The locale got its name from Olaf Reed (1827-1906), who settled there in the 1870s. Olaf Reed was a Norwegian immigrant who started a partnership with Oden Nelson. They operated vessels on the Coquille River between Myrtle Point and Bandon, Oregon.[2] Reed was a former sea captain and like his brothers Edward and Hans, he also worked as a shipbuilder.[3]
Reed and Nelson started a general store in 1873.[3] Norway's post office was established in 1876 and as of 2003, it had been moved a few miles from its first location.[2] Norway post office closed in 2002;[4] the community's mail is addressed to Myrtle Point.[5] There was also a Norway station on the Southern PacificCoos Bay Line.[2]
In 1977, the whole community was put up for sale.[6] At the time the two-acre townsite consisted of a store with living quarters upstairs, a café, a post office, a home, several old motel cabins and a defunct gas station.[6]
In the early 1990s the population was single digits, under 10.