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By Karin Thomas & Zoe Sweet This month our hike took us on a stroll down the Coos Bay Waterfront. A large group of interested hikers learned about the history in the waterfront district from business owners and other leaders. There was also a very important dog and his owner in our group. This little pup, Jazz, went on to race in the Coquille Doxie Races later in the day. Jennifer Groth and Robyn Giss got us started on our self guided tour by handing out a location map that pointed out areas of interest. We were eager to get started and discover what the waterfront was all about. First we looked at the signs under one ramada and read about this area’s lumber industry. There was also a huge chunk of tree on display that showed an age that spanned over three hundred and forty years. This tree was 210 feet tall when it was cut down. On the way, we walked through a shipyard area of the historic ferry slip up to the waters edge. You could see the pilings in the water that were from the ferry that used to take people across to Eastside before the bridge came into use. The Knutson and Sause Brothers Tugboats are in this area too. The Front Street Gallery had pictures of the old towboats that operated along the bay and some local artists had paintings on display. At this point we had the option of refueling with juice, cookies, and nuts. Then we went to the Coos Bay Ironworks. This building was filled with all kinds of blocks, cables, pulleys, and machines that we could not even begin to guess what they were used for. The owner was very helpful answering questions and giving us a run down on the machines and equipment. We traveled on to the Marshfield Sun Printing Museum. This museum is really interesting. They had the old metal print pieces on display. These metal images, letters, and numbers were used to set the print on the newspaper. Upstairs were old papers, letters, journals, and pictures on display. One picture was of an old ferry boat that traveled between Coquille and Myrtle Point. We received a replica of the 1891 paper that was reprinted in September 1977. There is a really interesting article about “why eggs spoil”. We won’t tell you why. You’ll need to go, see, and get your own paper to read about this! The stories will keep you busy for a while. Our last stop brought us up to a gigantic warehouse. It is the future home of the Coos Historical and Maritime Museum! There was a display of the plan design which will be an awesome addition to this area. When you’re driving by in your car you just can not imagine all the neat stuff you can see when walking through this old historical district.
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