Port Orford Lifeboat Station

Didn't go inside museum, but the grounds are beautiful and the trails have fantastic views.

Connected to the nearby trails. I didn't do any tours of go in any buildings, but enjoyed seeing the lifeboat outside.

Excellent family friendly Coast Guard & Northwest Fishing Museum! OPEN Thurs-Sat 10a-3p at least thru Oct 2021. Call in Nov to check if still open.
Add in a stop (when turning west off the 101 onto 9th st) 1 block from the 101 at the Big Red Harvest Farm House for an amazing meal! Homemade on-site items from pastries & coffee to full meals hot & cold. Allergy friendly, deli & picnic food too! I can not recommend this enough! Open Fri-Sun only. Picnic tables outside.
Don't forget the Christmas Shoppe in Gold Beach too (30miles south) on the 101! & tell us what you thought about your fun stop!
I personally encourage everyone to stop by & take in these activities! There is a small & unique gift area inside the museum as well! This gem is run only by volunteers. Funding is helped thru donations & sales from the gift store! Deb

This is a fantastic little museum. Unfortunately it is currently closed. The trails are still open and offer peaceful walks though the forrest and along cliffs with beautiful ocean views. There are several interpretive signs along the trail. There is a Porta-potty on site.

Beautiful natural surroundings. When we went the museum was closed but peeking in the windows, it looks like they have a great exhibit.

Amazing views on beautiful, well maintained, nature trails overlooking the Pacific Ocean with seabirds, whales and fishing boats as background bonuses.

I had a tremendous childhood.
I was lucky enough to become a Boy Scout. And as a Boy Scout under Leader Donn Merrick. We held our meetings at the Coast Guard Station.
My Sophomore year 1986 we where playing a game of Football out on the large grass court yard. We held our meetings late in the evening. So the meetings would not mess with our school and sports schedule.
Also Donn was a plumber and needed time to complete his day at work.
So the grass was damp. Either from fog or earlier rain. We usually played football or even Wrestled each other on the grass. Since most of us where also high school Wrestlers.
I was thrown the football and I caught it and held it with my right arm. Before I could start running. A large kid tackled me. He knocked me back on my back. And when he landed on top of me. He landed on my left arm which was crooked up. It caused my bone in my left wrist to to fracture out. So my bone was poking through the skin.
Living in Port Orford there is no hospital within 60 miles. Donn and the other scouts quickly gathered two pieces of 2×4 wood or something similar. Than they wrapped my arm with our scouting neckerchiefs if I remember right. So a splint was made to stabilize my arm. My parents where called and they drove me to Coos Bay to the hospital.
We kept our camping gear and canoes downstairs.
Donn owned a large green van with 3 row seating. He could drive around back and there was a garage door that opened. So we could easily load up our camping gear and fasten the canoe on the top of the van.
We held our meetings on the first floor. It was a large hardwood floor. I believe we sat in collapsible medal chairs. We would turn out the lights and get on our hands and knees and play a game of "Capture the Flag". I cannot remember how to play. I just know you had to get the Flag and scoot to the other side of the room.
We learned how to tie knots in that room. I still no how to do a square not and a timber hitch.
I remember when we got new Scouts. We would dare them to walk down the dark trail that was at the edge of the property. That led down to the old boat house.
Living in Port Orford there was no train. Not much air travel and no freeway. So when we where on top of Coast Guard Hill. It was absolutely silent. Accept for crickets and frogs or birds chirping. So it is spooky to start walking down the trail. But none of us walked that far because it pitch dark without a flash light or moonlight present.
I would usually walk to the meetings. I lived on 7th and Hamlet down by Buffington Park where I played Little League baseball. It was probably 3/4 of a mile from my house.
A few years back I took a tour of the Coast Guard Station which is now a museum. I absolutely recommend it.
I just got a brochure in the mail written by Theresia Hewitt. It was dated 1934-1970. Copyright 2013. Labeled Port Orford Lifeboat Station #318. I bought it off E-bay. It was shipped from San Jose, California.
It said in the brochure or pamphlet that in 1976 the look out tower that used to be on the property. That was used during World War II was removed. And the extra living quarters where removed. But it says there was a concrete pad that used to have a Tennis Court? I never knew that. I think that concrete pad is where the boat house is now which stores the Dory boat.
I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane.
I became an Eagle Scout under Donn Merrick in 1987 the end of my Junior year. Jerry White became an Eagle Scout before me. And Jeff Cluff became an Eagle Scout shortly after me. Jeff's Father Dennis Cluff was also an Assistant Boy Scour Leader when I first joined. But he was not around in later years.
Donn Merrick lives in Eugene, Or. He is now retired.
I currently live in Cornelius, Or.
In early 2020 I created "Have You Been To Battle Rock? " shirts. My inspiration behind the shirt was to give back to my beloved community. Also I was part of the Battle of Battle Rock that used to be held during the Fourth of July. The battle was held right before the Firework display.
My shirts are for sale at Griff's on the Dock.