Tuesday 23rd June 2009 – The Coast Mail and the Beauty Queen

I had been invited out to breakfast by a couple of local historians.  They were a fascinating mine of information.  We had a particularly interesting discussion about just how far and how fast people who wanted to could get about America in the second half of the nineteenth century.  Of course it was all to do with the railroads.  When it comes to looking into the history of Glasgows, railroads are a recurring theme. 

It was this couple who first emailed me a bit of a local history book describing Glasgow as a "sucker-bait" town.  In 1890, Glasgow was promoted as the mainland rail terminal of the transcontinental railroad, where "rail meets sail".  A few buildings and a jetty, and a map of lots for sail got the suckers in.  This was land speculation: I don't suppose it's changed very much to this day.

But what interests me is who got hold of the land in the first place, and why did they call it "Glasgow"? 

They pointed me at Coos Bay Public Library, where I might find microfilm of the Newspaper of the time, the Coast Mail.  They also said I would find details of who bought and sold land at the county courthouse in Coquille. 

Coquille is the county seat of Coos County.  It is the home of the infamous Sawdust Theatre, site of my recent humiliation.  I shall have to think hard before I go back there.

 

Reading microfilm records is very tiring.  Especially when it is microfilm made some time ago, of very old documents.  I spent a very tiring few hours struggling to find references to Glasgow.  And I found two.  There may be more, but with poor negatives of the "Coast Mail" dancing in front of my eyes, two were all that registered.

On May 22^nd, 1890, a small headline declared that "Glasgow Turns Out to be Valuable Coal Field", with a story about some named experts finding the seam to be seven feet, best in the area.

On June 12^th, a matter of only three weeks later, another small headline, with no story, declared "Glasgow Laying Itself Out for Great Improvement", whatever that might mean.

This historical research is tiring stuff.  I had to sit in Rozzie for quite a while before I felt my eyes were up to driving again.

 

I ended the day at the North Bend Council meeting.  (No, I ended the day at you know where, but before that.)  Although I had already presented my fraternal greetings to the Honorary Mayor of Glasgow itself, I felt it important to make a 'city' contact, and relate the home city to a formal incorporated body.  Mayor Wetherell was very generous, and promised to contact the Lord Provost, tell him I was doing my ambassadorial duty.  He even, in his generosity, referred to North Bend as a suburb of Glasgow.  And the Police Chief gave me a patch, and the Fire Chief a cap. 

And Miss Coos County gave me an unforgettable smile.  Of course, nowadays she is an ambassador for local voluntary service groups, and gave council a report on her upcoming activities.  But she was also very lovely.  And it was an unforgettable smile.