FRIDAYEXTRA !
The Daily Astorian
Friday, August 7, 2015
Weekend Edition
FLIGHT
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All items from Matt Winters Collection
Tourist No. 2 was drafted for national defense at the start of World War II, used to lay mines to block Japanese access
to the Columbia River. This drawing was reproduced in the 1966 dedication booklet for the Astoria-Megler Bridge.
Possible return sparks renewed interest in bygone era
By MATT WINTERS
For The Daily Astorian
C
olumbia River ferries are one of those obsolete transpor-
tation systems — others include the Astoria and Colum-
bia River Railroad and the Ilwaco Railway & Navigation
Co — that ignite a bright À ame of nostalgic interest
Anyone who has used the extensive Puget Sound ferry network
to commute to work or as a cheap dating gambit will appreciate
the romance of spending time out on the water on what amount to
comfortable À oating picnic places and observation platforms
News that the Tourist No. 2 ferry will likely soon be making
at least a short-term return to the Columbia River estuary has
excited much discussion. It will be fun to see it docked in Astoria.
Maintaining and running such a vessel is not for the faint of
heart or weak of wallet. .eeping Tourist No. 2 here and ¿ nding
some economically sustainable way of making it useful
to the community would be a big chal-
lenge. Looking back to completion
of the Astoria-Megler Bridge 49
years ago this month, it’s clear most
residents and travelers couldn’t wait
to be done with the inconveniences of
having to plan around the ferry.
Conceivably, the returning ferry
might be able to break even in tourist
season by running a schedule stopping
along the waterfront between Tongue
Point and Hammond, possibly making
wildlife-watching cruises into the es-
tuary or to places like Rice Island and
Miller Sands. But it’s hard to imagine
taxpayers and city councilors agreeing
to such an experiment, at least without
strong private ¿ nancial guarantees.
In the meantime, a few avid collec-
tors seek out artifacts relating to the Columbia
ferry era. Postcards, timetables, correspondence, tickets and other
paper items are the most likely ¿ nds. A lucky few may manage
to discover and keep objects from the boats themselves, or things
like of¿ ce accoutrements and street signs associated with the As-
toria-North Beach Ferry Co.
See FERRIES, Page 3C
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: This ferry schedule for
summer 1939, kept as a souvenir in a tourist’s scrapbook,
shows that walk-on human passengers paid 25 cents,
while horses and cows paid 50. Outbreak of World War
II about two and a half years later resulted in enormous
changes for the ferries and their passengers.
This 1936 bill for books of tickets sold to Chinook Packing
Co. might represent tickets bought for resale to local res-
idents or fares for company employees living on one side
of the Columbia and conducting business on the other.
Tickets like these on the Astoria-North Beach Ferry were
used by Pacific County, Wash., people traveling to the “big
city” of Astoria for healthcare, shopping and other needs,
and by Astorians coming north for clamming and fun at
the beach. Pedestrian travelers connected with train ser-
vice until 1930 and small buses thereafter. Tourists used
the service to travel north and south on the already-fa-
mous U.S. 101 Pacific Coast Highway.