907 - 1917
Coos Bay Times; Coos Bay library; (Jul 4, 1906 - Jan 7, 1957)
Empire Builder; Coos Bay library; (Oct 8, 1953 - Feb 28, 1979)
Marshfield Sun; Coos Bay library; (Feb 12, 1891 - Jun 16, 1944)
Marshfield Southwest Oregon Daily; Coos Bay library; (Jan 23, 1915 - Apr 12, 1940)
Marshfield Coast Mail; Coos Bay library; (May 17, 1879 - 1880; 1884 - Jun 1906)
Southwester; SWOCC library; (Nov 10, 1961 - Nov 1, 1988; Mar 1992 - current)
The World; Coos Bay library; (Jan 8, 1957 - current)
COQUILLE newspapers
Coquille City Bulletin; Coos Bay library; (Jun 7, 1901 - Jul 1, 1904)
Coquille City Bulletin; Coquille library; (Jun 7, 1901 - Jul 1, 1904)
Coquille City Herald; Coos Bay library; (Sep 11, 1883 - Oct 10, 1893)
Coquille City Herald; Coquille library; (Sep 11, 1883 - Sep 4, 1917)
Coquille Herald; Coos Bay library; (Sep 23, 1902 - Sep 4, 1917)
Coquille Tribune; Coos Bay library; (Apr 1933 - Mar 1947)
Coquille Tribune; Coquille library; (1929 - Mar 28, 1947)
Coquille Valley Sentinel library; Coos Bay; (1917 - Nov 8, 1940)
Coquille Valley Sentinel library; Coquille; (1915 - Jul 21, 1982)
LAKESIDE newspapers
Tenmile Times; SWOCC library; (Apr 10, 1985 - Dec 17, 1985)
MYRTLE POINT newspapers
Myrtle Point Herald; Myrtle Point library; (Mar 29, 1928 - Mar 3, 1989)
Myrtle Point Enterprise; Coos Bay library; (Nov 16, 1895 - Nov 1917)
Myrtle Point Enterprise; Myrtle Point library; (Nov 16, 1895 - Jun 5, 1908)
South Coos County American; Coos Bay library; (Dec 1917 - Mar 22, 1928
NORTH BEND newspapers
North Bend News; North Bend library; (1951 - Aug 27, 1986)
Coos Bay Harbor; Coos Bay library; (1905 - 1950)
Coos Bay Harbor; North Bend library; (1905 - 1950)
POWERS newpapers
Powers Patriot; Coos Bay library; (Apr 26, 1918 - Apr 23, 1923)
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