Sears, Roebuck & Company and Montgomery Ward made rural living in North Lincoln County a lot easier around the turn of the 20th century. Having poor access to stores in the valley and being fairly isolated from other coastal communities, we relied on catalog ordering and the brave supply boat captains that would cross the Siletz River bar.
In this exhibit you will find artifacts from the museum’s collection that closely match entries from Sears, Roebuck & Company catalogs from the late 1800s to the 1930s. You will also find quotes from North Lincoln County residents via oral histories and diary accounts on ordering from Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs. Swipe through our iPad kiosk station’s slideshow to view selected pages from a 1902 Sears, Roebuck & Company catalog.
During Lincoln City’s Antique Week (February 11th-20th), the exhibit will feature a QR code that will link visitors to a Sears Years trivia challenge. The winner of this challenge will receive a gift basket which will include a historic reprint of an 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, along with several issues of our Pioneer History of North Lincoln County series, and more!
This fun exhibit will be up for all of 2023.
