OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
OUR VIEW
‘Bridge to nowhere’
now a symbol of success
T
he 50th anniversary this month of opening the Astoria Bridge
is important for many reasons, some concrete and others
symbolic. It binds our region together in every sense.
Nearly 3 million trips are made across it each year, according the
Oregon Department of Transportation’s most recent report, three
times more than 30 years ago. Cross-river traffi c basically doubled
between 1986, when there was still a toll, and 1996 after the bond
that paid for the bridge was paid off early and the toll ended.
How we got here
The Astoria Chamber of Commerce began lobbying for a
Columbia River bridge in 1929. The fi rst car ferry started a few
years earlier and could carry only 15 vehicles at a time, sometimes
leading to hours long waits on summer weekends. In June 1930
President Herbert Hoover signed a bill approving construction, but
the U.S. economy collapsed and took bridge aspirations down with
it. There was another try for a bridge near the start of World War II,
but it was nixed due to vague concerns it might interfere with mili-
tary planes.
Continuing reliance on ferries became less and less tenable. By
the mid-1940s, there were long summer backups for a single ferry
making an hour round-trip voyage with 26 to 30 cars. By mid-1956,
the backup reached 200 cars, even with three ferries running at top
speed.
To considerable grousing elsewhere in the state, in 1959 Oregon
lawmakers approved bonding for half of construction costs. The
Bend Bulletin opined it was a classic “bridge to nowhere”: “practi-
cally no one lives on the Washington side of the river … ( or) partic-
ularly gives a darn whether the bridge is built or not.”
It turned out Pacifi c County state Sen. Bob Bailey did care. By
early 1961, both legislatures authorized construction.
What it has meant
Bridge completion eliminated a traffi c bottleneck at Astoria, per-
mitting tourists and other commerce to travel freely on the coast
highway between Oregon and Washington. From a summer peak of
a few hundred vehicles being able to cross the river in ferry times,
the daily total can now approach 20,000.
Not everyone came out ahead after the bridge went in, starting
with the 52 ferry employees who lost their jobs in 1966. With retail
dollars surging from Washington to zero-sales-tax Oregon, towns
like Ilwaco experienced a hollowing out of their commercial core.
This disadvantage continues on the Washington side, though it is
offset by large numbers of Oregonians who visit for events such as
razor clam digs.
Overall, however, unifi cation of the Lower Columbia econ-
omy made possible by the bridge means residents in both Clatsop
and Pacifi c counties are able to take advantage of the best deals for
housing, products and services — including health care and college
education. For example, Clatsop Community College is the most
popular option for graduates of Ilwaco and Naselle high schools,
something that would be impossible without a bridge.
Looking ahead
Beyond being grateful for the foresight and tenacity that went
into bridge construction, what lessons should we take from its half
century of success?
Horrible as the recession was, resulting stimulus spending
brought the bridge back to nearly good as new. The deck surface
still is in obvious need of repair, but assuming it is dealt with, the
bridge is in good shape for decades longer. Its importance, and of
other bridges in this water-rich place, also demands thorough exam-
ination of seismic retrofi tting.
Learning from the bridge’s success, our region should actively
envision next steps for transportation in the century ahead, as the
population grows and the sea level rises. The bridge is living proof
we are stronger together, and that investments in infrastructure pay
big dividends. An icon of Astoria, it is something to be proud about.
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SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
Chicago dogs in Manzanita
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
J
im Mudd knows his Chicago
dogs: Vienna all-beef frank, ses-
ame seed bun, sliced tomatoes,
pickle strips and even the secret ingre-
dient: celery salt. I know this because
I once had a Chicago dog party with
these same ingredients, ordered direct
from Vienna Beef Products and deliv-
ered to my home in dry ice. I fi red up
the Weber gas grill and cooked them
to perfection, spiked with fork tines to
let the dogs breathe and the juices siz-
zle, slightly blackened to perfection.
Let’s put it this way: it was a huge
hit, even vegans slammed them down
— albeit without the frank.
One of the guests was headed to
Club Fed for a federal crime — a
Ponzi scheme in which he netted a
paltry $2 million. Little did we know
at that event as he
chugged down dog
after dog that this,
he felt, was his last
meal before his
departure. I had pur-
chased about 72 hot
dogs and 24 Polish sausages (a mis-
nomer, really, fatter than the hot dogs,
but not a Polish kielbasa as many
know it) — and thought I would have
enough for the 22 guests. Our feloni-
ous friend, however, devoured the hot
dogs with such gusto that other guests
started complaining they weren’t “get-
ting enough Polish.”
He ended up, I think, eating about
eight of the dogs and four of the Pol-
ish. Considering that he wouldn’t be
eating any more for three to fi ve years
was some solace, I liked to think I
gave him something to look back on
as he served his time.
Chicago dogs can do that to peo-
ple. As a kid in the suburbs of Chi-
cago I was a veteran of Stash’s Place,
a pioneer of the genre. These were dif-
ferent than the fl at-dogs you would
get at the Woolworth’s counter on a
buttered bun. Instead, the buns were
soft without being too bready, the
sport peppers sharp and biting and a
little too risqué for a 10-year-old, and
the Polish sausage serving as a tem-
plate for all hot dogs to come.
Since that time I order Chicago
dogs wherever I see that signature sign.
New York didn’t get it
In New York they just didn’t get
it. I don’t think they ever knew how
to do a Chicago dog, and I scoured
the fi ve boroughs and suburbs. I think
their allegiance to the “dirty water”
dog — served in a Sabrett steam
wagon, slathered with sauerkraut and
mustard — was just too great.
In Los Angeles , friends told me
Pinks was the place to go for most
dog-lovers (“Number one in Califor-
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Jim Mudd serves up a culinary classic.
nia”), but frankly, they didn’t really
wow me. Yes, I liked the room on
Sunset, with the old train motif, but
no, it wasn’t a Chicago dog. They
could do Philly Cheesesteaks like
they make in Philadelphia at Great
Western on Venice Boulevard, but the
Chicago dog was not an option.
My son, Sam, took me to Zach’s
Shack on Hawthorne in Portland.
Their Chicago dog is excellent.
Nick’s Coney Island makes “good
dogs,” Sam tells me, but while they
say they do Chicago dogs on their
site, “the ingredients are wrong.
Zach’s is legit.”
I think Tsunami Dog in Seaside
serves the best frank in town, but
while you can get the “Kite-Flyer,”
“Highway 101” and “The Bonfi re,”
the Chi-town connection is lacking.
So that brings me to some good news
for the local hot-dog purist.
Dedicated to Chicago dog
Jim Mudd has dedicated himself
to the Chicago dog. That’s all he sells
at Mudd Dog Stand in Manzanita. Set
back in a courtyard on Laneda near
the beach, Mudd celebrates the Chi-
cago dog with devotion, manning the
cart as his wife Lynn pitches in.
It would be enough for Mudd to
stand proud as the Sears Tower of hot
dogs carts, but he’s got an even loft-
ier side. Mudd is a board member and
co-founder of the Mudd Nick Foun-
dation, a charitable organization for
kids.
Arts and humanities, science, tech-
nology, engineering and math, higher
education and careers, camps, liter-
acy, sports, community, children with
special needs and talented and gifted
— all are supported by the founda-
tion, whose programs are described
as “learning experiences
that stimulate
children to aspire to their greatest
potential and pursue their dreams.”
The foundation supports camp
and after-school programs that don’t
receive tax dollars.
“We founded it 25 years ago,”
Mudd said, over hot dogs.
Mudd and Doug Nicholson, friends
since their days at Oregon State Uni-
versity, decided to start a coed golf
tournament in 1990, which they chris-
tened the Mudd Nick Invitational.
In 2006, the Mudd Nick Founda-
tion was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-
profi t and a board of nine directors
was selected to develop a mission.
Over the last nine years, more than
$1 million has been raised to support
30 to 50 programs every year.
A former Bridgestone executive,
Mudd and his family “moved all over
the coast.”
“When we retired, we came out
here,” he said. “This was my parents’
home. Since this is the last chapter
of my life, I thought what can I do to
help? I thought we could open a hot-
dog stand, a Chicago-deal like I’ve
eaten all my life, and we’d draw peo-
ple in and we’d talk about the Mudd
Nick Foundation.”
It worked. The hot dogs draw peo-
ple in, and Mudd spreads the word.
With international visitors to the c oast,
Mudd has attracted donations from
people around the world. “It’s been a
great ride,” he said.
The Mudd Nick Foundation cel-
ebrates its 27th annual fundraiser
in September. The pre-golf tourna-
ment dinner takes place Sept. 16, fol-
lowed by the foundation’s annual
charity golf tournament at Manzanita
Golf Course. The annual dinner will
be held the next day. They probably
won’t be serving hot dogs.
R.J. Marx is The Daily Astorian’s
South County reporter and editor of
the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach
Gazette.