Coos Bay Travel Guide

Coos Bay is the largest of the communities that comprise Oregon's Bay Area. The city, founded in the 1850's, was named Marshfield after the Massachusetts hometown of the city's founder J. C. Tolman, and was incorporated in 1874 under that name. In 1944, residents voted to change the name to Coos Bay. 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 to places of pleasure, culture and transshipment to other parts of the world.

Coos Bay, Oregon's largest bay has represented a commercial passage to the sea from pioneer days to the present. The name is derived from one of the area's Native American tribes and has two Indian meanings --lake and place of pines. Several Native American tribes call the Coos Bay region their ancestral homeland. Before the advent of European settlement the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians and the Coquille Indians lived in the area for thousands of years. They were dependent upon the land and the water, the Pacific Ocean and other waterways, and the forests and meadows providing sustenance.

Since the 16th century, its dramatic beaches, promontories, blazing sunsets, endless stands of massive forests, golden dunes, and waters teeming with fish have awed explorers of the southern Oregon coast.

Sir Francis Drake is believed to have sought shelter for his ship, the Golden Hinde and its crew, near Cape Arago in 1579.

In the mid 1800's, the waterways and forests that had supported the Native American settlements equally encouraged European settlement. Around the turn of the century coal, mining and shipment of coal were a major part of the economy. The Coos Bay Region has prospered as a center for wood products, shipbuilding, shipping and products of the sea. Throughout history, the Bay Area has been the center of trade for the entire southwestern Oregon coastal region.

Main Attractions

Cape Arago Lighthouse

Built just south of the entrance to Coos Bay, the present Cape Arago Light is the third to be built on this site. The tremendous shipping traffic of lumber out of Coos Bay and North Bend required the establishment of a light in 1866, after Oregon's first lighthouse on the Umpqua River to the south collapsed in 1861. That first Cape Arago Light was replaced in 1909 with a new tower and fog signal building. These wooden structures served until the present octagonal 40 foot concrete tower replaced them in 1934.
In 1993 Cape Arago Light was renovated by the Coast Guard. The original Fourth Order lens was replaced by a modern beacon. The site is not open to the public, but can be viewed from Sunset Bay State Park, just south of Charleston.

Mingus Park

Land for Mingus Park was acquired through donations form the Perham Park Company and Joseph F. Williams in 1925. Additional land was purchased in later years. Originally the park was called Marshfield City Park and in 1937 the Parks Commission passed a resolution changing the name to Mingus Park in honor of local resident Dr. Everett Mingus. As chair of the Parks Commission, Dr. Mingus was instrumental in the park's development.

Mingus Park - Located just a few minutes walk from the downtown business district. The park has a lake as its centerpiece with an arboretum on the northwest side of the lake, the city's municipal pool to the north; playgrounds to the south, and an oriental flower garden to the west. Mingus Park is a favorite with walkers who stroll along the paved trail that borders the water. Aquatic birds make the lake a home the year around, and visitors often bring bread scraps to feed them. Fountains in the center of the lake are lit with underwater lights at night, making them a beautiful feature in the late evening.