A wooden statue of Paul Bunyan guards the Coos County Logging Museum in Myrtle Point. The museum is currently closed for the season, but it’s a good starting point for a Myrtle Point walking or driving tour.
I was sitting out front of the hardware store in Myrtle Point waiting for a key to be made when a guy rode by on a horse. What was even more remarkable (to me) was that nobody batted an eye. In most towns, traffic would snarl, horns would honk, it might even make the evening news.
I watched the guy ride nonchalantly west on Spruce Street and I truly wished there was a saloon with swinging doors he could stop at – after hitching his pony to one of those iron rings in the curb. But he just kept riding west and crossed the bridges and headed out toward Stringtown.
Now, I’m well aware Myrtle Point is pretty much encircled with ranches and yes, there are horses galore especially during fair week, but after all, the fair was in July, and this was the town’s main street . . . At any rate, I was having so much fun watching that I must’ve said out loud, “I love Myrtle Point!” because a woman driving by said “Yeah we like it, too.”
I was so inspired I decided to do a little write-up on good old Myrtle Point. Coos Bay, North Bend and Bandon have their historic walks but Myrtle Point fairly oozes history. It’s said they have some of the oldest housing stock in Southern Oregon, with more than 100 turn-of-the-20th-century dwellings. Just wandering around some of the streets it’s easy to believe. Not much gentrification in evidence. There are blocks of vintage houses, not one built newer than about 1940.
Classic Victorian homes and more modest dwellings are carefully preserved or lovingly restored to their original glory, with all the fancy woodwork and embellishments – homes literally of seven gables. Other venerable dwellings languish, perhaps awaiting someone’s inspiration, but still retaining interesting architecture. A handful of classic examples can be viewed in the “brick blocks” around downtown.
Situated just above the fertile Coquille River Valley, Myrtle Point is also home to grand old trees, some planted when the paint was still fresh on the stately Victorians. There are giant sequoias, Norway maples, monkey puzzles, plenty of fir, ash and white oak, as well as incense, red and white cedars.
There’s a walking tour map available at City Hall, with brief comments and thumbnail photos. Alas, a handful of the mighty trees have been cut down owing to old age or disease, including Tree Number One, a Port Orford Cedar that once stood next to the Coos County Logging Museum. It succumbed to root disease, and a red cedar was planted in its place. The myrtlewood tree on the other side of the building is said to be one of the largest of its kind.
As for the museum, it’s closed for the season. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a walking or driving tour of city streets and parks. Yes, even on horseback.
For maximum fun, stop at City Hall for a tree tour printout.
Or obtain one at www.coquillevalley.online
Some highlights include the Christian Lehnherr Home at 307 Alder. Built in about 1860 by settlers in the Baltimore Colony, it was the home of Christian Lehnherr and his family when Mr. Lehnherr donated the land for the town of Myrtle Point.
The1904 Deyoe/Clarke home at 419 Ash was used for years by Dr. Clarke, and also by his wife, who taught piano.
The Hermann Block building (1st and Spruce), built in 1892, was originally three stories tall and had an opera hall on the second floor and Masonic temple on the third. Stores and the post office were at street level.
It’s not all exteriors, either. The sanctuary of the Catholic Church at 209 Second is made of myrtlewood plywood and darker myrtlewood accents.
As might be deduced, Myrtle Point’s colorful and creative old architecture serves as a link to traditions that continue to this day. We’ll check out more of their stories later.
(Some information for this story appears on Myrtle Point’s website with portions copyrighted to Robyn Greenlund. Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of regional guidebooks.)
Bandon’s Arch, shown here in a photo from an earlier era, is among features of walking tours around town.
In recent columns I’ve highlighted a few of the fun and informative self-guided walking and driving tours in South Coast communities. They all feature maps available digitally and in print, and some of the best are in Bandon.
There are five “Walkable Bandon” tours to enjoy the town’s colorful scenery and history – and get some exercise.
The “Old School Hike” is 2.5 miles, with the brochure and website featuring photos and a numbered map.
“To the Bogs and Back” goes 2.5 miles along quiet streets to see the cranberry bogs along Ohio Ave., with potential side trips.
The 4-mile “To the Beach and Back” also follows low-traffic streets on a route to Bandon’s top attraction – the beach.
The 2-mile “Now and Then” hike takes walkers past historic buildings and the sites of historic buildings. Hikers can match photos in the brochure and website of the old buildings and the modern-day occupants of the sites.
The newest entry is “To the Park and Back,” described as “a playful walk on an easy-to-follow route.” Total suggested length is 3 miles, and includes a “play time” interval in City Park.
Each hike offers a whimsical challenge and reward token to younger walkers as a way to keep them engaged along the way. For the new “Park and Back” page, the challenge is to find out how many horses fit in “The Barn,” which is the name of Bandon’s longtime community center in City Park.
All the brochures and website have photos of the corresponding activities. For example, the Park and Back page has vintage and modern-day photos of youngsters playing sports, as well as concerts in earlier days.
The brochures are the inspiration of Jim Proehl of the Bandon History Museum and Tom Orsi, organizer of the popular South Coast Striders hikes. Jim said Striders history hikes in Bandon have always been well attended, but “we had people asking what they could do by themselves or as a couple or family.” Parents also asked for more things for families to do. “There are wine walks, pub crawls and even a Bloody Mary walk, but not much for families,” he said.”
With some schools eliminating or curtailing PE programs, the walking routes offer a way to get some exercise. Kids are also challenged to read and follow maps, which as Jim noted “is becoming a lost art.”
Balancing each hike’s history and exercise potential was a challenge. “We tried not to overdo history because if you try to stop and do the history, you’ll never be able to do the whole hike,” said Jim. If the hikes, brochures or website pique someone’s interest in a particular subject, more information can be found at Bandon’s history museum. And of course if it inspires more healthy walking, the better.
Bandon’s brochures are available at the museum and City Hall. All the information, maps and photos can be viewed at the www.coostrails.com website under the Walkable Bandon section. Another resource is the museum’s “Graveyard Explorer’s Guidebook” that leads walkers to and around the Averill, GAR, and Holy Trinity cemeteries.
Bandon’s History Museum is located at the corner of Highway 101 and Fillmore Avenue. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of regional guidebooks.)
Walkers visit one of the parks included in a map/brochure of suggested routes.
The evidence keeps rolling in about the healthy benefits of regular physical activity. We’re fortunate to have lots of options when it comes to getting some exercise here on the South Coast. Taking advantage of the various opportunities helps us stay motivated. Sometimes it’s nothing more elaborate than just taking a walk or a bike ride.
While it’s fun to explore around and make your own discoveries, it’s also interesting to check out some of the resources that offer suggestions and details, such as maps of walking routes in Coos Bay, North Bend, Bandon and Coquille. Local bicyclists have also created maps of suggested in-town bike routes, as well as back-road tours and mountain biking destinations.
The walking tour routes were developed as part of the Healthy Living Initiative by the Coos County Women’s Health Coalition. Working with local hikers, the group developed a map/brochure that’s also viewable (and printable) on line.
According to the brochure, “Getting started is as easy as walking out your front door.” Routes on the map are color-coded, with green being the easiest, and progressing through yellow – “still relatively flat but adds some distance,” and then on to more-challenging routes colored red and purple.
Most Coos Bay walks begin at Mingus Park. A splendid, paved walking path circles the lake, and other trails go to higher reaches of the park. You can even make them into loops. Add miles with walks to the Coos Bay Boardwalk.
The North Bend routes take in walks along city sidewalks as well as those at the north end of town that connect Simpson, Winsor and Ferry Road city parks.
Coquille routes include a walk along Highway 42 for part of the way, as well as a route through quieter city streets.
The map/brochure also includes an easy-to-follow beginners’ schedule that begins with 15-minute walks “and will have you walking 60 minutes in 12 weeks.”
“Everyone has a different goal,” according to the brochure. “Sixty minutes a day is good, especially if your goal is weight loss in addition to overall fitness. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week for adults 18 to 65 years old.”
The brochure continues: “Consistency is key in creating a new habit, so be sure you get something in at least 5 days a week.”
As always, consult your health care provider before starting any exercise routine.
A walking partner can really help you stay motivated.
To view the brochure on line, go to https://coostrails.com/ and click on Healthy Hikes, then scroll down to the Coos County Women’s Health Coalition and click on Coos Bay, North Bend or Coquille for the maps.
As for bike maps, find in-town routes as well as places farther away in maps created by the Front Street Community Bike Works in Coos Bay and available at the Oregon’s Adventure Coast website. In-town tours range from the No Hills Ride -- a set of leisurely rides meant for short distances depending on what you would like to do – to Sightseer Rides to explore different attractions to Dare Devil Rides for an intense workout with serious uphill and downhill action. Other rides visit the Whiskey Run Mountain Bike trails, Blue Ridge trails, Millicoma Marsh trails, and Empire Lakes trails.
Get more information at https://www.oregonsadventurecoast.com.
Go directly to the maps: https://www.oregonsadventurecoast.com/img/FSCBW-BIKE-TRAIL-MAPS.pdf
Bandon has a different take, outlining details of a handful of interesting walks in five free map/brochures available at Bandon City Hall and the Bandon History Museum.
So whether you’re following maps or just exploring, here’s hoping the exercise feels more like fun!
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of regional guidebooks.)
Just a few of the handy map/brochures that invite walking and driving tours.
How about a bit of exercise between all the holiday celebrations? Have friends or relations in town looking for something fun to do?
Consider one of the self-guided walking and driving tours in the Bay Area and other South Coast communities. Most have brochures available at visitor centers and on line. I prefer the good old kind you can unfold for better perspective.
Over the years, the most popular brochure was ‘A Walk Through the Past, Turn of the Century Houses of Historical Distinction.’ Among them is the 1911-12 Nerdrum House at 955 South Fifth, about which the brochure states “Mr. Nerdrum emigrated from Finland and was employed by the C.A. Smith Lumber Co. He pioneered a new technique for making pulp by using salt water from the bay. Due to extenuating circumstances of the era, the process proved to be unprofitable.”
Or consider the tantalizingly brief write-up about Henry Sengstacken, whose house at 682 N. Third was built in 1902. Born in Germany, he came to Coos Bay in 1874. The brochure says: “Sengstacken was not merely the name of an individual, it was an institution, a large-scale merchant. For many years he was an agent for a number of steamship lines plying in and out of Marshfield. He conducted a real estate office, established and ran a title company, and operated a salmon cannery and a match factory.”
Most of the elegant mansions were built of redwood, and so escaped rot and insect damage. As for color, it’s not known how and why so many on Coos Bay’s Nob Hill came to be painted in pastels or white – hence the nickname “The Painted Ladies.” Perhaps they looked cleaner in the era of muddy streets.
These days, a couple of the historic homes are B&Bs o Air B&Bs, if you want a really close perspective. Other than the B&Bs, none are open to the public.
In some instances, big two-story houses doubled as offices for the residences, from lawyers to merchants to doctors. Many belonged to ship captains and higher-ups in marine industries.
Currently unavailable in print form is a map and details of the IOFF Pioneer Cemetery in front of Marshfield High School. Get a downloadable map and details from the group’s website: In your search engine, enter Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery.
“Coos Bay, A Walk through Old Marshfield” from the folks at Oregon’s Adventure Coast has expanded information on the old homes and businesses They also developed a big, colorful foldout of walking tours of homes, businesses and points of interest of Coos Bay, North Bend, Empire and Charleston. A smaller walking tour brochure created for Coos Bay’s recent 150th anniversary includes a listing and location map of 9 ship captains’ houses in the Empire District. (All visible from the streets.)
Another brochure available at visitor centers in North Bend and Coos Bay is for the Tribal and Sawmill trail from North Bend to Empire used by Indians and settlers.
Elsewhere in the region, Bandon has excellent self-guided walking tour brochures and maps, while Myrtle Point has a “Tree Tour.” I’ll discuss them in upcoming columns. For now, though, enjoy a little time travel, South Coast-style.
(Shopper columnist Tom Baake is author of guidebooks available at the Coos Bay Visitor Center.)
