Steamboats of the Coquille River
Encyclopedia
The Coquille River
starts in the Siskiyou National Forest and flows hundreds of miles through the Coquille Valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean
. Bandon
, Oregon
, sits at the mouth of the Coquille River on the Pacific Ocean. Before the era of railroads and later, automobiles, the steamboat
s on the Coquille River were the major mode of transportation from Bandon to Coquille
and Myrtle Point
in southern Coos County
, Oregon, United States
.
By 1899, a boatyard owned by Arthur Ellingson at Prosper, Oregon, began producing steamboats, starting with the small (26 tons) propeller steamer Reta, which operated on the Coquille and later on Coos Bay. In 1901, the Ellingson yard at Coquille built the sternwheeler Echo (76 tons), she ran for ten years under Captain J.W. McCloskey. Other boats in the early years of the century on the Coquille River included Liberty, which also served in Coos Bay, and Dispatch.
In 1900, S.H. McAdams, who owned a boatyard in Coquille, built the small (30 tons) sternwheeler Welcome. Also that year, Ellingson turned out the propeller steamer Favorite and the gasoline propeller Pastime. In 1901, Ellingson launched Echo and J.Warren, a 10 ton propeller steamer, both for service on the Coquille. Also in 1901, C.H. James launched the 15 ton propeller steamer Venus at Coquille. In 1903, the gasoline powered Nellie & Cressy (12 tons) was built at Bandon. In 1903, Charles Trigg built Dispatch at Parkersburg, Oregon, for service on the Coquille River. After 1920, Dispatch was operated out of Marshfield as the John Widdi by the Coquille River Transportation Company.
In 1914, Carl Herman, who owned a boatyard at Prosper, Oregon, built the Telegraph for the Myrtle Point Transportation Company, which competed with the gasoline-powered propeller Charm on the Coquille River. Telegraph was (by one source) the last steamboat on the Coquille River. Her owners were able to secure a mail contract for her, but eventually the contract was re-awarded to truck route.
Various small boats were built on the Coquille River over the years, at Prosper, Parkersburg, Coquille, Randolph, and at the Hermann's ranch. These included Myrtle W. (12 tons), built in 1912 at Randolph, and Antelope, Fawn, Venus, and Maple. Carl Herman built many boats of various sizes at his yard at Prosper
, including in 1907, Sunset, (12 tons) and in 1909, Star (12 tons), built for passenger and towing services on the Coquille River.
.
Coal mines in the area, served by the riverine craft, were at Lampa Creek, Panter's Ranch, Riverton, and Coquille. Coal was loaded onto ships bound for San Francisco. Early schools in the area were located at Bandon, Prosper, Randolph, Parkersburg, Lampa Creek, Riverton, Coquille, Arago
, Myrtle Point, and Beaver Slough. The Pearcy Hanly ranch, across from Lampa Creek, shipped milk to Bandon on the river steamers for many years. There were a number of sawmills, salmon canneries, and other concerns along the river, including a woolen mill and a match factory at Bandon, all of which seem to have been served by the river boats.
In 1924, the gasoline launch Charm was taken off the Coquille River route, and sold to Shaver Transportation Company
, who re-equipped her with a 90 hp diesel engine and put her in service as a log boom boat.
The Myrtle Point Transportation Company owned the last riverboats on the Coquille. Stockholders of the company were Russell Panter, Walter Panter, William A. Panter, Paris Ward, and the Huffard brothers. Paris Ward owned a ranch near Bandon, and as the demand for riverine transport ended, the Panter family's boats were abandoned at the shore of his ranch, where by 1971 what remained of their hulls had filled up with sand.
Links to photos of the steamboat graveyard at the Ward ranch, all taken on June 26, 1941, showing Myrtle, Telegraph, and Dora beached along the Coquille River near Bandon. Note that while the Salem Public Library Images do not identify these steamers, Marshall does in his book and provides a photograph of the same place, at a slightly different time: Myrtle was apparently abandoned further inshore than Telegraph. This may explain why it appears that only two boats are abandoned on shore in photos taken from the water. Panter also identifies the three abandoned sternwheelers by name.
Vessel type codes are: Prop = propeller-driven; stern = sternwheel-driven; side = side-wheel driven; pddl = paddle-driven, sternwheel or sidewheel.
Disposition codes used in this list are:
Vessels should not be assumed to have served continuously in the service area shown during the periods shown on this chart; transfer between service areas was common.
Coquille River
The Coquille River is a stream long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of of the Southern Oregon Coast Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed is located between that of the Coos River to the north and the Rogue River to the south.-Geography:The river,...
starts in the Siskiyou National Forest and flows hundreds of miles through the Coquille Valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Bandon
Bandon, Oregon
- Economy :Like many communities on the Oregon coast, Bandon had significant fishing and timber industries, which were greatly diminished by the 1980s, though some remnants still exist. Bandon's current economy revolves around wood products, fishing, tourism, and agriculture...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, sits at the mouth of the Coquille River on the Pacific Ocean. Before the era of railroads and later, automobiles, the steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s on the Coquille River were the major mode of transportation from Bandon to Coquille
Coquille, Oregon
Coquille is a city that is the county seat of Coos County, Oregon, United States. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 4,215 residents. The primary economic base is the timber industry...
and Myrtle Point
Myrtle Point, Oregon
-2000 Census data:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,451 people, 988 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.5 people per square mile . There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 692.7 per square mile...
in southern Coos County
Coos County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siskiyou National Forest *Siuslaw National Forest - Incorporated cities:- Unincorporated communities and CDPs:-See also:...
, Oregon, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Business and population expansion
Jetty construction at the two jetties at the Coquille River entrance allowed ocean-going ships to enter the mouth of the river and dock at Bandon. Economic activity boomed in Bandon in the early 20th century. A steamship line connected Bandon with Portland and San Francisco. From 1905 to 1910, the population tripled to 1800. Bandon had five sawmills and two shipyards.Rise of navigation by steamboats and other small vessels
As the river ran inland, it became so narrow that it was said that passengers could amuse themselves by leaning out the windows and picking flowers. William Russell Panter, a descendant of one of the first pioneer families in the area, was apparently one of the first to enter the inland steamboat business. Wm. R. Panter bought a small steamer, Maria, and put her in service above Coquille, towing a boat hauling milk from farms to the first creamery on the Coquille River, which was about two miles (3 km) up the river from Coquille. Panter later organized a run to the Timmons cannery in Bandon, towing a scow loaded with salmon caught by fishermen.By 1899, a boatyard owned by Arthur Ellingson at Prosper, Oregon, began producing steamboats, starting with the small (26 tons) propeller steamer Reta, which operated on the Coquille and later on Coos Bay. In 1901, the Ellingson yard at Coquille built the sternwheeler Echo (76 tons), she ran for ten years under Captain J.W. McCloskey. Other boats in the early years of the century on the Coquille River included Liberty, which also served in Coos Bay, and Dispatch.
In 1900, S.H. McAdams, who owned a boatyard in Coquille, built the small (30 tons) sternwheeler Welcome. Also that year, Ellingson turned out the propeller steamer Favorite and the gasoline propeller Pastime. In 1901, Ellingson launched Echo and J.Warren, a 10 ton propeller steamer, both for service on the Coquille. Also in 1901, C.H. James launched the 15 ton propeller steamer Venus at Coquille. In 1903, the gasoline powered Nellie & Cressy (12 tons) was built at Bandon. In 1903, Charles Trigg built Dispatch at Parkersburg, Oregon, for service on the Coquille River. After 1920, Dispatch was operated out of Marshfield as the John Widdi by the Coquille River Transportation Company.
In 1914, Carl Herman, who owned a boatyard at Prosper, Oregon, built the Telegraph for the Myrtle Point Transportation Company, which competed with the gasoline-powered propeller Charm on the Coquille River. Telegraph was (by one source) the last steamboat on the Coquille River. Her owners were able to secure a mail contract for her, but eventually the contract was re-awarded to truck route.
Various small boats were built on the Coquille River over the years, at Prosper, Parkersburg, Coquille, Randolph, and at the Hermann's ranch. These included Myrtle W. (12 tons), built in 1912 at Randolph, and Antelope, Fawn, Venus, and Maple. Carl Herman built many boats of various sizes at his yard at Prosper
Prosper, Oregon
Prosper is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is located about three miles northwest of Bandon next to the Coquille River. There is no longer a town at the site....
, including in 1907, Sunset, (12 tons) and in 1909, Star (12 tons), built for passenger and towing services on the Coquille River.
Passengers and cargoes carried
Very large numbers of people were sometimes transported on the small riverboats. For one baseball game at Bandon, Dispatch came down from Coquille with about 400 people aboard, and Telegraph arrived with 150. At one point, Telegraph ran eight different Saturdays along the river to carry people to dances, sometimes at Prosper, sometimes at Parkersburg, Lampa and RivertonRiverton, Oregon
Riverton is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 42S, about 12 miles up the Coquille River from Bandon. Route 42S is the former alignment of U.S. Route 101....
.
Coal mines in the area, served by the riverine craft, were at Lampa Creek, Panter's Ranch, Riverton, and Coquille. Coal was loaded onto ships bound for San Francisco. Early schools in the area were located at Bandon, Prosper, Randolph, Parkersburg, Lampa Creek, Riverton, Coquille, Arago
Arago, Oregon
Arago is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, on the Coquille River, about six miles south of Coquille. The area's elevation is 30 feet...
, Myrtle Point, and Beaver Slough. The Pearcy Hanly ranch, across from Lampa Creek, shipped milk to Bandon on the river steamers for many years. There were a number of sawmills, salmon canneries, and other concerns along the river, including a woolen mill and a match factory at Bandon, all of which seem to have been served by the river boats.
Rivalry among steamboat owners
In 1914, Telegraph (96 tons), the largest sternwheeler ever to serve on the Coquille, was built for the Myrtle Point Transportation Co., and launched at Prosper. She was 103' long, 16.2' on the beam, and with 3.2' depth of hold. Her engines had 9" cylinders with 42" stroke, developing 250 hp. She was built to outcompete the gasoline-powered Charm, which in turn had been placed on the river to beat the old Myrtle, a considerably less powerful boat than Telegraph. Competition was keen on the Coquille, as a few months after entering service, Telegraph somehow managed to run Charm up on the beach near a narrow spot in the river above Bandon.Decline and end of riverine transport
The Ellingson yard built Relief in 1916, a 44 ton passenger and freight boat, which turned out to be the last new sternwheeler built on the Coquille River.In 1924, the gasoline launch Charm was taken off the Coquille River route, and sold to Shaver Transportation Company
Shaver Transportation Company
The Shaver Transportation Company is an inland water freight transportation company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded in 1880, and played a major role in the development of freight transport in the Portland area and along the Columbia., Harry L...
, who re-equipped her with a 90 hp diesel engine and put her in service as a log boom boat.
The Myrtle Point Transportation Company owned the last riverboats on the Coquille. Stockholders of the company were Russell Panter, Walter Panter, William A. Panter, Paris Ward, and the Huffard brothers. Paris Ward owned a ranch near Bandon, and as the demand for riverine transport ended, the Panter family's boats were abandoned at the shore of his ranch, where by 1971 what remained of their hulls had filled up with sand.
Links to photos of the steamboat graveyard at the Ward ranch, all taken on June 26, 1941, showing Myrtle, Telegraph, and Dora beached along the Coquille River near Bandon. Note that while the Salem Public Library Images do not identify these steamers, Marshall does in his book and provides a photograph of the same place, at a slightly different time: Myrtle was apparently abandoned further inshore than Telegraph. This may explain why it appears that only two boats are abandoned on shore in photos taken from the water. Panter also identifies the three abandoned sternwheelers by name.
- Abandoned sternwheeler on the Coquille River, probably Telegraph, 1941
- Another view of same abandoned sternwheeler on Coquille River, showing a second vessel on the right
- Third photo of abandoned sternwheeler and other vessel, from different angle
List of vessels on Coquille River
- Codes for this chart:
Vessel type codes are: Prop = propeller-driven; stern = sternwheel-driven; side = side-wheel driven; pddl = paddle-driven, sternwheel or sidewheel.
Disposition codes used in this list are:
- A = Abandoned.
- B = Burned
- NC = Name change
- O = Operational as of date given.
- R = Rebuilt
- T = Transferred (T-Col = Transferred to Columbia River service).
- W = Wrecked by collision or striking ground;
- X = Explosion of boiler.
- Gr = gross tons; Reg = registered tons.
Vessels should not be assumed to have served continuously in the service area shown during the periods shown on this chart; transfer between service areas was common.
| Name | Regis- try # |
Type | Year Built |
Where Built | Builders | Owners | Gross Tons |
Length | End Year |
Dispo- sition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope | 106440 | prop | 1886 | Marshfield | Reed, O. | 33 | 64 ft (19.5 m) | |||
| Ceres | 125617 | prop | 1877 | Coquille River | Reed, Edward | 20 | 51 ft (15.5 m) | 1887 | O | |
| CharmCharm, a motor vessel, was badly damaged by collision with Telegraph 1914, and forced to beach near Bandon. Repaired and ran on Coquille River until sale to Shaver Transportation Co. Shaver Transportation Company The Shaver Transportation Company is an inland water freight transportation company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded in 1880, and played a major role in the development of freight transport in the Portland area and along the Columbia., Harry L... in 1928. |
211489 | prop | 1913 | Prosper Prosper, Oregon Prosper is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is located about three miles northwest of Bandon next to the Coquille River. There is no longer a town at the site.... |
Herman Bros. | 42 | 75 ft (22.9 m) | 1928 | T-Col | |
| Coos | 125397 | side | 1874 | Empire City | 58 | 58 ft (17.7 m) | ||||
| CoquilleSold to Shaver Transportation Co. Shaver Transportation Company The Shaver Transportation Company is an inland water freight transportation company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company was founded in 1880, and played a major role in the development of freight transport in the Portland area and along the Columbia., Harry L... transferred to Columbia R., date and ultimate disposition unknown. |
205472 | prop | 1908 | Coquille | Lowe, Frank | 63 | 77 ft (23.5 m) | T-Col | ||
| Dispatch (1890)Disposition unknown, probably abandoned 1904. | 157278 | stern | 1890 | Bandon Bandon, Oregon - Economy :Like many communities on the Oregon coast, Bandon had significant fishing and timber industries, which were greatly diminished by the 1980s, though some remnants still exist. Bandon's current economy revolves around wood products, fishing, tourism, and agriculture... |
158 | 91 ft (27.7 m) | 1904 | A | ||
| Dispatch (1903)The 1903 Dispatch was rebuilt as the towboat John Wildi. | 200081 | stern | 1903 | Parkersburg | Trigg, Charles | 250 | 111 ft (33.8 m) | 1922 | R | |
| Dora'According to Panter, Early River Traffic, Dora was abandoned in 1927 at the Paris Ward ranch. | 208076 | stern | 1910 | Randolph | Herman Bros. | Panter, W.R. | 47 | 64 ft (19.5 m) | 1927 | A |
| Echo | 136887 | stern | 1901 | Coquille | Ellingson | 76 | 66 ft (20.1 m) | 1911 | A | |
| Elareto | ||||||||||
| FavoriteThe Victor West gallery source says Favorite was built at Bandon. McCurdy, at 61, gives Coquille. | 121136 | prop | 1900 | Coquille | Ellingson, A. | 63 | 72 ft (21.9 m) | 1917 | ||
| Fawn | 1909 | O | ||||||||
| J.WarrenShown as a motor vessel on the 1911 register. | 77511 | prop | 1901 | Coquille | 10 | 35 ft (10.7 m) | ||||
| John WildiEx Dispatch (1903). | 20081 | stern | 1922 | Parkersburg | 173 | 112 ft (34.1 m) | 1927 | A | ||
| KlihyamKlihyam was a steam tug. | 205787 | prop | 1908 | Bandon | 125 | 89 ft (27.1 m) | ||||
| Liberty | stern | 1903 | Bandon | Herman Bros. | 174 | 91 ft (27.7 m) | 1918 | |||
| Limit | prop | 1909 | O | |||||||
| Little AnnieAccording to Timmen, Blow for the Landing, at page 207, in 1890, Little Annie hit a snag and sank near Bandon. Timmen gives the place of construction as Myrtle Point, Oregon Myrtle Point, Oregon -2000 Census data:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,451 people, 988 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.5 people per square mile . There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 692.7 per square mile... . |
40202 | stern | 1877 | Coquille Coquille, Oregon Coquille is a city that is the county seat of Coos County, Oregon, United States. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 4,215 residents. The primary economic base is the timber industry... |
Rackliff, Wm. E. | 86 | 70 ft (21.3 m) | 1890 | W | |
| Maple | 209300 | prop | 1911 | Randolph | 33 | 62 ft (18.9 m) | ||||
| May | 1910 | |||||||||
| MaryOnly information source for this steamer is the 1874 Annual Registry. | 90469 | prop | 1874 | Coquille River Coquille River The Coquille River is a stream long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of of the Southern Oregon Coast Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed is located between that of the Coos River to the north and the Rogue River to the south.-Geography:The river,... |
25 | |||||
| Mud Hen | stern | 1878 | Coquille River Coquille River The Coquille River is a stream long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of of the Southern Oregon Coast Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed is located between that of the Coos River to the north and the Rogue River to the south.-Geography:The river,... |
32 ft (9.8 m) | 1892 | |||||
| Myrtle (1908) | 205908 | prop | 1908 | Prosper | 78 | 73 ft (22.3 m) | ||||
| Myrtle (1909)Myrtle (1909) is reported by the McCurdy Marine History to have been rebuilt as freighter in1922. Mills, Sternwheelers Up Columbia reports Myrtle was abandoned 1922, this may be a conflict in the sources, or possibly the hull of the 1909 Myrtle was abandoned, with the cabins and machinery being reused. This was a common practice. | 206743 | stern | 1909 | Myrtle Point Myrtle Point, Oregon -2000 Census data:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,451 people, 988 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.5 people per square mile . There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 692.7 per square mile... |
Nelson, Nels | Myrtle Point Trans. Co. | 36 | 57 ft (17.4 m) | 1922 | R |
| Myrtle (1922)Panter, Early River Traffic states that by 1940, Myrtle (1922) was abandoned at the Paris Ward ranch. | 222091 | stern | 1922 | Prosper | 36 | 60 ft (18.3 m) | 1940 | A | ||
| Myrtle W. (1909) | 206743 | stern | 1909 | Myrtle Point Myrtle Point, Oregon -2000 Census data:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,451 people, 988 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.5 people per square mile . There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 692.7 per square mile... |
Nelson, Nels | Myrtle Point Trans. Co. | 36 | 57 ft (17.4 m) | ||
| Nellie and CressyNellie and Cressy also operated in Coos Bay. | prop | 1903 | Bandon | 12 | 33 ft (10.1 m) | |||||
| Norma | 1911 | |||||||||
| Pastime | stern | 1900 | Coquille | 11 | 45 ft (13.7 m) | 1901 | ||||
| Port of Bandon | 1938 | |||||||||
| Randolph | 208074 | prop | 1910 | Randolph | 42 | 60 ft (18.3 m) | ||||
| Rainbow | 209654 | stern | 1912 | Marshfield Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area... |
Lowe, Frank | Coos River Trans. Co. | 75 | 64 ft (19.5 m) | 1923 | A |
| Relief (1916) | 214253 | stern | 1916 | Coquille | Ellingson | 44 | 64 ft (19.5 m) | 1927 | ||
| Reta | 111226 | prop | 1899 | Prosper | Ellingson | 26 | 53 ft (16.2 m) | |||
| Star | 206127 | prop | 1909 | Prosper | Herman, Carl | 12 | 40 ft (12.2 m) | |||
| Sunset | 206414 | prop | 1909 | Prosper | Herman, Carl | 12 | 40 ft (12.2 m) | |||
| TelegraphTelegraph was rebuilt and lengthened to 115' in about 1916. Panter, Early River Traffic, writes that by 1940 Telegraph was abandoned by 1940 at the Paris Ward ranch | 212094 | stern | 1914 | Prosper | Herman, Carl | Myrtle Point Trans. Co. | 96 | 103 ft (31.4 m) | 1940 | A |
| Venus | 161884 | prop | 1901 | Coquille | 15 | 39 ft (11.9 m) | ||||
| Welcome | 81707 | stern | 1900 | Coquille | Adams, S.H. | 30 | 56 ft (17.1 m) | 1907 | W | |
| Wilhelmina | 205444 | prop | 1908 | North Bend | 95 | 80 ft (24.4 m) | ||||
| Wolverine | prop | 1909 | O |