Newport Sites

In the 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Devil's Punchbowl day-use area for public use.  The improvements included picnic tables, fireplaces, restroom, drinking fountain, water supply, a foot trail and steps to the beach. The majority of these improvements have been repaired or changed over the years, but the popularity of this distinctive viewpoint remains. Visitors are drawn for whale watching and views of its distinctive geology.

The bridge at the mouth of the Yaquina River at Newport OR was constructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934-36.  It was one of five PWA-funded bridges over the Alsea River, Coos Bay, Siuslaw River, Umpqua River, and Yaquina River that completed the Oregon Coast Highway. All but the Alsea River bridge still stand. The coast highway was developed after 1914 by the state and county highway departments, but money ran out in the Great Depression before the job could be finished.  With the advent of the New Deal, the PWA offered $1.4 million and a loan...

The original 32-acre tract that established Yaquina Bay State Park was donated by the United States Department of Commerce, Lighthouse Service on September 1, 1934. Shortly after, Civilian Conservation Corps workers from CCC Camp Newport began development of the site. Located on the north shore of Yaquina Bay, with access to the ocean beach and views of the jetty, the park offered scenic amenities given its distinctive location as well as its historic landmark. The wooden Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, active from 1871 to 1874, served as a focal point for the new picnic area developed by CCC enrollees. They also laid-out...