The South Coast’s history is rich with stories of hardy men who earned a living in the woods.

After the Great Depression, the timber industry on Oregon’s South Coast boomed and the woods echoed with the whining of chain saws and the roar of “Timber!” as loggers felled giant conifers.

Jobs were plentiful in those woods and the logging for Douglas fir and, secondarily, Port Orford cedar, stimulated new jobs in plywood mills and later, pulp and paper production. Deep, safe harbors provided outlets for the lumber and the waterfronts provided jobs to longshoremen.

The boom lasted through the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s before winding down in the late 1970s. Today, remnants of that busy time can be found at the Coos County Logging Museum in Myrtle Point. Open during the summer season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays, the museum offers visitors a glimpse of those heady days of the past. The summer season runs from May 27 through Myrtle Point Harvest Festival.

The Coos County Logging Museum at 705 Maple St. is housed in a pioneer replica of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Erected in 1910, it is now on the National Register of Historical Places. Those interested can call 572-2352 or 572-3376 for more information.