As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
May 25, 2022
This week I am devoting all three photos to the history of the salmon fishery on the Coquille River, with excerpts from a two-part series which appeared in the Western World in April of 1955, written by John Nielson, father of Roderick Nielson.
When Nielson wrote his article nearly 70 years ago, titled "What's Happened to the Salmon?" he could not have anticipated that years later the salmon fishery would be depleted to the point that currently no salmon fishing is allowed on the Coquille River. And unless drastic measures are taken, it could be years before the fishery returns.
John Nielson was one of the pioneer salmon cannerymen of the lower Coquille River. He was said to be the last of the seine fishermen, referring to the catching of fish with the aid of large nets.
The first picture shows an undated cannery in Bandon.
Cannery in Bandon
The second photo, of the wood-burning steamer Antelope, was taken near the wharf at Bandon in 1908.
Steamer Antelope, 1908
The Antelope picture ran in the paper along with the article. The caption, in part, reads: "The two barge loads and the deck load of fish are silverside and Chinook salmon, taken from the river by seine. The price of the fish paid by the cannery to the fishermen were 10 cents per fish for silvers and 15 cents per fish for Chinooks, regardless of weight or size. The ship was owned by T. Walter Panter's father."
The third picture was taken in the mid-1970s as commercial fishermen sold their catch to Bandon Fisheries on the local dock.
Commercial fishermen selling their catch, 1970s
Salmon fishing was at one time the principal industry on the lower Coquille River, and Nielson pointed out that the first cannery was established at Parkersburg in 1884. A salmon cannery was built at Prosper in 1887, which was operated until 1894 but before the fishing season ended, it burned down together with the stock of canned salmon." Later another cannery was built at Prosper.
"During 1908 the Coquille River Fishermen's Co-op Canning Company, sponsored and owned principally by fishermen, built a salmon cannery on river frontage that was part of the James McCue homestead located near Parkersburg.
"As far as I know, the 1912 salmon pack was the largest in its history. The fishermen's cannery packed 12,400 cases and the total number of salmon purchased from fishermen was over 60,000. The Prosper Canning Co. canned approximately 8,000 cases and received about 40,000 salmon that same year," said Nielson.
"During the early days of canning salmon nearly all work was done by Chinese who made up all the cans before the cannery opened to receive salmon from the fishermen. Also Chinese made up all shipping boxes and labeled all cans.
"During the early days and at such times as the salmon canneries were not in operation, the early day fisherman salted salmon in large wooden tanks which were later packed in wood barrels and shipped on small sailing schooners that operated between the Coquille river and San Francisco.
"A law was passed in 1925 prohibiting the operation of seines on the Coquille River, which forced canneries to shut down. The bulk of the salmon that was canned was caught in seines owned and operated by the canneries. The prices paid by buyers of fresh salmon were such that salmon canneries could not pay and stay in business.
"Another phase of the salmon business is in trying to find out what is causing the depletion of the salmon runs on the Pacific coast streams.
"Prior to the time the seines were prohibited, the gillnetters contended that if the seines were abolished, the salmon runs would hold up. However this theory failed to stand up.
"When the splash dams were operated on the head waters of the Coquille, the salmon were stopped from getting to the natural spawning grounds.
"With the number of sport fishermen today (1955) compared with the past years, it is surprising to me that there are any salmon left. Another matter is the number of salmon being caught in the Pacific Ocean before salmon get into the costal streams. No hatchery work of any consequence is being carried on in the propagation of salmon to help stock the various streams.
"During later years streams have been stocked with other kinds of fish that are detrimental to the growth of young salmon.
"What is causing the depletion of the salmon runs? It is a fact that when anything is taken out faster than can be produced, sooner or later there will not be anything to produce from."
Mr. Nielson ended his two-part series by saying: "What the future will bring is yet to be seen but unless something is done before it is too late, we can read about and tell the future generations what we had once upon a time."
That day is here.
We all need to get behind the efforts of the Coquille Indian Tribe, who are working hard to support restoration of the historic salmon fishery on the Coquille River.
* * *
The Bandon Police Department is letting the public know about a rash of thefts from vehicles, outbuildings, construction sites and trailers in addition to burglaries. A number of gas thefts have also been reported, and people are being urged to lock their vehicles, outbuildings and homes, and remove or hide valuables from sight.
If you see or hear something suspicious, call the police department at 541-347-2241 or dispatch at 541-396-4221. Bandon has an officer on duty 24/7. "It takes all of us working together to catch these thieves," said a spokesman for the police department.
* * *
I was shocked to see that all the mature rhododendrons and landscaping alongside the Bandon post office had been sawed off at ground level, with only the stumps remaining, some of which were at least 8 inches in diameter. My question is: why would anyone remove the rhododendrons and leave the weeds?
* * *
I saw a Facebook post this week that long-time Powers resident (who attended high school in Bandon) Kenneth Stevens had celebrated his 100th birthday on the same day his grandson and Powers school superintendent Matt Shorb, turned 50. Kenneth was married to the late Phyllis Pullen, an aunt of Reg and Gary Pullen of Bandon.
* * *
I see that the ballots have been sent out by Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative for the election of board members, and I heartily endorse the election of Pete Radabaugh, Dan Loshbaugh and David Itzen for those of you who are members of the cooperative. They are strong supporters of Beacon Broadband, a Coos-Curry Electric company which will provide fast internet service for people in the CCE territory.
Bandon area residents who live south of town are members of Coos-Curry Electric, while those living north of town get their electricity from Pacific Power, and those living in the city limits of Bandon and along the highway south to Langlois are served by the City of Bandon hydro-electric department.
Coquille residents are also members of Coos-Curry Electric as are the Curry County residents of the Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings areas.
The latest issue of Oregon Business magazine talked about the historic federal investment in rural broadband, "which will determine the future of Oregon internet access for generations."
* * *
It's great to see the Alive After 5 wine walks returning, with the first one set for Friday, May 27, from 5 to 7 in Old Town. Glasses and maps can be purchased for $10 at the picnic shelter on the boardwalk from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
* * *
Both the Bandon softball and baseball teams are playing this week in the state playoffs, with the softball team hosting a game today (Monday, May 23) at 4. The baseball team will host a playoff game on Wednesday (May 25) at 4:30. As these are state playoff games, admission will be charged at the gate.
* * *
Bandon's boys track team repeated last year's feat by again winning the Class 2A state championship over the weekend, led by the Angove twins, Trevor and Hunter, and Ansen Converse. Bandon finished with 56 points.
Trevor Angove, who was named athlete of the meet for scoring the most points among Class 2A boys, won the triple jump and the long jump, was fourth in the high jump and sixth in the 400 meters.
Hunter Angove was the 2A pole vault champion. Converse finished third in the 3,000 and placed fourth in the 1,500. Junior Damian Avalos finished third in the 800, and the Tigers 4x400 relay team (Hunter Angove, Patton Clark, Converse and Avalos) finished eighth.
They are coached by Brent Hutton.
Coquille girls won the 2A championship, with Bandon tying for fifth place. The Tiger team of Holly Hutton, Makenna Vierck and the Miller sisters, Aunika and Analise, won the 4x400 meter relay. Hutton finished her outstanding career by placing second in the 1,500 and third in the 800. Aunika Miller was fifth in the 1,500 and sixth in the 800. Vierck was sixth in the 100 meter hurdles and Olivia Thompson was eighth in the 300 hurdles.
For complete stories about the track championships, people need to read John Gunther's stories in The World.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
May 18, 2022
No one can deny that there is an uptick in residential construction in Bandon, and throughout other parts of Coos County, these days. But it's fun to look back more than 100 years ago to see what was taking place in those days.
An article in the Dec. 16, 1915, Western World is headlined "Many Private Improvements," as the article talks about changes which had taken place since the first Bandon Fire a year and a half earlier (June of 1914).
On that fateful June day, the paper carried the story: fully three blocks of businesses houses in the heart of the business district of Bandon were burned to the ground in the most disastrous fire ever experienced in Coos County."
Sadly, as we know too well, that was a small fire compared to the one 22 years later which destroyed most of our town.
But by the end of 1915, Bandon was rebounding.
"Look for the path of the disastrous fire which razed the greater part of Bandon's business district 18 months ago and you will look in vain. But the ragged outskirts of the devastated district remain. Where ashes lay in heaps at that time, modern buildings, of a type calculated to withstand another such disaster, now greet the eye. New buildings have radically changed the appearance of the city during the present year, especially in the business section and all building records have been shattered," read the Western World in their special Christmas issue.
"At the corner of First street and Chicago avenue the Stephan building (first picture) lacks only the placing of the plate glass to be complete.
Stephan building/Seaside Bakery
Built with the idea of housing the Seaside Bakery, the ground floor is divided into two store rooms and a bake shop, while the second story contains up-to-date housekeeping apartments. The building gives the impression of being solid-wall construction, although of frame with an exterior concrete stucco finish. It contains the best that is to be had in wood and workmanship. Without equipment the building (not including the cost of the lot) represents an expenditure of $6,000 and within is to be the most complete bakery equipment in Southwestern Oregon. The cost of the huge brick and steel ovens alone will run well up into four figures and Mr. Stephan (Paul) estimates that he will have invested $10,000 when the tenants move in about the first of the year."
Paul Stephan and his wife Anna were pillars in the community for many years, and had a son Hugo and a daughter Elsa, who went on to become a nurse.
But their story did not end here. Long after Paul died, his widow and son moved to the Albany area. It was in July of 1976 that the community learned of a murder-suicide which took the lives of Anna, 87, and Hugo, 54.
An article from the Salem paper, shared with Western World, said that police believe that Hugo Stephan shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. It further explained that "Hugo Stephan had been a patient at the Oregon State Hospital briefly the previous year and recently had been despondent."
Today, the Stephan Hotel/Seaside Bakery is the home of Cranberry Sweets. You can see the Bakery sign on the building, which is closest to the camera on the left side of the first photo. On the hill overlooking town you can see the old high school.
And now back to the 1915 article.
"On the quarter block at the corner of First street and Bandon avenue, Dr. D.E. Biggs and A.H. Buckingham are erecting a two story reinforced concrete business block building (second photo) that ranks among the best in this part of the state.
Four store rooms, three fronting on First street and the other on Bandon avenue, occupy the first floor, which also houses the steam heating plant. Throughout, the woodwork is to be entirely fir, finished to set out the beautiful grain, and the lobby, on the First street side, will be a wonderful exhibit of this wood. Skylights and prism glass transoms will give an abundance of daylight. On the second floor will be modern office rooms. Cream colored cement forms the exterior finish. The estimated cost of this building is $25,000 and it will be completed early in January."
As early as 1920, the building had become the Westland Hotel.
It was located on the property that today houses the Port of Bandon's Old Town Marketplace, and when the third photo was taken in 1979, it housed Graydon Stinnett's Bandon Fisheries business.
Bandon Fisheries, 1979
The article concludes by saying that "in all, 42 building permits were issued by the city engineer during the first 11 months of 1915, many of which were for modern residences, such as the new home of Geo. W. Moore, prominent lumberman, on Baltimore avenue, the new Victor Breuer residence, and others."
Moore was a principal in Moore Mill & Lumber Co.
* * *
Cranberry Country Jamboree is the theme of this year's annual Cranberry festival, slated for Sept. 9-11 in Bandon's City Park.
Festival Director Anthony Zunino has issued a statement about the change in venue.
"For nearly 76 years, the Bandon Cranberry Festival has operated solely on the use of volunteers with some back-end support provided by the paid staff of the Chamber. That level of volunteer participation has waned considerably in recent years, which has resulted in some of our beloved events needing to be cancelled due to a lack of staffing and/or participation.
"Public safety and access to emergency services are the paramount concern of the Festival Committee. Unfortunately, our staffing levels have gotten to a point that being able to ensure that impeccable level of access to our emergency response personnel is no longer possible with the layout and configuration that Old Town offers. Needless to say, there are many distinct geographical challenges with having so many activities crammed into such a small space," he said.
"For the last 4-5 years, the committee has discussed the possibility of moving the Festival to the City Pak as a means to alleviate many of those concerns. We apologize for the surprise, or any inconvenience this may cause, but at this point, it is a necessary change, not only to continue the tradition of our festival, but also to ensure that the safety of all who attend is of top priority!
"We are 100 percent positive that the 2022 Festival will be as grand as ever, as we have many of the 'traditional' festivities in the lineup, as well as some plans to introduce some new and fun offerings to appeal to our vast audience. Please stay tuned to bandon.com/cranberry-festival for the latest news and exciting announcements," he added. People who are interested in joining the dedicated team of volunteers can email the committee at cranberry@bandon.com or cranberry@bandon.com.
Festival goers will also be urged to visit Bandon's many merchants during the weekend event, with the move to City Park expected to free up parking in the Old Town area for those who want to visit the shops.
* * *
I just received a phone call from a friend who had just gotten a Messenger text from me, which included my name and my photo. It starts out "how is everything going with you"? Hope everything is going well." My friend then hit the "thumbs up" icon, and the message continued: I am supposed to have said: "Hello. How are you doing? Glad to hear from you. I am also pretty good and everything is all right. Can't complain. I am using a text line since I have been battling with throat issues. I had throat surgery recently and outer layer of my throat vocal cords were removed."
This scam could have come from someone who heard me talk in recent weeks, where my throat has been hoarse from allergies, a head cold and Covid. Who knows. But believe me, I have not had throat surgery nor am I sending Facebook messages through Messenger to anyone. I appreciate that my friends are looking out for me by letting me know when they receive something like this.
I get these "how are you?' texts often, including recently from a woman who died two year ago, so I never ever click on them or acknowledge them in any way. And if they continue, I block them.
* * *
I learned that a woman was hit in the crosswalk near the post office Friday about 11 a.m. Sgt. Larry Lynch said the woman was not "hurt bad," and that the driver was cited, but he did not give me the name of the person who was cited. Since it is public record, I am sure I can get the name of the cited person for next week's column from Sarah.
Larry said he did not think he could release the name of the person cited until it was adjudicated, so it may not be next week.
* * *
It was so wonderful to watch MarLo Dance Studio's presentation of Anastasia on the Sprague Theater stage over the weekend. To say that the pretty much sold-out audience loved the performers, especially the little ones, is an understatement. Each dance was greeted with enthusiastic and loving applause.
The director Maria Merriam and I greeted each other with a welcoming hug, and she expressed so much delight in being able to once again put on a show that brought so much joy to the community. We both agreed it's been a long two years.
If you didn't see it this weekend, you can still go next weekend (Friday and Saturday at 7 and Sunday afternoon). The theater fills up fast, so go to MarLoDance.com or call 706-550-1416 to get your tickets.
* * *
I received an email May 14 from Kim Consol of Guinda, Ca., to let me know that her husband (an assistant fire chief ) and crew will be pulling gorse and burning the piles in the Donut Hole and Face Rock Heights for a few days.
"They notified the immediate property owners, forestry and fire department. We apologize for the smoke. Hopefully, this will be our last burn. Once they are finished there will be less risk of wildfire in this part of Bandon. There has been a recent effort from several property owners .. to eradicate the gorse. Some are mulching the gorse. Others, like us, are pulling and burning so that the root system is gone. The Donut Hole that was once impenetrable has changed a great deal in the last couple of years," she said.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
May 11, 2022
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken in May of 1961, not long after the "new" Southern Coos General Hospital opened on the hill overlooking the lighthouse.
Hospital board members, 1961
Board members, from left, Carl Lorenz, Edgar L. Capps, Margaret Dean and John Fasnacht, were celebrating National Hospital Week, with the theme "Your Hospital ... A Community Partnership." Board chairman Dr. B.E. Grant was not pictured. A year later, in the 1962 election, I joined the hospital board as its youngest ever member. Today I once again serve on the hospital board, this time as the oldest member (at least on the current board).
Last week, as Bandon mayor, I signed a proclamation for National Hospital Week, with the theme "We Are Health Care."
A story in the May 4, 1961, Western World let the community know that the hospital would be holding an open house and conduct tours in observance of National Hospital Week with a Silver Scholarship Tea that weekend.
I still remember, and not fondly, that since I had joined the paper in 1959, there were certain kinds of assignments that a cub reporter received. I was asked to take pictures of the scholarship tea before the public arrived.
In those days, we didn't have the kind of flash equipment that photographers use day. We used flash bulbs, and when shooting my first photo of the beautiful dessert-laden tables, my flash bulb exploded, sending small pieces of glass across the room. Fortunately, I was standing quite a ways back and most of the glass went onto the floor, and we were able to save most of the desserts. But this is one assignment I will never forget!
The Women's Hospital Auxiliary sponsored the Open House and the Tea and were assisted by members of the board, the medical staff and the junior auxiliary.
"According to figures released by Warren Croston, hospital administrator, 1,245 patients have been admitted to the hospital since it opened on Feb. 2, 1960; 240 surgeries have been performed and 196 babies were born."
Years later, the hospital was torn down and the property sold to investors for a million dollars. It remains undeveloped today.
Our latest hospital, which opened around 2000, is located at the east end of 11th Street and continues to serve the people of Bandon and the surrounding communities. The Southern Coos Health District was formed in 1955 by public vote, and hospital services have been provided continually to the South Coast community since 1960.
The fact that it took five years to get the hospital built because of taxpayer court challenges is a story for another day, but it did mean that after the Leep Memorial Hospital closed in 1955, Bandon had no hospital.
Southern Coos Hospital has grown over the past 61 years as a Critical Access Hospital to provide a broad scope of services needed in the community, including 21-bed inpatient care, emergency department, surgery, laboratory, medical imaging, swing bed care, specialty clinic, osteopathic, mental health, diabetic and wound care services and other programs.
The second photo was taken in May of 1975 during a Flag Raising Ceremony for students of Bandon Heights Elementary (also known as the Quonset Hut) on May 1, which was Loyalty Day.
Flag raising ceremony, 1975
Post Commander Bobby Owens, pictured, made the arrangements to have two men from the Coos Head Naval facility come to Bandon and demonstrate the proper procedure for raising and caring for the flag. Two assemblies were held, one at Ocean Crest and the other at Bandon Heights.
Although the students had their backs toward the camera for the photo, which I took, I can identify several of the teachers, including Sally Russell, far right, and probably Susanne Van Burger, also on the right. I can also see VFW members Joe and Eva Harris, at left.
The Bandon Heights School building was torn down in 2014, and has been replaced by a quonset hut used by the high school baseball team as an indoor practice facility, among other things.
I am sure a number of my readers will remember May of 1965, when the seniors wrecked in this school bus (third photo) while on their Senior Skip Day outing, headed for LaVerne Park.
Out-of-control school bus, 1965
The bus went out of control on Highway 42S near Lampa Creek, resulting in minor injuries (cuts and bruises) to 10 students and one teacher, Ruth Prahar.
I remember hearing all about this because my sister Molly was on the bus.
Most of the injuries resulted from picnic supplies, including a large ice chest, which were hurled around inside the bus.
The students suffering minor injuries were Mike Erdman, April Thompson, Rosalie Welch, Jerome Lester, Diana McAllister, Jerry Calame, Nancy Goddard, Tia Carmichael, Marvin Robertson and Mary Lou Burgher. All but Miss Carmichael continued on to the picnic in another bus. She was taken into Bandon by two junior high teachers, Betty Wahl and Maureen Griffith, who came along shortly after the accident occurred at 7:50 a.m.
* * *
I learned this week that Bandon native Mark McMahon, 60, died at his home in Bandon Wednesday of heart failure, after being released from the hospital earlier in the week where he had undergone surgery on his leg. His wife, Donna, was with him.
He was the son of the late Barbara and Jack McMahon, and had one brother, Jerry, of Bandon. He also had a son, Ryan, and a daughter, Chrissy, who did not live here, according to his uncle, Ed McMahon.
* * *
I was told that Lloyd's Cafe was the victim of a burglary Thursday night, after someone apparently broke a window to gain entry to the Old Town business, owned by Mike and Melanie Collins.
A report was filed with the Bandon Police Department.
* * *
April was definitely on the rainy side, with 7.6 inches recorded in Bandon. But we needed it, because the four-month total (January-April) was only 20.61 inches compared to 32.37 for the same period last year ... and 54.74 inches for the same period in 2017.
This is the second driest four-month period in the last 18 years, with the driest being in 2013 when we recorded only 15.49 inches. The calendar year total for 2013 was way lower than the average with only 34.19 inches of rain... compared with 2012 at 80.81 inches, and 66.43 inches for 2021.
* * *
A recent article in Golf Week mentions ongoing development at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. It points out that its 103 golf holes and 210 rooms are booked through 2022, but a friend told me they tried to get reservations for tee-times for a large group, and were told they were booked through 2023. The bottom line is that this is a very busy time for the resort.
Projects mentioned in the article were a 40-seat patio expansion at the main clubhouse, and plans for the opening of Ghost Tree Grill just south of Old MacDonald's 18th green next year.
The article also spoke of the potential for a David McLay Kidd public course called New River Dunes south of Bandon, and a second par-3 course on the Resort property, designed by Tom Doak.
Direction of Culinary Operations Don McCardic estimated that "over the next year alone, he would need to add 40 employees to his 70-person culinary staff to keep pace with growth."
Rory Butts, whose wife Meghan owns Bandon Sweets & Treats, is executive chef at the Dunes.
The April 9-10 weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal contained a three-quarter page article about Resort owner Mike Keiser's latest book, "The Nature of the Game." The accompanying article was a fun read and provided great insight into Mr. Keiser and what he and his sons have accomplished at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and elsewhere in the world of golf.
* * *
There are several things on tap for this weekend, with the opening of MarLo Dance studio's two weekend (Friday-Sunday) performance of Anastasia at the Sprague Theater.
Pre-sale tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children under 12. At the door, tickets are $18 and $15. For online reserve seating, visit www.marlodance.com.
Also on Friday night, May 13, The Coffin Brothers, a band with roots-rock sound, will play at the Langlois Cheese Factory. The evening of music will open with the band Blue Rumble. Music starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and cost $20.
* * *
Dan Barnett, owner of Billy Smoothboars, plays the part of the villain in Coquille's Sawdust Theatre production of "Lost Mine on Budd Creek," which runs Saturday nights (and many Fridays) Memorial Day through Labor Day. Each part is double cast.
The Coquille Rotary and the Sawdust Theater are hosting a champagne benefit show Friday, June 3, at 7 p.m. with doors to open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the River Cities Realty office in Coquille.
Tickets for shows other than the benefit can be purchased at TIX.com.
Dan will also be directing A Christmas Carol at the Sprague Theater opening Nov. 26 and running three weekends. More on that later.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
May 04, 2022
How I wished the community had tried harder to preserve one of the few buildings that remained after the Fire of 1936, and the subject of this story: the high school (first picture) in East Bandon.
High school in East Bandon
An item in the January 19, 1950, Western World talked about a proposal to convert the old high school into a community hall as the students had only recently moved into the "new" high school across town, which was later destroyed in an arson fire in 1974. It was replaced by the high school that stands on the Ninth Street site today.
George Dow, long-time owner of the Bandon Seafood & Cold Storage on First Street (about where The Loft sits today), was president of the chamber of commerce and spearheaded the meeting to talk about turning the school building into a community center.
The paper had this to say about the meeting: "Those who spoke ... indicated agreement on the point that an adequate community building is sorely needed in the Bandon area, but all recognized the lack of sufficient factual data on which to weigh the feasibility of securing and remodeling the old school building for community use.
"The proposal was that perhaps the building could be remodeled to provide a large assembly hall and dance floor on the first floor ... make the basement into more or less permanent meeting rooms for various organizations and use the second floor for meeting rooms and/or offices or some variation of this plan."
Dow read a letter from a Coos Bay architect who had looked at the building. He said he could understand why it had been condemned by the State Board of Education for school purposes, but he did not feel it had been condemned because it was structurally unsound.
The group also said they should take a "straw vote" through the newspaper to see how the community felt about the proposal.
The architect estimated that it could cost between $15,000 and $20,000 to remodel the building.
Among the organizations represented at the meeting were the Bandon Chamber of Commerce, Bandon Grange, Naval Reserve unit, Parkersburg Community Club, Bandon Woman's Civic Club, Westmost Grange, Dew Valley Club, Bandon Game & Fish Club, Boy Scout Troop 17, Bullards Rifle and Pistol Club, Holy Trinity Altar Society, Bandon Golf Club, Bandon Riding Club, BPW Club, Cub Scouts and the Little Theatre group.
The proposal never came to fruition and the building was eventually torn down.
"Bandon Beach -- the summer playground for all of Southern Oregon" read the headline in the Dec. 16, 1915, issue of Western World, referring to my second photo.
Bandon Beach
"Vacation pleasures have long since ceased to be a luxury within reach only of the wealthy. Nowadays store and office clerks greatly outnumber millionaires in attendance at the various resorts throughout the summer months.
"Patrons seeking bathing, fishing, hunting, boating, camping and other outdoor pastimes for their own sake, are too few to justify large outlays for dance pavilions, skating rinks and the like. However, localities possessing natural attractions for the few and providing artificial amusements demanded by the man are in a position to reap a golden harvest. No resort on the Pacific coast comes closer to fulfilling this ideal than Bandon-by-the-Sea and in the place of hundreds who have spent their vacations here in the past, the future will see thousands looking upon Bandon as their summer home.
"Possessing the most beautiful beach in the world, this locality has long been heralded as a perfect summer resort, but the lack of proper transportation facilities has retarded its development. Of late years this handicap has been partially overcome by the growing popularity of automobiles and hundreds of motoring parties have taken advantage of the improved summer roads into Coos County to spend their vacations here.
"Several miles of seacoast make up what is generally known as Bandon beach, while locally the different points are designated as Whiskey Run, Merchant's beach, Two Mile and Four Mile.
"Recently a visitor made the remark that were it possible to live on scenery and pure air, Bandon people would find no need to work."
The third picture appeared on the front page of the Western World 65 years ago, on Jan. 5, 1956, titled "Same Old Sign But No Isolation."
Flood closed highway, 1956
This sign was at Fillmore and Highway 101, and you can see Chappell's Service Station on what is now a vacant lot across the highway from Face Rock Creamery. On the right side, is the Kay building, owned by Denny and Beulah, and housing several businesses including a beauty parlor and an upstairs apartment. Today the building is owned by Heidi Sause. Next to it is the Coquille Valley Dairy Co-op (now the site of Face Rock Creamery).
Here's what the caption said: "The above picture was taken during the Christmas week-end flood which closed the highway for several days.
"Its presence was familiar to most Bandonians, as well as travelers from Curry county, as it has been more or less an annual occurrence during certain times of the year.
"This time, however, Bandon and northern Curry were not isolated, thanks to the Bullards Bridge and the Chrome road extending northward, with its cutover to the Seven Devils toward Charleston.
"While this route was rough, it was passable, and permitted mail and food trucks to make regular deliveries. Even the Greyhound bus came over the route and kept partially on schedule until the road closure south of Port Orford discontinued service.
"The importance of an alternate route to the north was emphasized on this occasion, according to the Bandon Chamber of Commerce, and it is expected that more permanent improvements will result in the immediate future."
Four years later, the newly constructed Highway 101 between Bandon and Coos Bay was opened, and the annual flooding of the dike east of Coquille was not as disruptive, unless you happened to work in Coquille.
* * *
People are probably wondering why they haven't seen me having coffee at Bandon Baking Co. this week. Believe me, there's a reason. After a weekend filled with big crowds of mostly unmasked people (including an all-day meeting of hospital people, the Bandon Showcase program at the Sprague Friday night, the history program at the museum Saturday, the art show at the hospital Sunday and a budget meeting at city hall Monday night), I tested positive for Covid on Tuesday, and have been isolating since then.
And I wasn't the only one, apparently three others from the museum program also tested positive, and possibly a fifth person. The people I have talked to who tested positive were, like me, fully vaccinated, and most of us basically had nothing more than cold symptoms. I had no fever, no cough or no sore throat, but in spite of feeling fine, I continued to test positive on Sunday, six days after my first positive test, so it looks like it will be a few days before I appear again. Thanks to Zoom, I was able to attend the hospital board meeting Thursday night, and plan to Zoom into the council meeting Monday night. The biggest bummer is the complete loss of taste and smell.
But for those of you on Facebook who are telling each other, Covid is over. Please guess again! My advise remains the same: if you're not vaccinated, please rethink that decision.
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When the announcement was first made recently by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bandon was one of three areas off the Oregon Coast proposed for offshore wind energy production.
But the latest article, which appeared April 30 in the Oregonian, reduced the two spots to 12 miles offshore at Coos Bay and Brookings as the areas that could potentially host wind farms. The two areas comprise about 1.1 million acres in total.
The Interior is looking at how these wind farms might impact marine life and commercial fishing in those two areas.
The Oregon Coast Anglers will host a discussion regarding the wind farm process and other relative information in a series of coastal meetings. The meeting scheduled for Bandon is set for Saturday, May 28, at the Bandon Community Center "Barn" starting at 1 p.m., according to Steve Godin, president of Oregon Coast Anglers.
Godin can be reached at 541-255-3383.
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A TV report Saturday night said a 27-year-old North Bend man, Ryan Melton, had been arrested for burglary in Bend after being found beneath the bed of a Bend woman, whose home he had broken into.
Police also discovered that Melton had been trespassed from a garage in the Bend area several days earlier and was in possession of a large duffel bag and backpack containing hunting and camping gear, worth $3,000 to $5,000 and suspected to be stolen.
He was on probation for a recent robbery in Coos County.
This is what happens when criminals realize there are few consequences for their actions ...
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I spoke recently with a Reedsport city councilor who told me that the only thing holding up the removal of the controversial "road diet" through his town was a lack of money. He said ODOT agreed that the bottleneck needed to be removed, but he thought they might not have the money to do the work this year, but it is scheduled.
I thank heaven every day (and the many Bandon citizens and business people who urged the city to say no to a Road Diet) that we did not let ODOT talk us into this highway reconfiguration that has turned out to be a traffic nightmare for coastal communities. We opted, instead, for a flashing light at Ninth Street, which is complete but not yet functioning.
The councilor also said the bump-outs (islands) in Florence have been or are being removed.
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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