home         back to Special Collections            Starkey  previous   |  next                                 from the Marshfield Sun Special Edition, Jan. 1901                             .................           Remarks on the Bay            and County of Coos                                      * * * *  By Star Key   * * * *      In a descriptive narrative of this section of the coast credit should be given to  the early settlers who hewed the pathway in advance and  who were first in developing its resources.  The battle with hardships, the dangers averted and the obstacles encountered were all met with patience and perseverance: therefore we owe them a word of praise in recognition of their early efforts in the virgin woods, encompassed by ferocious animals and treacherous Indians.  There are lofty ideals; yet none transcend that of the pioneer who risks every thing an uncertain venture; who forsakes the enjoyment and advantages of civilization to enter into a project that may result disastrously to him and his.  Many of the early pioneers of Coos have departed this life, and those who are still with us are in "the sere and yellow leaf;" therefore, all honor to the pioneers of Coos county.                                  Coos Bay.       A great deal has been written on the resources of Oregon, and truly it is a country of immense capacity.  The south-west portion, in which Coos County is a leading feature, has not received that at- [ printout illegible] due the climate, [printout illegible;  = manifold?] fold resources, and position, demand.  Coos bay coming first in importance as a commercial center and distributing point for the surrounding country, will first attract attention.  The entrance to Coos bay is situated in about 43 degrees north latitude, and 124 west. By referring to a chart or map its position will be observed to the northward and close to cape Arago, on which stands a prominent lighthouse.      The channel at the entrance has thirty feet of water at mean tide.  Since the government improvement at the entrance commenced, the depth of water on the bar has been steadily increasing.  It speaks volumes for the harbor to know that thirty sailing vessels and ten steamers are trading between this port and San Francisco, California, and there is steam connection with Portland and other ports of the coast.  Passing Rocky Point after entering the port we have the full sweep of the lower bay before us, about a mile wide and eight in length.  The long sand spit with high dunes which support a variety of timber, are on our left hand, a permanent barrier to the fierce waves of the great Pacific ocean.  Here, on this magnificent sheet of water, there is sufficient space for thousands of vessels to anchor in safety.  Passing up the bay we observe the pioneer town of Coos Bay -- Empire City.  At this place the Southern Oregon Company have [verified] built a fine mill which has a cutting capacity of 150,000 feet of lumber daily.  Proceeding we turn to the right at North Bend where a magnificent sight bursts into view. We have now entered the upper bay, and the scene is one to be remembered and to absorb studious attention.  The distant hills are clothed from base to summit with an evergreen envelope, and the lofty fir trees abound on every hand.  Cedar, myrtle, and other varieties of timber extend in every direction.  Great quantities of timber are destroyed in clearing land; the same, if stored or otherwise preserved, would be valuable in the manufacture of furniture and other fine work.  Commencing with the North Bend mill we can count four sawmills within range of the eye.      Coos river enters the bay at the left hand upper corner, directly opposite Marshfield.  There are some fine farms on this river and the orchards for beauty and flavor of fruit are unsurpassed.  This section stands unequalled for dairying and stock raising.  The winters are so mild that cattle roam through the timber and over the hills and require but little feed from their owners. There are scattering tracts of land from which the timber has been burned and grass has grown in those burned districts, as they are called, and in these and on the banks of streams and open spaces cattle find abundant feed.  It is no uncommon thing for fine beef to be taken off the ranges in January which have had no feed furnished to them excepting what they have found in pasture.  Snow seldom falls, and when it does appear it is so light, and lies so little time on the ground, that it does not prevent the cattle from finding the grass which the dense woods afford abundant shelter from the wind.      The cool, but temperate climate is admirably adapted to making butter and cheese, and those industries are very remunerative.      In illustration of manufacture of cheese, a table furnished by one of the best farmers in the county will show what is done in the line.  The table gives the result from the milking of 60 cows 30 of [printout illegible] milkers and 30 poor milkers.    [chart,  not copied ]      Weight of cheese, after shrinkage, 23,496 pounds.      This product was sold in Marshfield at prices ranging from 10 to 15 cents per pound.       There are many products which can be raised here at a profit.  The bottom lands produce beets of the finest quality and will average at least twenty tons to thee acre.  There has been a movement looking toward the establishment of a beet sugar manufactory, but nothing definite has yet been accomplished.      Fruit growing is a flourishing industry throughout the county, there being a large export trade to California.  The varieties produced are apples, pears, quinces, plums, cherries, and smaller fruits. The trees begin to bear when remarkably young and are exceedingly healthy and vigorous and being free from disease, will live to a great age.  The trees are very productive and the fruit possesses a delicious flavor. This county is a very Eden for cherries, plums and prunes.  Strawberries, currants, raspberries, gooseberries and cranberries of a fine quality are raised in abundance.  Several varieties of the hardier grapes are also cultivated.  Blackberries are cultivated and they also grow wild in the woods in vast quantities, and are a natural product of the soil.     Fruit trees will grow from six to eight feet the first year and bear fruit the second, third and fourth years according to variety. They thrive in the valleys as well as on the foothills, and up to a considerable height in the mountains, but  especially in dry, sheltered soil.  Yearling prune and yearling cherry trees seven feet high have been exhibited. Apple trees commence bearing very young, sometimes producing fine fruit the second year after grafting and, if properly cultivated, are always in bearing when four or five years old.                                         Climate.        The climate is remarkable in its equability; and, while it is a physical impossibility to discover a climate that will suit each case, we are not afflicted with extremes of heat or cold.      A report of the signal service is subjoined, showing the mean temperature for each month of the year. [chart:  not copied]                                   Lumber.          With accessible facilities and an unlimited supply of material, a lamentable picture is displayed in the cessation of labor resulting from the suspension in operating two of the largest saw mills on Coos Bay.  Litigation is the cause in one case, but in the other the motive is not apparent.  Both companies own exclusive timber tracts, and possess excellent positions for the manufacture of lumber and the construction of sea-going vessels.  It is to be hoped that in the [can't read = near?] future "the clouds will roll by," and that then these superb mills will be set in motion adding to the bright outlook for business on the bay [printout illegible] buzz of their wheels.      During the past forty years the North Bend mill and the Newport coal mine have been operated continually, and the proprietors of these industries deserve commendation and the reward merited by their perseverance.  That which has been accomplished by the untiring efforts of A. M. Simpson,  the late firm of Flanagan and Mann,  and Goodall, Perkins, and Company, can be accomplished by others, consequently the activity now apparent on Coos bay and the Coquille river is an omen of more extensive operations in coal, lumber, creameries, and canneries.  The progression and development of the resources of Coos County have been tardy, owing principally to a paucity of capital: but now that attention has been called to the possibilities of a harvest from the stores of nature hitherto lying dormant, capital has approached, and there is no doubt of its obtaining tangible results and remuneration commensurate with the undertaking.                                    Coal.       The coal which is found in the local coal measures, is lignite or brown coal, and is the best for domestic use of any found on the Pacific coast.  It carries but little dust or soot and burns well.  It is not claimed to be the best for steam, although it is much used for that purpose.  The country has not been thoroughly prospected; and shafts have not been sunk to any great depth; but it is estimated that in the Coos county coal fields there are four hundred square miles of underlying coal beds.  The amount of coal in such a vast field can hardly be estimated.  All the coal which has heretofore been mined, exported, and consumed locally, has not worked out two square miles of territory.  Much of this coal land can be bought for from ten to twenty dollars an acre. The Newport mine continues to run steadily and is no doubt profitable.  It has a rail road about three miles long from the mine to deep water.  Other mines can be worked profitably but are waiting capital to take hold and develop them.      The coal measures on the Coquille river have not yet been fairly prospected but the good work is going on both on the river and on the bay and the ventures being in the hands of expert miners, there is a fair prospect of success.  The export trade in timber and coal is increasing gradually; and before the end of the approaching year - 1901 - the prospects are that the business will receive such vigorous propulsion as portends prosperity and permanent progress. = [ Ed note:  this article also appears in the Sea, Land, and Resources section]  home         back to Special Collections            Starkey  previous   |  next