Originally called Marshfield, the city of Coos Bay has transitioned from a pioneer and frontier boomtown that was developed by coalminers, shipbuilders, timber men, and entrepreneurs. The rich, pioneer history of Coos Bay is predated by the Coos Indians, who
maintained many villages along the bay and survived in peaceful harmony with nature until forcibly removed by white settlers in the 1860s. After merging with nearby Eastside and Empire, the city is now the largest municipality in Coos County and on the entire coastline of the state of Oregon.