Welcome To Bandon Visitors Guide 2009

• Shipwrecks! Ahoy!

Shipwrecks! Ahoy! While Oregon's South Coast has no history of pirates attacking, looting and sinking unwary ships - as has been the case in more tropical regions of the world - there's no doubt that hundreds of vessels have gone down in this area's waters.

The remains of at least eight of these wrecks are visible in and around Bandon today.

Shipwreck mania struck this area in early 2008 when shifting sands on the beach north of Coos Bay revealed the wreck of the long-buried George L. Olson. At about the same time, two old cannons were discovered in the sand farther north on the coast near Cannon Beach.

During the winter of 2006-07, part of the bow section of the 154-foot schooner Acme, which went ashore several miles north of Bandon in 1901, was revealed after strong storms lashed the coast. The stern section of the Acme rests under sand dunes near the Coquille River Lighthouse, where it was visible for years before being covered by shifting sands.

Local cartographer and retired railroad engineer Ned Reed has been researching shipwrecks off and on for about 40 years. He's compiled a database of more than 15,000 shipwrecks along the West Coast of the United States and British Columbia, Canada.

Reed has collected hundreds of shipwreck photographs, and he hopes eventually to document every wreck from the North Pole to Panama, plus those in Hawaii and in parts of Russia.

"I probably have a thousand shipwreck photos, and I'm always looking for more," the enthusiast explained. "There's a cocoon of history wrapped up in shipwrecks. That's why it's vital to keep them open and known and available to be enjoyed by all."

According to Reed's research, the U.S. government believes that about 120 vessels have gone down on or near the Coquille River bar.

"I've located information on the types and locations of probably 40 or 50 of these wrecks," Reed said. "They went down on the bar, on the north or south jetties, or in the lower river itself. Some of these can still be seen today, while others were removed by time or man, or covered by sand."

If the feds are right, another 70 to 80 wrecks rest beneath nearby ocean waves, along the river bottom and under drifting sand dunes.

Ocean currents and tides have covered or destroyed most of the remnants of the shipwrecks that used to be here, Reed believes.

"The ones not destroyed have been buried deep, but the sharp eye should keep a lookout for remnants."

He's heard rumors that a Spanish sword and a flintlock rifle were discovered on the coast not far from Bandon, but has been unable to confirm the stories.

"The Spanish plied these waters," he said. "Explorers and traders were rampant along this coast at one time. A galleon may have visited the area and sank. Hundreds of vessels from every different country have sailed and never been heard from again, so just about anything is possible."

Reed thinks there should be an ongoing effort to complete the history of this area's shipwrecks by assembling all the information possible on them.

"Shipwrecks are all spectacular in their own right - each a little footprint in history. The locations of most of these wrecks are lost, but remnants are surfacing. As time progresses, we'll find more and more to fill in the blanks.

"These wrecks show our lineage, how the area grew, what kind of people brought these vessels here and why. There are a thousand different stories for a thousand different wrecks, which provide clues to our heritage and a peek into the past."

Reed, who makes a variety of charts, maps, flyers, notecards and other products for a number of organizations up and down the coast and beyond, recently published a shipwreck map covering lost vessels in this area. He's working on additional regional maps for the rest of the state's coastline. This area's map is available in area bookstores, dive shops and other outlets, with the others to be available when complete.

Reed believes the best views of several of the local wrecks can be had from a boat in the river. He strongly cautions wreck hunters to ask permission from the property owners before crossing their lands to see a wreck.

Local visible shipwrecks
• Perhaps the easiest and most convenient local wreck to view is that of a wooden lumber barge that rests on the riverbank off the southwest end of Bullards Bridge at the edge of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The vessel's skeleton and the adjoining marsh and river have been favorites of artists and photographers for many years.
• Near the same location, but on the opposite (east) side of the highway, are the remains of an old Bullards Ferry boat and another lumber barge. Both of these wrecks rest on the riverbank near the old Rogge Mill -- now Oregon Cedar LLC. Trees are growing up through the vessels' remains.
• At Prosper, near river mile 4.82, rests a steel hull from an unknown abandoned vessel. At river mile 5 are the remains of another abandoned vessel, believed to be a Riverton Ferry boat. Both wrecks are located on the south bank of the river just east of the old Port of Bandon shipyard.
• At Parkersburg, near river mile 7.85, rests a sunken motor launch, possibly a tugboat formerly used in the wood products industry. The wreck is located opposite Judah Parker County Park.
• A portion of the bow of the 416-ton steam schooner Acme is visible on the ocean beach near Cut Creek, a couple of miles south of the Whiskey Run Lane beach access off Seven Devils Road.
• The Oliver Olson, a 307-foot-long steamship built in 1918, was inbound to load lumber in 1953 when it was caught in a cross-current and went hard aground on the rocks at the South Jetty. Eventually declared a total loss, the vessel was stripped of salvageable parts, cut down to the level of the existing jetty, and filled with quarry rock to extend the jetty.

To view the remains of the Oliver Olson, carefully walk out on the South Jetty at low tide until you reach a point about halfway between the small signal building and the jetty's western tip. The ribs and other parts of the Oliver Olson can be seen protruding from the mud on the north (river) side of the jetty.


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