20 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
History of salmon derbies,
rec fi shing told at museum
PHOTO BY GARY HENLEY
An elm tree crashed onto the roof of the Tillicum House, broadcast home of KMUN, during
2007’s Great Coastal Gale. The tree caused no external damage to the structure and did not
disrupt programming.
NW
word
nerd
By RYAN HUME
radio station, the property
has reportedly served as a
bordello, apartment house
and dental offi ce at times in
the past.
FOR COAST WEEKEND
TILLICUM
[TI•LƏ̇•KƏM]
noun
1. a personal friend in
the singular. In its plural
form, it has a larger sense
of inclusion, meaning com-
munity or people .
2. Tillicum House: an
old Queen Anne Victorian
on 14th Street near the
intersection with Exchange
Street that houses opera-
tions for Coast Community
Radio KMUN 91.9 FM in
Astoria.
The radio station took
over the property in 1987
after it was gifted to the
Tillicum Foundation, the
governing body of local
public broadcasting in the
Lower Columbia region,
by benefactor Helen Patti.
Originally known as the
Trullinger House prior to
the rechristening by the
Origin:
Tillicum — sometimes
spelled as Tilikum, as in
Portland’s latest bridge, Til-
ikum Crossing, on the south
waterfront — is a Chinook
Jargon word meaning
“community” or “people,”
especially as it refers to the
common native peoples of
area tribes as distinguished
from the chiefs and leaders
within those tribes. The Jar-
gon word originates from
the Chinook word, tlxam,
which also means “people.”
The Chinook Jargon
word was often used with a
modifi er to give more spe-
cifi c descriptions, such as
Huloima tillikum, meaning
a stranger; Naika tillikum,
meaning relatives; or Elip
tillikum, which refers to
“the fi rst people.”
“A new radio station
was set to go on the air at
10 a.m. this morning.
Licensed as KCPB 90.9
Warrenton, this low-pow-
ered FM service will
originate from the Coast
Community Radio studios
inside Tillicum House in
Astoria. The transmitter is
co-located with KMUN-
FM’s antenna on Megler
Mountain, just across
the bridge from Astoria
in Pacifi c County, Wash.
Tillicum Foundation, the
nonprofi t membership
corporation that operates
KMUN-FM Astoria and
KTCB-FM Tillamook, will
own and operate this new
station as well.”
— “Water Under the
Bridge: April 20, 2016,”
The Daily Astorian, April
20, 2016
“‘With the help of
Astoria’s own Fort George
Brewery, FARMSTOCK
promises to feature the
best our region can pro-
duce,’ says Tom Hartland,
development director for
the Tillicum Foundation,
non-profi t operator of the
stations of Coast Commu-
nity Radio.”
— “Fort George
becomes FARMSTOCK
sponsor,” The Daily Astori-
an, July 28, 2011 CW
ILWACO, WASH. — A new
exhibition at the Columbia
Pacifi c Heritage Museum
explores the history of “Der-
byville” and the early years of
salmon derbies, recreational
fi shing, and the emergence
of the charter-boat fi shing
industry on the Long Beach
Peninsula.
An opening reception for
“Derby Days: Chasing the
Prize” will be held 5 to 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 4, at the museum
(115 S.E. Lake St.). The ex-
hibition will be on view until
Saturday, Oct. 7.
“Though angling devel-
oped centuries ago, the rise
of recreational fi shing as a
popular pursuit took on a new
dimension in the years after
World War II,” the museum
explained in a release. “Towns
such as Ilwaco and Chinook
began to see new potential in
recreational salmon fi shing as
an opportunity for business
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A boy looks into a salmon’s
mouth in an old Derby Days
photograph.
development.”
Salmon derbies began as a
way to exploit rising interest
in recreational fi shing, the
museum continued. Over
time, other fi shing derbies
took hold on the Peninsula,
including the Surf Perch
Derby and the Black Lake
Fishing Derby.
In the early years, com-
mercial fi shing companies
took sport-fi shing customers
out in their boats. Eventually,
recreational fi shermen arrived
by the hundreds with their
own small boats and launched
right off the shore at what was
called “Derbyville” (between
Point Ellice and McGowan).
Soon, knowledgeable
fi shermen took advantage of
expanding opportunity by
offering charter services.
“Thus emerged the
charter-boat fi shing industry,
which has been a mainstay
of the business landscape
of Ilwaco for decades,” the
museum wrote.
Museum hours are 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday. Admission is free
on Thursdays.
For more information, call
360-642-3446 or visitcolum-
biapacifi cheritagemuseum.
org.
Creative writing workshop focuses
on ‘Faces in Fact and Fiction’
ASTORIA — Author and
publisher Matt Love will
hold a writing and cre-
ative-thinking workshop
called “Faces in Fact and
Fiction” from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, in
a private Astoria home. The
class costs $65 and will cap
at 15 participants.
Love will guide partic-
ipants through a series of
face-themed writing prompts
generated from short read-
ings, visual images, objects
and discussion.
“Writers make use of
faces all the time in their
screenplays, songs, poetry,
fi ction, essays, commentary
and memoirs,” Love wrote.
“They are an essential ingre-
dient to the creative process
and exploring the contours
of humanity. Moreover, one
sublime or excruciating face
can be the launching point
for an entire literary project,
double live album or adopt-
ing a dog on a whim!”
The writer can respond to
the prompts with fi ction, non-
fi ction or whatever direction
he or she chooses.
“I think the workshop will
help writers and perhaps even
musicians and visual artists
dig deep into the meaning of
faces in their lives and art,”
Love said.
Participants will pay at the
beginning of the workshop.
Scholarships are also avail-
able. To register, email nestuc-
caspitpress@gmail.com
Love is the publisher of
Nestucca Spit Press. He’s
the author/editor of 17 books
about Oregon. He’s also
taught writing workshops at
Portland State University,
University of Oregon, Pacifi c
University, Clackamas Com-
munity College and the Sitka
Center for Art and Ecology. In
2009, Love won the Oregon
Literary Arts’ Stewart H.
Holbrook Literary Legacy
Award for his contributions to
Oregon history and literature.
Participants will pay at
the beginning of the work-
shop. Scholarships are also
available. To register, email
nestuccaspitpress@gmail.
com