Coos Bay, Oregon

Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,374. The city is located at the mouth of the Coos River on Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean.

Chronology of events

• 1579 Francis Drake is said to have sought shelter in the bay for the Golden Hinde and its crew.
• 1853 City founded and named Marshfield after the Massachusetts hometown of one of the founders.
• 1866 Cape Arago Lighthouse begins operation.
• 1871 Marshfield post office established.
• 1872 Coos Bay Wagon Road opens, connecting Coos County with Douglas County's Umpqua River valley, across the Coast Range of mountains.
• 1874 Marshfield incorporated.
• 1908 The first automobile arrives in Marshfield via the Coos Bay Wagon Road. (Previous autos arrived by ship at the Port of Coos Bay, or by way of lesser trails.)
• 1944 Residents vote to name the city Coos Bay.
• 1922 A fire ends up burning down a large portion of the business district.
• 1925 The Egyptian Theatre opens (and is still open as of 2005).
• 1928 KOOS radio begins broadcasting.
• 1942 Nearby Mt. Emily becomes the first US mainland site to be bombed by the Japanese in World War II.
• 1962 The most powerful non-tropical storm in US mainland history, the Columbus Day Storm, hits.
• 1972 The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is established.
• 1999 The M/V New Carissa freighter runs aground.