In the heart of the Oregon Coast lies the quaint, picturesque town of Florence Oregon. Nestled on the northern shore of the Siuslaw River, Florence represents many historic aspects of Oregon, including a fishing village, dunes recreation site, artist’s haven, and home to over 9,000 Florencians. The earliest written record of life along the Siuslaw River comes from the journal of Alexander McLeod of the Hudson’s Bay Company. In the mid-1820s, he led a fur-trapping brigade to the coast and came as far south as the Siuslaw. McLeod met the peaceful and industrious Siuslaw Indians, which began a trade relationship that lasted through the mid 19th century. The Oregon Territory passed Congress in 1848 and was admitted as a sovereign state in 1859. Fishing canneries and sawmills were built all along the Oregon Coast