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As It Was: Bandon Waits for Pool to Open in 1925

In 1925, Bandon, Ore., highly anticipated the completion of an indoor and heated salt-water swimming pool.

John Kronenberg built the Wecoma Baths & Cottages at the west end of 11th Street as part of an ocean-view resort.  Its pool building enclosed a concrete tank measuring 40 by 80 feet that tapered from an 18-inch depth at the shallow end to 9.9 feet under the diving board.

A balcony that extended along two sides had seating for 50 people.  An elaborate brick fireplace stood at one end, where swimmers could sit and enjoy the heat.

The baths drew filtered seawater through an intake pipe anchored in the offshore rocks and pumped up the bluff.  Driftwood from the beach fueled the boiler.  Pool temperature was maintained at 75 degrees and a circulation system kept the water clean and sanitary.

Bathing suits and towels were on hand for rent, included with an admission charge of 50 cents.

The Bandon fire of 1936 destroyed the resort.  The traces of the pool disappeared when a national wildlife refuge replaced it.  An interpretive sign stands near its former site on Coquille Point.
 

Sources: De Costa, Bea. "The Wecoma Baths." The Bandon Light, Mar. 2019, pp. 1+.

Proehl, Jim. "Wecoma Baths Open In Bandon." Bandon Historical Society Museum, Mar. 2019, www.bandonhistoricalmuseum.org/wecoma.html;  Strain, Patti. Floras Creek Precinct and the Boice Family of Curry County. Hal & Patti Strain, 2003, p. 47.

Laurel earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Humboldt State. Her research efforts as a volunteer for the Curry Historical Society produced numerous newsletter articles and exhibits and earned her a reputation as a seasoned local history buff. Laurel is the author of "Renderings from the Gold Beach Pioneer Cemetery", a 50-page booklet containing a walking tour and snippets about the lives and times of folks buried there. She is also a contributing writer to Oregon Coast Magazine.