32Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Flora M. Laird Library
Myrtle Point, Oregon
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Myrtle Point.
1870 to 2010Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
113,324Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Myrtle Point, Oregon.
Discover another side of Myrtle Point, Oregon through newspapers preserved in the Flora M. Laird Library's digital archive. Its thirty-two titles include material from 1870 to 2010.
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Selected titles
Flora M. Laird Library shares titles including “Amity Enterprise” and “Yamhill Record”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.
The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse thirty-two titles and 113,324 digitized pages, with material from 1870 to 2010. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Flora M. Laird Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A familiar name or place can be the beginning of a story. Explore the titles below to see where that connection leads.
Amity Enterprise
16 pages in 1906
Amity Popgun
12 pages in 1893
Coquille City Herald
8 pages in 1888
Daily Evening Telegram
16 pages from 1879 to 1886
Eastern Oregon Republican
2 pages in 1890
Enterprise Record Chieftain
136 pages from 1917 to 1943
Evening Record
16 pages in 1915
Evening Telegram
12 pages in 1896
Farmers Union News
32 pages in 1923
Fossil Journal
362 pages in 1952
Herald
9,726 pages from 1969 to 1997
Milwaukie Review
12 pages in 1924
Monmouth Herald
18 pages from 1918 to 1919
Myrtle Point Enterprise
15,924 pages from 1895 to 1917
Myrtle Point Herald
76,560 pages from 1928 to 2010
Newberg Graphic
16 pages in 1901
News of Port Orford
32 pages in 1953
Oregon Independent
46 pages in 1893
Oregon Observer
16 pages in 1916
Oregon Scout
16 pages in 1912
Oregon State Journal
48 pages in 1897
Plaindealer
8 pages in 1899
Polk County Itemizer
72 pages in 1906
Roseburg Plaindealer
16 pages from 1900 to 1901
Salem Daily Press
368 pages in 1870
Southern Coos County American
9,450 pages from 1917 to 1928
St Johns Review
100 pages in 1928
Turner Tribune
16 pages in 1926
Wallowa County Chieftain
196 pages from 1943 to 1944
West Oreganian
40 pages in 1894
Weston Leader
16 pages from 1888 to 1903
Yamhill Record
16 pages in 1914
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About the Archive
About The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library's History Archives
- Salem Daily Press (1870-1870)
- Oregon Independent (1893-1893)
- West Oreganian (1894-1894)
- Oregon State Journal (1897-1897)
- Daily Evening Telegram (1879-1886)
- Plaindealer (1899-1899)
- Eastern Oregon Republican (1890-1890)
- Aurora (1893-1896)
- Amity Popgun (1893-1893)
- Weston Leader (1888-1903)
- Oregon Observer (1916-1916)
- Newberg Graphic (1901-1901)
- Fossil Journal (1952-1952)
- Wallowa County Chieftain (1943-1944)
- Enterprise Record Chieftain (1917-1943)
- St Johns Review (1928-1928)
- Polk County Itemizer (1906-1906)
- Farmers Union News (1923-1923)
- Turner Tribune (1926-1926)
- The Myrtle Point Herald (1928-2010)
The local newspapers capture the rich history of the region, including significant events, cultural milestones, and personal stories of the residents.
About the Library
About The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library
The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library, located at 435 5th Street in Myrtle Point, is a valuable resource for all Myrtle Point residents. As a partner in the Coastline consortium of the Coos County Library Service District, the library provides access to a wide range of resources, including print, audiovisual, and electronic materials. Books unavailable in Myrtle Point may be borrowed from other libraries in the Service District and around the United States.
Library History
The History Of The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library
The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library was established in 1899 by a group of public-spirited residents. Initially, it was a private library with a subscription fee, but it quickly grew in popularity and size. In 1910, Dr. C.T. Hockett led the effort to have the library taken over by the city. With funding from the Carnegie Corporation, the current library building was completed in 1914. The library was named after Flora M. Laird, one of the first librarians of Myrtle Point. Over the years, the library has expanded its facilities and services, including a large addition in 1984 and various modern improvements funded by the Myrtle Point Public Library Foundation.
About the Community
About Myrtle Point, Oregon
Myrtle Point, Oregon, takes its name from the myrtle (California Myrtle or Bay Laurel) trees that grow profusely along the Coquille River. Originally settled in the early 1860s, Myrtle Point was known as Ott and Myersville before early residents settled on its current name. The city was officially incorporated on February 4, 1887. Myrtle Point has a rich history linked to the lush valleys and forests of the southern coastal mountain range. Timber has been central to the city's economy since it was founded, along with dairy farming and other agricultural products. The completion of the railroad connecting Myrtle Point and the Coos Bay area in 1893 spurred significant growth. The town became a hub of postal routes and the terminus of the railroad, although plans to connect with the Southern Pacific Railroad in Roseburg never materialized. Myrtle Point remains a close-knit community with many descendants of the original settlers still residing in the area, maintaining historic homes and buildings as family heirlooms.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that Myrtle Point was initially settled by speculative timber interests and later became a booming agricultural hub? The area's fertile land and long growing season made it ideal for dairy farming, with products supplied as far away as San Francisco. Did you also know that Myrtle Point was a key location for the development of postal routes in the region, serving as the hub of five postal routes by the late 19th century. The town's central location and easy access to the Coquille River made it a critical point for transportation and communication. The Flora M. Laird Memorial Library has played a significant role in preserving Myrtle Point's history, including the digitization of old Myrtle Point Herald newspapers, which was completed in 2015. This project has made the local history more accessible to researchers and the general public.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a story beyond the first mention
The history of Myrtle Point includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Flora M. Laird Library, begin with a name, place or date connected with the story you want to explore. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story.
When a promising newspaper lead runs out, check the dates and titles represented before trying another name, place, or nearby issue. Keep unsuccessful searches with useful findings; gaps in coverage can limit what a search reveals. Use the dates and references to shape your next question, not as proof a missing result never existed.
As you piece together a story from the past, note where each detail came from and why it matters. Include the title, date, and page or item reference. Mark uncertain identifications and unanswered questions so a promising connection does not become an unsupported fact.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Flora M. Laird Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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