150 Years of History-Oregon Celebration

This year is Oregon's 150th birthday. The World and The Oregonian have run a series of articles identifying significant milestones.


Oregon Coos County Women led the way for the nation to allow women to vote in the November 1912 election. In addition, the election committee debated on the need to suspend smoking in the precinct in deference to the many women who would cast their ballots. The votes were 1,864 for, 1,255 against.

I am sure those men who voted against had to contend with the lack of services around their abode for the rest of their living days. Since most of them worked in the saw mills or shipyards, they probably had lots of conversation and solidarity with other fellas.

Notable among the ladies was Mrs. Burns, the lady barber of North Bend, who was the first to register to vote, followed by a long list of well-respected ladies of the county.

In "Women Hurry to Register" the local paper reported that the city recorder planned to keep the office open late , as a long line of women had filled the office and the hallways by 3:00 p.m.

Since North Bend and Marshfield competed for businesses and commerce ever since they were founded, a local article back in 1912 chided North Bend for not having registered as many ladies as Marshfield. Marshfield was the old name for the present Coos Bay.


The women of Oregon: "After long and patient effort, have persuade the men of the State to place them upon a footing of political equality by granting to them the right of suffrage." ( This quote is from the World Newspaper.)

Oregon along with Michigan, Kansas, Arizona passed this new law in 1912. Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah paved the way.