Things to Know About Coastal Oregon
I recently found a tiny pamphlet printed in a tiny font about ferns titled Ferns to Know in Oregon that was written in the mid 1950s by an unnamed Oregon State University Extension agent and ardent fernologist. It contains some of the most delightful and knowledgeable nature writing about Oregon I have ever read. I had no idea ferns were part of such magical historical and literary lore! I had no idea that American POWs in the Korean War were fed ferns. I knew nothing of spores! I couldn’t name a single fern and now I can name seven. I even identified a fern (licorice) growing from the side of a 40-year old RV. This tiny pamphlet opened my eyes to the larger world of something beautiful and ubiquitous around me. It also has inspired me to produce a similar pamphlet of design and tone called Things to Know About Coastal Oregon that I will distribute free around Coastal Oregon in the usual and unlikeliest of fern and non-fern places and classify it as Nestucca Spit Press’ next publication. Yes, the reader may have to use a magnifying glass to read the text and consider the illustrations I will include, but that makes it all the more fun. I will begin brainstorming my list of Things to Know About Coastal Oregon here:
Things to Know About Coastal Oregon:
Clearcuts
Nestucca Spit
Ferns
Mushrooms
Rain
Sometimes a Great Notion
Conde McCullough’s Bridges
Zane Gray on the Rogue River
Clark Gable on the Oregon Coast
Oregon Tavern Age Country
Tom McCall
Heckletooth 3
Brownsmead
Seal Rock
Coffee Girl
Bastendorf Beach
RV Parks
South Jetty on the Columbia River
Camp Angel
Animal Welfare Thrift Stores
Rock Haus
Port Orford Radio Station
Saddle Mountain
Matt Kramer Memorial
Highway 420
Mt. Hebo
Godfather’s Books
Keyhole Limpets
Driftwood Forts
Slab Creek Road
Carpenterville Road
Jack London in Port Orford
WPA Guide to Oregon
Steve Prefontaine Memorial Museum
