Gravelford is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Coos County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. It is about northeast of

Myrtle Point Myrtle Point is a city in Coos County, Oregon, United States, established in 1887. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census. Located in the Coquille River Valley, Myrtle Point is part of the Coos Bay/ North Bend/ Charleston Metropolitan Statist ...

, at the confluence of the

North Fork Coquille River The North Fork Coquille River is a tributary of the Coquille River in the southern Oregon Coast Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at an elevation of about above sea level and drops to near Myrtle Point, where it joins the South Fork ...

and the

East Fork Coquille River The East Fork Coquille River is a tributary, about long, of the North Fork Coquille River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near Bennett Rock in Douglas County in the Southern Oregon Coast Range. The map includes mile markers along the ma ...

. The name of the community came from a natural

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

in the stream. A post office with the name Gravel Ford was established in 1878 with Solomon J. McCloskey the first postmaster. Post office records always used the two-word spelling, but post office route maps and

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

topographical maps use the one-word spelling. The office closed in 1934, with mail going to Myrtle Point. In 1915, Gravelford had two cheese factories, two churches, an

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...

academy, and a public school. As of 1990, only two houses remained of the town. Gravelford's

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond t ...

is a satellite station of Myrtle Point. Gravelford Cemetery was founded in 1884.

References

Unincorporated communities in Coos County, Oregon 1878 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1878 Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{CoosCountyOR-geo-stub