By Julie Furnas

A little-known fact about the city of Bandon is that its former name was Averill until 1874 when Lord George Bennett renamed the city after his birthplace of Bandon, Ireland. In celebration of the new establishment, Bennett planted gorse or Irish Furze (an invasive plant) with seeds that his sister sent him. The next three decades established Bandon as one of the coast’s fastest growing cities with industries of cheese making, wool, lumber and waterfront construction. By the 1890’s, Bandon soon became the most visited city on the coast in Oregon.

History of Fires

The city of Bandon has unfortunately experienced several fires, the first being in 1914 that destroyed the waterfront business district. This was devastating to Bandon, as it was the principal port between San Francisco and Portland, seeing over three hundred vessels every year.

But that would pale in comparison to the wildfire that broke out on September 26, 1936. At this time, the population of Bandon was approximately 1800 people. This devastating wildfire started in a nearby forest. It rapidly spread westward, fueled by the abundance of gorse and strong winds, resulting in significant destruction and ten fatalities.

The fire destroyed almost every building in Bandon, including the business district and hundreds of homes, leaving only a handful of buildings standing.

The Red Cross ‘City’

Hundreds of families were desperate for help. The Red Cross arrived and quickly built a “city” of tents near the waterfront. Displaced families took shelter in the makeshift city, were served hot meals and given places to rest during this time of great uncertainty.

People still share their memories of that time. Memories like this from Bob Howard who was 10 years old when the fire broke out.

“The Red Cross set up a tent city where the Shell
station is now. We moved into one of the tents and
stayed for a couple of days before my dad was able
to find us. Slowly, the family was all accounted for.
They all had their own stories to tell of the horrible
experience.”

You can find more incredible accounts of this event and more great pictures at the Bandon Museum which is still right in the middle of town. These stories are also showcased in this newsletter that was sent out in 2019. Read more HERE.

More about that fateful disaster from Mary Schamehorn, the current mayor of Bandon

In her own words:

“It is true that it was only because of the fire that I was born.”

“My mother was a sophomore at the University of Oregon, and she was forced to return home after the fire in September of 1936. A few weeks later she met my father, who was seven or eight years older. In February of 1937 they married, and I was born in August of 1939.

Both sides of my family lost everything except the old bank building where my grandfather had the Western World newspaper, and within a couple of weeks of the fire, he was once again putting out the newspaper from the building, which still stands today and is now known as the Masonic Lodge building, housing Spirit of Oregon and The Cobblers Bench.

Today, the thing that reminds people of the fire is the amount of Irish Furze (gorse) which rings the community and helped spread the fire on that fateful day. The measures that are being taken (include) an aggressive approach to rid the area of gorse. It is a time-consuming job just because it is cut back one year and could return year after year. It requires spraying, hand-digging or some other method to get rid of it for good.”

More about Mayor Schaemehorn

Mayor Schamehorn worked at the Western World newspaper on and off for 45 years and continues to write a weekly column. She also served on the city council for nine years between 1977 and 1986, later as planning commission chairman, and is now in her 21st year as mayor. Schamehorn also serves as secretary of the Southern Coos Hospital district and vice president of the Bandon History Museum.