Cape Arago State Park is a
state park in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, administered by the
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has pro ...
. Cape Arago is north of
Bandon and 15 miles southwest of
Coos Bay
Coos Bay is an estuary where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, the estuary is approximately 12 miles long and up to two miles wide. It is the largest estuary completely within Oregon state lines. The Coos Bay watershed covers an area of abou ...
on Cape Arago Highway in
Coos County.
History
In 1579,
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ( ...
is purported to have sought shelter for his ship, the ''
Golden Hind
''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hat ...
'', around Cape Arago.
["History of Coos Bay"]
. City of Coos Bay. Accessed September 2010. The headland was originally named Cape Gregory by
James Cook on March 12, 1778 after
Saint Gregory
Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...
, the saint of that day; it was renamed Cape Arago after
François Arago.
See also
*
Cape Arago Light
*
Cape Arago Highway No. 240
*
List of Oregon state parks
References
External links
*
State parks of Oregon
Parks in Coos County, Oregon
{{CoosCountyOR-geo-stub