Across
the river from Astoria, just north of Oregon's North Coast, lie the treasures
of the Washington side of the Columbia River. Sailing ships came in the
late 1700's to trade with the Chinook Indians for beaver and otter pelts.
Lewis and Clark came with the Corps of Discovery in 1805 in hope of establishing
that the Columbia River was the great Northwest Passage. Today, thousands
come to explore the Lewis and Clark sites, gaze in wonder at the Pacific
Ocean, and walk the sandy beaches of Long Beach. Washington's south west
coast has been a destination for explorers for centuries, and continues
to welcome all who come to experience the Pacific Northwest at its best.
A hot-spot on the map will take you on a photo tour of Washington's Lower Pacific County.
Cross
the Astoria-Meglar bridge and turn left. Shortly you will arrive at the
pioneer Catholic Church. This area is soon to be under construction as
Highway 14 will be moved around the north side of the church to make room
for the new Lewis and Clark Station Camp interpretive area.
Continue
on Hwy 14 through the tunnel, but prepare to turn immediatly left to visit
Fort Columbia State Park. One of three army forts built at the mouth of
the Columbia to protect the area from invasion, Fort Columbia boa
sts
a wonderful collection of officers quarters, barracks, and gun emplacements.
This park has a $5 parking fee, and a hefty fine for ignoring it.
Lewis
and Clark found an empty Chinook Indian fishing village at this spot.
Thinking it was abandoned, they took the cedar roofing for themselves,
much to the chagrin of the natives who intended to return in the spring,
along with the salmon.
Today you will find a delightfull little town filled with historic homes. It is also home to the Washington's first fish hatchery.
Yes,
Ilwaco is a fishing village, but a whole lot more. Located at Baker Bay
at the mouth of the Columbia River, just 2 miles from
Cape Dissapointment and the new Lewis and Clark State Park, this little
town offers Bed and Breakfasts, a wonderful museum, docks filled with
fishing boats and wonderful shops to occupy your time.
The
mural on the left tells the story of Ilwaco at the turn of the 19th century,
when vacationeers took a ferry from Astoria and met the train in Ilwaco
for destinations north up the Long Beach Peninsula.
Learn more about the "Clamshell Railroad", the train that kept its schedule by the tides, at Heritage Museum. Turn left one block when you see the mural on your left.
The sign says it all. The Beach here is over 30 miles long and is home to kite festivals and even a kite museum. Long Beach has been a destination resort area since the 1800's, and was even visited by Lewis and Clark in 1805. Sailing ships plied the waters since the 1600's. Plan to spend lots of time visiting the shops, entertainment centers and of course the beach.
You
can even drive your car on the beach.
Walking
paths, picknick table, and interpretive signs help enrich your visit to
this 30 mile long spit of sand created by deposits washed down from eastern
Washington by the Columbia River, a spread northward by the currents of
the Pacific Ocean.
A Brief History - From the pages of the Sou'wester, or the Pacific County Historical Society.
Photos by Bob Duke
Ocean
Park was established as a camp meeting site by county Methodists and members
of the old Taylor Street Methodist Church of Portland in 1883. Isaac A.
Clark, co-founder of Oysterville, suggested to Portland Methodists that
the concept of camp meetings and summer resort be combined. They liked
the idea and formed a corporation under the laws of Oregon titled, "The
Ocean Park Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church".
The Rev. William B. Osborn, founder of a similar Methodist camp at Ocean
Grove, New Jersey, was the association's guiding light. He had also lived
in California where he participated in the formation of another camp association
at Pacific Grove, near Monterey, in June 1875. Rev. Osborn chose the sight
which originally encompassed 250 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean on
one side and Shoalwater Bay on the other. The name was suggested by the
camp's park setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The plat of Ocean Park
was filed at the courthouse in Oysterville on October 8, 1883. Association
land on Shoalwater Bay was never subdivided. It was later sold to John
Peter Paul who filed the plat of Nahcotta in 1889. The association disbanded
around 1888 and issued deeds to association members which contained prohibitions
on the use and manufacture of intoxicating drinks, gambling and other
immoral practices. The post office department established an office on
June 28, 1890. Ocean Park, combined with Surfside, is the fastest growing
area in Pacific County.
A Brief History - From the pages of the Sou'wester, or the Pacific County Historical Society.
Early
Shoalwater Bay settlement and former county seat of Pacific County (1855-93)
at the north end of Sandridge Road (Territorial Road). Before the arrival
of white settlers Oysterville was the site of an old Indian village. The
Indian name for the site is "Tsako-Te-Hahsh-Eetl" (land of the
red-topped grass). John Douglas, who filed a Donation Land Claim in 1854,
was one of the earliest settlers on Shoalwater Bay. The town of Oysterville
was co-founded by Robert H. Espy and Isaac A. Clark in 1854. Chief Nahcati
(there are several variations for the spelling of his name), who was the
leader of the tribe living at Oysterville, told them of the abundance
of oysters to be found near his village. Espy and Clark harvested the
shellfish for shipment to San Francisco where oysters were literally worth
their weight in gold. It wasn't long before they were joined by others
and the settlement became a town. An election moved the county seat from
J. D. Holman's schoolhouse on Baker's Bay to Oysterville in 1855. Another
election in 1892 favored moving the county seat to South Bend. Rowdy South
Bend residents, impatient with recalcitrant county commissione
rs,
"kidnapped" courthouse records and moved everything to the other
side of the bay in 1893. Oysterville slipped into a long sleep for several
decades but was reborn in 1976 when it was declared an historic district
and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Welcome to the lower Columbia River, America's gateway to the world. Let us at North Coast Ambassador Tours guide you through time and space, that you may fully experience our wonderful region.
e-mail Bob or Janean Duke or call 360-665-0772