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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2019)
4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies, recreation, personalities, travel & more In Their Footsteps: Discover Oregon’s oldest-known shipwreck Manila Galleon at sea by Roger D. Morris ASTORIA — The next In Their Footsteps free speaker series event is “Oregon’s Old- est Known Shipwreck: A Spanish Galleon of 1693,” by Cameron La Follette, is 1 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at Fort Clat- sop in the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. It has long been known that a large ship, probably Spanish, wrecked on Nehalem Spit centuries ago. Recently an archaeological team (the Beeswax Wreck Project) determined it was most likely Manila trade of which the Santo Cristo de the Santo Cristo de Burgos, which left the Burgos was a part. Philippines in 1693 This talk will sum- bound for Acapulco, marize these archival and was never seen findings, the native again. traditions about the La Follette and Cameron La shipwreck, and the her team of indepen- Follette dent researchers then 150-year aftermath of spearheaded research treasure-hunting in the into Spanish, Philippine and Neahkahnie area that the gal- leon wreck ignited. Mexican archival sources La Follette was the lead that revealed for the first time author on most of the articles information about Capt. Iñi- guez del Bayo, the crew, the in the Summer 2018 issue of cargo, the ship and the fabled Oregon Historical Quarterly, “Oregon’s Manila Galleon.” She is the director of Oregon Coast Alliance, a coastal con- servation organization. She is also lead author of “Sus- tainability and the Rights of Nature: An Introduction.” These programs are held in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center and are free of charge. For more information, call the park at 503-861-2471, check out www.nps.gov/lewi, or Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on Facebook. Wickie Weekend! A celebration of Pacific Coast lighthouse keepers ASTORIA — Head over to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive, this weekend where they will shed some light on our area lighthouses and their keepers. From noon-1 p.m. Satur- day, May 18, attend “Light- houses for Kids” (ages 5-10 accompanied by an adult). Join the museum’s educa- tion staff in a fun presenta- tion on why we have light- houses. All participants will leave with a working model of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. From 2-3 p.m., join Debra Baldwin of Light- house Digest for “Light- house Keeper Tales of the Pacific Coast: Humor, Heartache and Heroism.” At 11 a.m. Sunday, May 19, there is a U.S. Coast Guard grave marker place- ment ceremony honoring Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Head Keeper Robert Gerlof at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. Since 2011, Light- house Digest, a Maine- based national publication, has been sponsoring grave marker placement ceremo- nies across the United States to honor U.S. Lighthouse Service and U.S. Coast Guard keepers and person- nel. Participants will include personnel from USCG Sec- tor Columbia River, Aids to Navigation Team Astoria and the Marine Safety Unit Portland. Robert Gerlof of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse from 1903 to 1928 Debra Baldwin of Lighthouse Digest Lighthouse Keeper Robert Gerlof Robert Gerlof was one of the most famous lighthouse keepers on the Pacific Coast. He served at Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, arguably the most difficult lighthouse assign- ment in the history of the service, for 25 years from 1903 to 1928, the last 10 of which as head keeper. Keeper Gerlof had no family and it was often said that the lighthouse was wife and children to him. He was extremely dedicated and never wanted to leave the light, even to the point of requesting upon his death to be put in a special weighted bag “slide me off the West side of the Rock, you know, where it is the steepest as I always want to be near the Rock.” Of the 115 known keepers that served during the 76-year history of Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Robert Gerlof is most deserving of this honor, not only because he served there the longest, but for his unwavering commitment to duty and deep love of the rock as his only home.
