Photo: Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology (ASCIT) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Ken Kesey is best known for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” but his second novel, “Sometimes a Great Notion,” is the one with roots on the Oregon coast. Published in 1964, it tells the story of a stubborn logging family on a coastal river.
A coast story
The book is set in a fictional town on the Oregon coast and follows the Stamper family as they defy a strike. Its rainy, river-bound setting draws on the logging towns of the Coast Range.
Hollywood comes to the Siletz
The 1971 film version starred Paul Newman, Henry Fonda and Lee Remick. Much of it was shot in Lincoln County, including along the Siletz River near Kernville and in Newport and Toledo. Local people worked as extras and crew.
A lasting landmark
The movie’s Stamper house stood on the Siletz River for years after filming and became a local curiosity. For many in the county, the film remains a point of pride and a snapshot of the area half a century ago.
Dewey Albrecht covers the Port of Newport, commercial and sport fishing and the Yaquina Bay bar.
