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| The Astoria Column |
Think Astoria and you usually add Waldorf in front
of it – as in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
And this town was named for the fur trader John Jacob Astor. At first glance from the cruise ship it
looked like a collection of pretty coloured dolls houses decorating the
hillside. Interspersed with the deep
green of pine trees.
The first recorded visitors to this
area were the American explorers Lewis and Clark and their party of explorers who
built Fort Clatsop (named for the local Clatsop
Indian Tribe) as somewhere to spend the winter of 1805/6. The reason for their visit was because President
Thomas Jefferson wanted to know if there was a river route to the Pacific Ocean. The
group left Pittsburgh on 31 August 1803 and
reached the Pacific in November 1805 by following the Columbia
River.
A replica of the fort is situated
just outside the town - a wooden structure with hand-hewn wooden bunks – which
look most uncomfortable – tables, benches and chairs. To add to the atmosphere park rangers are
appropriately costumed and re-enact the life of the Corps of Discovery.
In 1811 John Jacob Astor, the New York financier, sent
fur traders to the same area to set up a trading post. It was they who built Fort Astoria. Since then the town has grown around it and,
literally, climbed the hills where, on top of Coxcomb Hill, is the Astoria
Column. All 38 metres of it. It was built in 1926 and
is decorated with scenes showing the history of the area.
The views from the top of the hill are
breathtaking. Green hills and fields,
trees of various shades from the almost black of the fir trees to the paler greens
of deciduous trees. And, winding through
the landscape, the mighty Columbia River. The
really strong of leg can get even better views by climbing up the 164 steps
inside the column to the viewing platform at the top.
Along River Walk are shops and
restaurants, Pier 11 (once a warehouse) now has shops and restaurants
inside. The 14th Street Ferry Dock has
displays about the river, especially of the Columbia Bar which, long ago, was a
dangerous place for shipping and, of course, there are some museums.
Don’t be surprised if Astoria looks
familiar. This is a photogenic town that
has been used in many films. ‘Kindergarten
Cop’, ‘Teenage Ninja Turtles III’, ‘The Ring II’ and ‘Free Willy’ (Parts I and
II) were all filmed here.
Astoria is a stop for cruise liners
when relocating to or from Alaska, but if you want to spend some time here,
there are some hotels.
