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HISTORY OF THE CUSHMAN RAILROAD
Our newest rotating exhibit honors the history of the Cushman Railroad. The exhibit features images, captions and display items to celebrate the builders of the Cushman Bridge and train crew members. The 134-mile railroad enabled transportation for...
Museum Re-Opens February 1
18-Year Anniversary Following its annual winter closure, the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum doors re-open on February 1st! The re-opening coincides with the Museum's 18th anniversary of when the doors first opened at our Maple Street location. In 1974 the...
Early Travel by Stage
During the 1850’s stage service began operating in western Oregon, with weekly service to Eugene. As pioneer settlers and industries grew in the Siuslaw Valley, so did the need and desire for transportation. In time, the stage line from Eugene to...
DETAILS FOR A GREAT-GRANDSON
Once treasured family remembrances and pictures are often donated and accepted to become part of the Pioneer Museum’s collection. The museum makes every effort to continue honoring and celebrating each item’s historical significance to the area....
THE WRECK OF A SCHOONER, THE BELLA
“I was working at the A.W. Hurd store at the time and remember the date as November, 1906.Other reports give 1905 as the time of the wreck”. Warner C. Waite, 1883 - 1975November marks the anniversary (about 118 years) of when a schooner, the Bella...
DARREL BUNCH
There was so much work back then that you could quit one job in the morning and have another lined up the same day and go to work.One can’t speak of the history of Florence without including the logging industry’s significant role in the heritage...
THE EARLY RAILROAD
". . . passenger traffic made the route a paying one from the first day that a passenger coach was attached to the work train, and it is now necessary to carry two passenger coaches and a baggage car to accommodate the people wanting to travel that...
JOY MCCOURT
The 4-H Fairs were always held in July (the hottest month of the year)."The only respite was to keep one's feet in cold buckets of ice water!"I looked forward to sitting with Joy McCourt for this Oral History interview with much anticipation. I was...
DEL PHELPS
In 1885, “They came from Indiana with 5 children by train to San Francisco,then by schooner to Portland.This story follows an interview with Delbert (“Del”) Phelps for the museum’s Oral History Project. The project strives to capture an...
OLD WHISKERS
The following story appeared in the 1948 Siuslaw Pioneer booklet. No author was credited, and its authenticity may very well be questionable, but worthy of a chuckle. It’s as much a fishing story as it is about a ‘lucky day’ on the river. “ . . ....