Historic Riverboats - Coquille, OR
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 43° 10.410 W 124° 11.288
10T E 403429 N 4780767
These murals by local artist Chuck Robinson depict several historic steamboats that once plied the Coquille River and docked here.
Waymark Code: WMB8RP
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 04/19/2011
Views: 2
River boats were an important mode of transportation on the lower portion of the Coquille for over a quarter century beginning around 1900. They carried cargoes of milk from the dairies upstream, coal, wood, and fish. Passenger boats carried people on pleasure trips or to attend sporting events. There was a thriving port in Coquille where these boats docked, and there was keep competition among several steamship companies. Both stern-wheel and propeller driven boats were used.
Around 1924, as demand for their services diminished, the boats were transferred to other locations, refitted, or simply beached and abandoned. Today, there is scarcely a trace of these colorful boats and the bustling docks along the river.
The Coquille
Sternwheeler at Coquille Docks
The Dispatch
These murals by local artist Chuck Robinson consist of three panels on the side of a building that now houses the Water District offices near city hall in the center of town.
Coquille is a small town located along Route 42 in the valley of the Coquille River. The lumber industry was its life blood, but the largest mill, Georgia Pacific, has vanished leaving just one smaller mill. The valley here, though small, is rich farmland especially for dairy farms. Route 42, connecting Roseburg on I-5 to Coos Bay on U.S. 101, now bypasses the town and this city hall location.