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Slide Into the Bear Cave
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NEW!!
ROTATING HISTORY PHOTOS
 Over the years we have gathered several hundred old photos
.  These can now be viewed on our new rotating photo screen.(located in free area)

EDUCATIONAL & UNIQUE GIFT SHOP

Newly Released!! 'REEDSPORT' photo history book

$21.99 (call 541-271-4816 for shipping info)

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Educational Programs/School Tours/Group Rates/Theater Rental

(Reserve in Advance)

UMPQUA DISCOVERY CENTER

Natural & Cultural History
Interactive Exhibits


"Our past is our present to you"

Watch our short video

The Umpqua Discovery Center is an educational and cultural resource for all ages making active, innovative contributions to preserving the Oregon "Tidewater Community" experience. Interactive exhibits and programs illustrate how land, water and people have shaped each other over time.
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RIVERFRONT RHYTHMS CONCERTS
New Day               New Time
Thursday's          6:00pm-7:30pm
June 21st - Timberwolf - Classics, Country, Rock & Roll
July 12th - Worn Out Frets- Easy Listening, Light Rock, Oldies
July 26th - Small Town Rumors - Country, Rock & Roll, Classics
August 16th - Young Bucs - Doo Wop

Free Concerts / Outdoors / Front Lawn
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1962 COLUMBUS DAY STORM

Memories by Vendy Lockard

I grew up just outside of Marion, Oregon on a peppermint farm.  I was on the school bus heading home and saw trees and telephone poles that had blown down.  The bus driver had a hard time keeping the bus on the road and trying to miss limbs and debris.

When I got home, my sister and I went to the bedroom on the North side of the house. From there we watched as my grandparent´s big red barn, just down the road, "explode"!  In seconds, the huge barn was just a pile of wood left on the ground.

My dad had gone out to put one of the farm tractors away.  I had gone out to tell my mom about the barn, when the wind lifted up the tractor with my dad on top of it.  Fortunately dad was able to get the tractor under cover and get in himself back in the house safely.

We had a huge old oak tree, that had been there before the house was built, crack a third of the way up and fall on the house, just missing my bedroom.  A beautiful locust tree in the back yard was completely uprooted and crashed through our swing set.

After the storm was over we were without power for several weeks.  My dad had a generator that he took to all the neighbors to charge their freezers.   We all had the huge chest freezers with frozen game, sides of beef and tons of fruits and vegetables.

One of my memories was the sound of chain saws going day and night.  I loved the trees and it was hard to see the area changed with so many trees down.  I was so upset by the loss of the trees that I begged my dad to try and replant the locust tree.  With the help of family and friends, the tree was lifted and placed back in the original hole.   That tree lasted for around another 40 years!

 


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woman elk

Artwork by Peggy O'Neal
©WOW Arts & Exhibits
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‘Tell Us Your Story – 1962 Columbus Day Storm’

This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Columbus Day Storm.  The storm of 1962 is a contender for the ‘Biggest Extratropical Cyclone of the 20th Century’.  Cape Blanco’s anemometer, that lost one of its cups, registered wind gusts in excess of 145 mph, some reports put the peak velocity at 179mph.  In less than 12 hours, over 11 billion board feet of timber was blown down in Northern California, Oregon and Washington combined.  This exceeded the annual timber harvest for Oregon and Washington at the time. 

The Center is interested in hearing what you remember from this storm. E-mail your stories and/or photos to info@umpquadiscoverycenter.com., or bring them by the Center.  Stories will be featured in future newsletters, our website, and a special history program in October.   

email: info@umpquadiscoverycenter.com

Umpqua Discovery Center
409 Riverfront Way
Reedsport, OR, 97467

phone: (541) 271-4816




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