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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2015)
3C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015 Ferries: ‘River of the West’ was named after Robert Gray’s ship Continued from Page 1C History of the ferries When the bridge was ded- icated in 1966, the Oregon State Highway Commis- sion’s staff prepared a useful history of ferry operations . Here it is: The legendary “River of the West,” as the Columbia was called by the early ex- Slorers, has long de¿ ed man Many of these early explor- ers passed up the opportuni- ty to sail up this mighty river and claim a vast wonderland for their mother country be- cause of the shifting sands and mighty tides at the mouth of the river It remained for an Amer- ican sea captain, Robert Gray of Boston, to verify the existence of this body of wa- ter He ¿ rst visited the area in 1788 but in May, 1792, he returned and entered the riv- er, naming it after his ship, Columbia When the expe- dition of Lewis and Clark reached the area of Astoria in the winter of 1805, the north-south crossing of the river posed a problem Their unwieldy craft were often swamped and capsi]ed They were forced to travel sever- al miles upriver to make the crossing safely They noticed the Indians employed a spe- cially designed canoe to ne- gotiate the trip Intermittent attempts Stories tell of an en- terprising individual who lashed two canoes together and placed a platform over them to establish an early ferry in the 180s The stories also relate that the crossings were not always successful Intermittent attempts were made to start a regular ferry service but it was not until 1921 when the automobile began to be a little more than something to scare the hors- es with that anyone took a se- rious venture in this ¿ eld of scheduled ferry service His friends called him a “cra- zy Swede” because he was willing to gamble his life’s savings on the chance there were enough people wanting to cross the Columbia River at Astoria to make the ven- ture worthwhile, but Captain S F “Fritz” Elfving had con¿ dence in the future His service began with the Tourist 1 and ran be- tween Astoria, Oregon and McGowan, Wash Within a decade as automobile traf¿ c increased, the service proved pro¿ table enough for Cap- tain Elfving to purchase two more ferries, naming them appropriately Tourist 2 and Tourist Competition in those days wasn’t as re¿ ned as it is to- day and everything short of warfare, and many times it even approached that, was fair He overrode all opposi- tion, either buying them out or running them out of busi- ness Following the “ferry war” of the ‘30s, events were fairly quiet along the river front until a real war broke out in 191 Hardly had news been received that war had been declared when a detachment of soldiers from nearby Fort Stevens de- ployed on the dock and com- mandeered the Tourist 2 for the duration of hostilities Converted to a minelayer The vessel was moved to a shipyard and converted to a minelayer She performed yeoman duty laying and tending the mine ¿ elds at the mouth of the Columbia River For her outstanding service, the US Army awarded her an “E” pennant — the only ship of her type so honored In 1946, the Oregon State Highway Commission pur- chased the ferries and fa- cilities of the Astoria North Beach Company Following the war and the resulting lift- ing of gasoline restrictions, Americans were eager to travel and traf¿ c at the ferry site constantly increased In many instances, cars were backed up waiting long pe- riods of time for a ferry The Highway Commission approved plans for an ad- dition to the À eet and the “MR Chessman” Moined the “highway navy” in April 1948 Anticipating increased travel for the Seattle World Fair, the Commission ap- proved the purchase of the .itsap in 1958 Even with this added help, long lines of waiting traf¿ c at both terminals of the ferry, in Astoria and at Megler, Wash , where the site had been moved from Mc- Gowan, attested to the need of improved transportation So the automobile which cre- ated a need for the ferry sys- tem led to its demise — a vic- tim of progress that won’t be forgotten for years to come Matt Winters is the editor and publisher of the Chi- nook, Wash, Observer All items from Matt Winters Collection ABOVE: A 1922 newspaper advertisement shows trip schedules and “stage connections.” RIGHT: This type of fer- ry schedule, also printed in yellow, was in use during state ownership of the Columbia ferry system between 1946 and 1966. It features the M.R. Chessman, which was purchased in April 1948. Compared to some ephemera printed for the ferry system, examples of these have survived in somewhat greater numbers in local attics and closets. Megler Cafe offered simple meals and restroom facilities for motorists who sometimes had to endure long lines waiting for a ride across the river. This is the Tourist No. 2 following modifications late in its time on the Columbia River. This photo was reproduced in the 1966 dedication booklet for the Astoria-Megler Bridge. 3 W AY S TO GE T Y O U R CO PY TOD AY ! OR DER ON LIN E w w w .DiscoverO urCoast.com /order S TOP BY ON E OF OU R 3 LOCATION S A storia • 949 Exchange St. Seaside • 1555 N . Roosevelt Dr. Long Beach • 205 Bolstad A ve. E. #2 o r CALL HOLLY LAR K IN S at 503-325-3211, x227 Em ail: hlarkins@ dailyastorian.com