General FAQs

The Crook Point peninsula is named for our second great-grandfather, Asa Hamilton Crook, known to his family as Ace. But our family’s story on this coast begins with Asa’s father, Theron Wells Crook, Sr., the first settler of Pistol River, Oregon.

In 1852, Theron crossed the country on horseback, traveling alongside the family who would one day become Asa’s in-laws. He made his way west through the Willamette, Rogue, and Applegate valleys before reaching the Pacific at Smith River, California, one of the earliest settled communities on this stretch of coast. After establishing himself there, he traveled north into what is now Curry County and became the first settler of Pistol River. He then sent word for his children to join him. Their mother, Nancy Hamilton Crook, had died by then. All of their children but one, a twin brother who remained in Illinois, made the journey: by steamboat down the Mississippi, then aboard a sailing ship that rounded the tip of South America before reaching San Francisco, and finally on to Crescent City. Asa and his siblings, including his brother Adam, survived the voyage and built their lives on this coast alongside their father.

The family’s Oregon homestead was formally patented in 1867. We still hold the original U.S. land patents, signed during the administration of President Andrew Johnson, in the family’s safekeeping today.

Years later, watching Levi Strauss supply ships pass offshore, Asa saw an opportunity. Local families had to make a two-day trip by horse and buggy to Crescent City to meet the ships and trade for supplies. Asa, well-connected in the Crescent City area through the family’s earliest years of settlement, met with Levi Strauss & Co. and persuaded them that the cove just north of our property could serve as a northern landing point. To signal arrivals, he commissioned a church bell in San Francisco, had it shipped up the coast, and installed it on the family’s property. Whenever a ship docked, the bell was rung, and neighbors from across the region would load up their wagons and make their way to what is now Crook Point to trade. Though our family never owned the peninsula itself, Levi Strauss named it after Asa in recognition of his role in opening it to trade.

The original Crook Point bell is still in the family’s care today. We are working to restore it and install it at our Arch Rock Main Lawn venue, so that guests, couples, and future generations can experience a living piece of this coast’s history in the place it helped create.

Asa Crook (1836–1920) went on to serve as the second sheriff of Curry County from 1872 to 1873 before being elected to represent the region as a state representative in Salem. His portrait still hangs in the Curry County Sheriff’s Office today. In his later years, Asa retired to Smith River, the family’s original foothold on the Pacific coast, where his father Theron had also retired. Theron Wells Crook, Sr. (1818–1904) lived on this coast for more than fifty years before his death at age 86. Theron, Asa, Asa’s wife Ellen Lockwood Crook, his brother Adam, and members of the next generation are all buried together in Smith River, a quiet reminder that for the Crooks, this coast has always stretched across the state line.

The family’s connection to this land has continued through seven generations, and we feel the weight of that history in how we care for Crook Point today.

When we opened our doors to guests, we chose the name Crook Point with intention. It honors the generations who came before us: Theron’s journey west and his founding of Pistol River, Asa’s vision and civic leadership, and the quiet determination of every Crook who has called this coast home since. It also honors the place itself, a peninsula that once connected an isolated community to the wider world, and that still holds the weight of that history in its cliffs, its coves, and its beaches.

Yes, and it has been since our family settled this land in 1852. The Crook family enterprises span 3,000 acres of coastal Oregon and extend well beyond hospitality. At the heart of it all is the working cattle ranch: a herd of over 80 Hereford and Angus cattle producing more than 70 calves each year on the same coastal pastures our great-great-grandparents first grazed.

The ranch has evolved with the generations. In the early years, our family operated a dairy; over time, we transitioned to beef cattle. For over a century, we also raised Romney sheep, a hardy breed prized for their large fleeces and well-sized lambs. That chapter came to a close in the early 2000s, when mounting predator pressure from coyotes, cougars, and bears made sheep grazing no longer sustainable. Ending more than a hundred years of sheep ranching was a difficult decision, and one that reflects the reality of running livestock on a wild coast shared with a thriving ecosystem of native wildlife.

Alongside the cattle operation, we harvest timber on a semiannual basis, primarily Douglas fir, and operate commercial rock and sand quarries on the property. These enterprises have supported the family and the land for generations, and they are part of what allows us to care for Crook Point with the long view required of coastal stewardship.

Our beef cattle graze exclusively on the east side of Highway 101. Guests staying at Mervue Estate may see them on the surrounding pastures during their stay, while guests at our coastal homes will not encounter cattle near their accommodations. If you do come across the herd, please admire them from a respectful distance, keep gates closed behind you, and never feed or approach them. Spring calves are a particular highlight for visiting families, though mother cows are protective, so please give them plenty of room.

Yes. Giving back is woven into how we operate, and it shows up in a few different ways. With every lodging reservation, a $2 contribution is made on your behalf to the Friends of the Otter Rock Marine Reserve through our partnership with Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back program, supporting sea otter habitat preservation and marine education along Oregon’s south coast. Guests sometimes spot otters along our private coastline during their stay.

For every wedding and elopement we contract, a $200 donation is also made to VOW for Girls, a global nonprofit working with the wedding industry to end the international child marriage crisis. And beyond these two partnerships, we are longtime supporters of a range of local and regional nonprofits throughout the southern Oregon coast, from community libraries and food programs to conservation and education organizations. Because luxury and stewardship should go hand in hand.

A full list of the nonprofits and community organizations we proudly support can be found on our About page, alongside the story of our family’s seven generations on this coast. Highlights include the Friends of the Otter Rock Marine Reserve and VOW for Girls (our two per-booking giving partners), Meals on Wheels, Wally’s House, Native Fish Society, Curry Public Library, Curry Health Foundation, Gold Beach High School, Nature’s Coastal Holiday, Legends Fest, Pistol River Friendship Club, and Travel Southern Oregon Coast.

Crook Point, oceanfront lodging and destination event venues are located in the Pistol River community, midway between Gold Beach and Brookings, Oregon.

• Crescent City (50 mins)

  Advanced Airlines flies direct from Oakland, CA and Hawthorne, CA

• North Bend (2 hours)

• Medford (3 hours)

• Arcata/Eureka (2 ½ hours)

• Portland (5 1/2 hours)

• San Francisco (7 hours)

We highly recommend flying into Crescent City, CA (45-50) min drive) and you can take a quick non-stop from Oakland, CA, on Contour Airlines.

Besides that location, most guests fly into Medford, OR (3 hours, one way) to get to Crook Point.

If Medford doesn't work and you have some extra time on either side of the wedding, fly to Portland (usually 6 hours, one way) or San Francisco (7-8 hours, one way) and enjoy the drive up or down the coast.

From SFO, you take HWY 101 the entire way, and 101 cuts through our family property.

Coming from Portland, you could take the long way over (an extra hour drive to Tillamook (yes- that is where the cheese is made) and then down HWY 101 the entire coastline. The fastest route from Portland is down I5 to HWY 38 (Drain), which takes you down the Umpqua River to the coast at Reedsport. From there, take HWY 101 to Crook Point.

Customer & Affiliate Discount

• Code: CROOKPOINT20FLIGHTS

• Discount: 20% Off Flights

• Routes: CEC – OAK & HHR

• For: Crook Point Customers & Affiliates

Accurate Taxi
Brookings Taxi

To find the current availability, please see our LODGING page.

We have a property management system now that allows guests to book directly with us. Please select the “BOOK NOW” button at the top right of our site to view all lodging.

The homes vary in size, and rates vary by season and occupancy. To find the current pricing, please see our LODGING page and enter your preferred dates and estimated guest count. Please note that we have guest fees above base occupancy, pet fees, and credit card processing fees.

During our high season, March 15 to October 30, we have a 3-night minimum. During the low season, November 1 to March 14, we have a 2-night minimum. Headland and Mervue homes have a year-round 3-night minimum.

3 Day Weekends:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day, Veteran’s Day

Longer Periods:
July 4th week, Thanksgiving week, Christmas to New Year’s Eve weeks

We have a local county hospital in Gold Beach called Curry General Hospital that offers emergency services. They have an excellent track record of handling triage. If more advanced services are required, an Air Ambulance service is available. Please check out their website for more details.