Steamboats of Yaquina Bay and Yaquina River - Description of Waterway

Description of Waterway

The bay entrance is just south and west of Newport. The Yaquina Bay Bridge, designed by Conde McCullough, now carries the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101) across the bay entrance. Before the bridge was built, however, it was necessary to take a ferry to reach the south shore. Just east of Newport on the north side of the bay was a settlement called Olssonville. Further up the bay was the town of Yaquina City. About one mile south of Yaquina City was Oneatta Point, where the bay turned almost due east and became the Yaquina River. Yaquina City was a boom town in the 1880s, when for example in 1887 144 ships cleared the harbor.

Just around the bend of Oneatta Point were the towns of Winant on the north bank and Oysterville on the south. Seagoing ships could come as far up the bay as Yaquina City. About 4 to 5 miles above Yaquina was the town of Toledo, the county seat from 1893 to 1953. Up the river further, nine miles from its mouth, was Elk City, which was the head of navigation on the Yaquina River.