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About The Coquille Valley sentinel. (Coquille, Coos County, Or.) 1921-2003 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 2002)
Page 2 ~ Sentinel’s 120th anniversary issue ~ September 2002 The birth of a city... 1860-1896 This publication brought to you by: (Editor & Note: the historical review in this publication was compiled primarily through a time-consuming review of past issues of Coquille news papers. Some volumes have been lost through the years, so readers will notice that there is no information for some years. Coquille’s first newspaper was printed in 1882; information on years prior to that was taken from other his torical sources — as was information for some years for which we have no surviving issues of the paper.) Sentinel Janet Richardson Publisher/Editor Shauna Desjardins Office Manager Doris Hutchinson Receptionist Compiled by: Amanda Evrard, Edward Wolfe and Janet Richardson Garnet Stewart Graphic Designer Edward Wolfe Reporter Serving Coos County for 120 years! ~ 1882 to 2002 - 1873 Daily mail route established from Roseburg to Bay Area along a just- completed wagon road. 1877 Dr. S. L. Leneve moves to Coquille City and builds the first drug store. 1880 Coquille area population now 176, Myrtle Point records 52 residents, county now totals 4,834. River Bank opens its doors as city’s first banking institution. 1890 Coquille boasts 494 in census, with Myrtle Point now recording 354, and the county now totals 8,874. The Riverton post office was established. The Middle Fork Road “has some fear ful slides,” according to the Feb. 11 issue of the paper. The Coquille River was blocked by “an immense amount of driftwood in the shape of huge fur and cedar trees.” 1881 New Coquille school holds 82 students in all grades. 1860 1882 Population of Coquille area is 94; total of 445 in Coos County. Coquille City Herald, later to consoli dated with a competitor to become The Coquille Valley Sentinel, builds a building and publishes city’s first real newspaper. 1862 First Homestead Act was passed. 1892 Fire destroys many Coquille businesses and homes. 1893 Railroad joins Coquille with the bay area; a train rumbles down Front Street for the first time. 1894 Introduction The Coquille Valley Sentinel staff have prepared this historical section to commemorate the paper’s 120th anniversary this month (Sept. 2002). We hope you enjoy this publication! 1864 1884 Several families start for Coquille with news of gold discoveries locally. Pioneer attorney Walter Sinclair hangs out his shingle. 1865 1885 First National Bank was organized. Coquille City was incorporated under the name of Coquille. 1867 Comment A school is built on Cunningham Creek, soon over-crowded and too far from town. Much of history is lost over time. We’ve done our best to pro vide the most accurate information we could find. As you read the centerfold information about the newspaper’s early years, please note that another newspaper, The Coquille City Bulletin, was also in publication at the turn of the centu ry. It began in 1894 and continued at least until 1902. Owners includ ed J.J. Stanley, E.C. Holland and Eickworth & Co. It is not clear what became of that newspaper. 1870, 1888 Coquille precinct population swells to 127, county total climbs to 1,644. Coquille post office established with Titus B. Willard as its first postmaster. A record cold winter freezes the Coquille River, stopping all riverboat travel. Coast to Coast was established by John Kronenberg and wife on Front Street. Also that year, the Masonic Hall was completed. 1871 John Mounton, whose dad worked the Lane mine at Whiskey Run, moved to Coquille City and bought a small store from T. W. Vowell. Cover photos 1872 All photos on the cover are part of The Sentinel’s collection of early Coquille photographs. 1887 The Lorenz department store was founded in Coquille. Nosier families arrive and build first frame buildings in Coquille including the city’s first school. One issue of the Coquille City Herald published an alert about train robberies. It states that on October 12, a train was robbed of a considerable amount in Sacramento, California. Another train was robbed the next day in Maryland of near $200,000. There had been “a lull in such business for quite some time and a hope that it was at an end.” 1895 New school built on site of present Washington School. J. H. Timon and Wesley Bean shipped the first coal to San Francisco. Coquille organized a volunteer fire department and bought chemical carts (see article on the fire department, page 9). 1896 1889 Telegraph communication completed between Coquille and Empire. Mrs. Ham (Em) Pierce was bom and rode the first horseless carriage that came to Coquille. A gold miner named Glen Aiken was paid $50 by the sheriff to hang a man named Gillman. Coquille Coquille becomes the county seat of Coos County by vote, ending a 20-year- long move by Marshfielders to relocate the county seat to their town from Empire City, where it had been since 1853. The Coquille City Herald featured the Union Labor Column “Devoted to the Interests of the Laborer.” Just as Coquille has changed since 1916, so has Farr’s True Value Hardware. Leaving office of Coos County Agricultural Agent to seek his fortune, Chester C. Farr bought in with Cecil J. Elwood on January 1, 1916 to oper- ate the Collier Warehouse. They operated a feed and seed store as well as sorted way-freight for the Southern Pacific to be transferred onto Coquille river boats for delivery throughout the valley. Once the road to Bandon was / ‘ /r/fi l.rf'T0fJr0x completed and the Coquille river bridge was built in 1924, they operated trucks to deliver the freight directly to ** Bandon, Bear Creek and Parkersburg. Milk from the Bear Creek area was also delivered to the cheese factory “Help Is Just Around The Corner” near Coquille. It wasn’t until 1932 with membership in Northern Wholesale Hardware of Portland that hardware was added to the seed and freight business. The business also moved then to it’s current location at Second and Central. With the accidental death of Cecil J. Elwood in 1941 and the sale of the heir’s interest in the business, Chester Farr brought his sons, Donald and Leonard, into the business as partners. They operated the business as a hardware store since that time, becoming affiliated with True Value Hardware in 1970. Incorporated in 1975 to allow more family members an opportunity to participate in the business, the fourth generation of Farr’s has wet it’s feet in the local business scene working summers and after school at the Coquille store. A complete remodeling of both interior and exterior of the Coquille store in 1991 has brought Farr’s racing into the next millennium with the latest technology to match the community’s needs. Although customers reminisce about the old store, they appreciate the service capability of the new facility. So, although Farr’s True Value Hardware is one of the oldest busi nesses in the area, it is also one of the best prepared to face the challenges of the next century. jrBL (541) 396-3161 220 N. Central - Coquille ~ Mary Woolley Chris Liga Karmen Albertson Bette Backman Patrick Horath
