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.
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