The North Lincoln County Historical Museum in Lincoln City, Oregon has two floors of displays relating to local history. One of the displays on the second floor focuses on the impact of the automobile and the tourist trade which automobiles brought into the area.
According to the Museum display:
“The automobile created mobility on a scale never known before, and the total effect on living habits and social customs is endless.”
The Museum display also states:
“For the first time, Americans of ordinary means could travel when and where they pleased, not just as local train schedules dictated. By the same token, the automobile gave public access to the vast areas not served by rail, encouraging travel and exploration in the least-traveled corners of the nation.”
The first automobile trip from Newport to Siletz Bay and back was in 1912. In 1925, the Roosevelt Military Highway was completed to Newport. In 1927, the Salmon River Cutoff (Highway 18) was completed which opened up travel to Portland. According to the Museum display:
“The completion of the Salmon River Cutoff was the beginning of a new era for north Lincoln County. It became part of a great network of highways and towns that extended from one coast to the other. The great road west deposited travelers where they most wanted to be, the beach!”
Camping
Camping was, and still is, one of the ways tourists experience the Oregon coast. With the development of the automobile, many travelers turned to auto camping. According to the Museum display:
“At first, overnight travelers simply slept in their cars or set up a tent they carried in the trunk. Some ingenious souls attached homemade awnings directly to the vehicle to provide shelter. Auto accessory manufacturers quickly saw the potential in this market and began catering to campers with devices known as ‘auto tents’ which could turn the family jalopy into a rudimentary camping shelter.”
Green Onion
In 1925, the Green Onion was built as a rental tourist cottage.
According to the Museum display:
“Since bathing facilities were scarce at the time, they decided to rent out the tub as well as the cottage, charging 5 cents per bath. On many occasions passersby would see bathers lined up outside the cottage, towels and soap in hand.”
Festivals
One way to attract tourists was, and still is, to hold festivals.
Museums 101
On Museum Monday this series presents photo tours of various museum exhibits. Also from this series:
Museums 101: Newspapers and Telephones (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Thunder Eggs (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Old Time Education (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Oregon Missionaries and Settlers (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Secret Life of an Artifact (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Hagerman Valley Historical Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Transportation (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Movies (Photo Diary)