Coos Bay has been the commercial center of Oregon's southern coast since its earliest days. Transportation systems radiated from it to inland Oregon, the Pacific Ocean and other areas of Coos County. The mosquito fleet of small boats delivered people and products to places of pleasure, culture and transshipment to other parts of the world.

Coos Bay, Oregon's largest bay has represented a commercial passage to the sea from pioneer days to the present. The name is derived from one of the area's Native American tribes and has two Indian meanings --lake and place of pines. Several Native American tribes call the Coos Bay region their ancestral homeland. Before the advent of European settlement the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians and the Coquille Indians lived in the area for thousands of years. They were dependent upon the land and the water, the Pacific Ocean and other waterways, and the forests and meadows providing sustenance.

Since the 16th century, its dramatic beaches, promontories, blazing sunsets, endless stands of massive forests, golden dunes, and waters teeming with fish have awed explorers of the southern Oregon coast.

Sir Francis Drake is believed to have sought shelter for his ship, the Golden Hinde and its crew, near Cape Arago in 1579.

In the mid 1800's, the waterways and forests that had supported the Native American settlements equally encouraged European settlement. Around the turn of the century coal, mining and shipment of coal were a major part of the economy. The Coos Bay Region has prospered as a center for wood products, shipbuilding, shipping and products of the sea. Throughout history, the Bay Area has been the center of trade for the entire southwestern Oregon coastal region.