225 Alder Street
"
Henry J. Radabaugh Home
"
The Radabaugh family were farmers who settled in the Myrtle Point area in 1875. After
selling the farm near Norway, Henry J. Radabaugh moved to Myrtle Point and had this
house built. His widow, Mary (Pope) Radabaugh and his son lived here for many years.
After the Radabaugh family moved, another prominent family in the local area
purchased the property. This was Daniel S. Barklow family, one of the brothers of
Tommy Barklow. Dan ran the local stage and auto stage lines for many years. In 1940, Daniel
was the manager of Pacific Feed & Seed Company (321 5th Street). Today, the home is
still in the Barklow family.
Source: Century of Coos and Curry Counties by Emil Peterson and Alfred Powers, 1952 and
1940 telephone directory.
RADABAUGH FAMILY COMES
Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of the migration to this section of one of the most highly regarded families to ever settle in Coos County, the Radabaughs.
The late John and Nancy Radabaugh and their sons, Henry J; Andrew J. and J. H. and the late Z.T. Johnson, father of Mrs. Milton
Craven of Myrtle Point, arrived in this city, April 24, 1875. They came from Carter Co; Minnesota. Myrtle Point was reached with difficulty. They came to
Sacramento by rail, then by streamer on the Sacramento river to San Francisco, the family laid over in California bay city for a week before
catching the old steamer Empire for Coos Bay. The boat was in charge by Capt. Butler, father of Charles Butler of Maple Street.
From the head of Isthmus (King's Landing) the Radabaughs came by small steamer and by railroad to Coaledo at the head of Beaver Slough. This slough
gained its name from the fact that the beavers damned up the slough so badly at night that it was always necessary to partly tear them loose in
the morning before it was possible to get through in a boat.
They were met at Beaver Slough by friends with 2 skiffs. They were transported by rowboat to the present county seat, where at that time
there were 2 hotels, 1 saloon, 1 flour or grist mill and 2 groceries according to A.J. Radabaugh. One of the groceries was operated by
John Moulton, father of George Moulton of Coquille, dealer in wool and hides. Moulton's grocery was on the river bank.
One of the hotels of that day was operated by Grandma Robison, mother of Mrs. Allen Collier, deceased. This hotelry was located at the present
site of the Busy Corner Grocery. The other inn of those days stood on the present site of the Coquille Hotel and was operated by Chas. Olive. The
mill was owned by the father of Russell Panter, who now operates a service staion south of Bandon. The elder Panter ran a steamboat on the
Coquille River for years, when that was the only form of transportation known between Coquille and Bandon.
The last lap of the journey was made by row boats and at the junction of the north and middle forks of the Coquille River, J.D. Barklow and
another man pulled off their shoes and pulled the boat over the riffles there so that they could get to town.
The new settlers lived in Myrtle Point for about 2 months, moved to a ranch at Norway which now bears their name and which is located about 1
mile north of the Norway schoolhouse. They lived on the Norway ranch until the spring of 1920 when they returned to Myrtle Point and made
their home permanently in this city.
An uncle of the Radabaugh boys, A.J. Mack and his family, settled on a homestead on the head of the Schroeder-Aasen railroad on Grady Creek.
Source: Myrtle Point Herald, Feb. 14 and April 25, 1935
|