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Bandon, Oregon
Before 1850, the Coquille Indians lived in the area. Then in 1851, gold was discovered at nearby Whiskey Run Beach by French Canadian trappers. The gold rush didn't cause much of a stir though. In 1852, Henry Baldwin, from Cork County, Ireland, was shipwrecked on the Coos Bay Bar and walked into this area. The first permanent settlers came in 1853 and established the present town site. In 1856, the first problems with Indians arose and the Indians were sent to the Siletz Reservation. In 1859, the boat "Twin Sisters" sailed into the Coquille River and opened the outlet for all inland produce and resources.
In 1873, George Bennett and sons Joseph and George and George Sealey, came from Bandon, Ireland. The following year the town's previous name of Averille was changed to Bandon after the town of the same name in Ireland. The next year, Joseph Williams and his three sons arrived, also from Bandon, Ireland. In 1877, the post office was established. In 1880, cheese making began. That same year, Congress appropriated money to build the jetty. In 1883, the first sawmill, school house, and Catholic church were built. In 1884, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the jetty.
Cranberries have been grown in Oregon since 1885, when Charles McFarlin planted vines he brought from Massachusetts. He had originally come to pan for gold in California. He didn't make his fortune, or even a living, so he turned to what he knew best. He brought vines from Cape Cod and planted them in the state's first cranberry bog near Hauser, in Coos County. This bog produced cranberries for eight decades. His variety adapted to growing conditions on the West coast. The variety was named McFarlin in his honor and is still the principal variety grown on the west coast.
More growth later that decade led to the establishment of school district #54 in 1886. In 1888, the first ocean-going schooner to be built in Bandon was completed. By 1890, there were 219 people. In 1891, the city was incorporated on February 18.
In 1893, a woolen mill was built. In 1896, the Coquille River Lighthouse was built. The following two years the jetty was built and completed. At the turn of the century the population was up to 645. Only ten years later the population was almost triple that of 1900, at 1,803. Tourism of this part of the coast had strated developing. The Coquille River lighthouse provided safer river conditions which stimulated the local economy. By 1910 there were five sawmills, a woolen mill, two shipyards, a creamery, and two canneries. By 1912, the town had developed into a principle port between San Francisco and Portland. 300 vessels put into port at Bandon that year. As with many other new towns, a terrible fire burned down part of the town. For Bandon, it lost its entire waterfront business district in 1914.
By 1925, there were about 120 acres cultivating cranberry bogs and by 1945 there were 180 acres. Growth in this area was slow at first. Sometime in the early 1930s, the first cranberry cooperative was formed by local growers. In 1946, Ocean Spray expanded its cooperative to include cranberry growers on the West coast. In 1947, the town held its first annual Bandon Cranberry Festival. The festival includes a parade, barbecue, coronation of the Cranberry Queen, dance, and other festivities. After that, growth of bogs expanded more quickly. Over the next ten years, 290 more acres were planted, bringing the total to 470 acres. There were 150 individual growers in Coos and Curry Counties in 1956. Also during the 1930s, markets for Bandon butter and cheese grew.
Another severe fire came through in 1936. It is uncertain how the fire started. But what kept it going was the gorse that ,once planted as an ornamental shrub, now grew wild everywhere. The plant was very oily and very spiny. Dead leaves from other trees fell into the gorse and stuck there, where they dried to a crisp. Once the fire got started, it had plenty of fuel in the gorse, which grew in almost everybody's yard. The oil of the plant through off oily sparks that easily moved the fire from house to house. The fire started in the residential section, then moved to the business section, which was just over the hill. The Coquille River lighthouse aided the firefighters by directing light across the river. But the fight was futile. The water mains were damaged, then fire kept burning all the hoses, and the gorse just kept burning. Soon people started fleeing for nearby communities. Some went across the river to seek refuge in the dunes. The lighthouse keepers provided water and shelter to survivors and homeless. Even the telephone company was burned down, so ships' radios were the only source of communication. Eventually all but 16 buildings out of 500, were burned down. The high school was one of the few buildings that survived.
Over the next decade the town was rebuilt, especially those areas west and south of the highway. The lighthouse was permanently extinguished in 1939 when the river channel was improved with light and fog signals on the south jetty. But the building itself was left intact for residents to enjoy. The town steadily grew during the 1950s. Soon it was big enough for an airport, and by 1962, an airport had been built and dedicated. In 1964, Ocean Spray, stopped its packaging operation. Before 1964, this plant included a fresh fruit packaging operation. At harvest time, about 30 people would work in the plant packaging 600 cases of fruit per day. The packaging operation was discontined in 1964.
During the 1970s the business district moved south of town. In 1974, the high school burned down. In 1975, the lighthouse was crumbling down when it was rescued and restored as a museum. It was one of the few lighthouses to ever be hit by a ship. In 1903, an abandoned schooner rammed it in a storm.
To promote tourism, the old town area was redeveloped in the 1980s. A new boat basin and shopping center were built. By the end of the decade, population had reached 2,535. In 1982, the Bandon Beach was used to shoot the Budweiser Beer commercial that featured Baron, the Budweiser Clydesdale running along the beach. Chevrolet, Canon Copiers, and Jeep have also filmed commercials here. By 1983, the total acreage of cranberries had reached 1,200 acres grown by 100 individual growers. During the 1990s, forest products were the largest portion of the city's economy. Cranberries, fishing, cheese-making, and tourism are next most important. The city celebrated its centennial in February, 1991.
Today more than 100 growers harvest about 1,600 acres around Brandon, raising 95 percent of Oregon's cranberries, and about 5% of the national crop. Averages about 30 million pounds of berries. Harvest is in the fall. In 1994, 304,000 barrels were harvested, a record for Bandon. Some berries are trucked to Eugene and Albany. Others are taken to an Ocean Spray facility in Prosser, Washington, to be concentrated.
Copyright 2000 by Beth Gibson
Last updated: 6/30/00