Learning what lies below the sea
Maritime museum to
debut summer exhibits
BY RAY GARCIA
The Columbia River Maritime Museum
has announced its newest exhibits for sum-
mer: “Ocean Odyssey” and “Shipwrecks!”
The “Ocean Odyssey” documentary
will take viewers on a deep dive into ocean
waters, following a migration of hump-
back whales as they travel to their feeding
grounds. The short feature fi lm premiered at
the museum on June 1.
“We’re careful to select fi lms that aren’t
playing in the shortened form within a 100-
mile radius, so (attendees) can travel to
Astoria from Portland or from other local
cities with a great option for their families
or by themselves,” said Blue Anderson, the
museum’s store manager.
For the “Shipwrecks!” exhibit, museum
patrons will get to learn local shipwreck his-
tory, how people explored those wrecks;
and the development of technologies that
helps humans better understand the context
and impact of shipwrecks.
Curator Jeff Smith said the theme will be
a permanent addition to the Columbia River
Maritime Museum. However, the objects
and stories in the exhibit will change over
time, as the museum gains more informa-
tion and develops its materials.
“It’s part of our maritime heritage here
in the Pacifi c Northwest,” Smith said. “It’s
critical to the story of the Graveyard of the
Pacifi c, which is the mouth of the Colum-
bia River.”
The Graveyard of the Pacifi c is the
name given to the Columbia River Bar
area, which some have deemed one of the
most dangerous bar crossings in the world.
More than 2,000 vessels and ships have
sunk there over 200 years, according to the
museum.
The exhibits
Gracing the museum’s big screen for the
fi rst time, “Ocean Odyssey” will be dis-
played in the 3D theater.
“The 3D eff ect gives the viewer a real,
up-close look at the vast array of sea life
that thrive in our local ocean waters, as well
as around the world,” Anderson said.
Apart from taking viewers along a 2,000-
mile migration, from the Great Barrier
Reef to the feeding grounds in Antarctica,
Kids look at one of the museum’s exhibits.
See Page 7
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An upcoming museum exhibit will include information about local shipwrecks, like the Peter
Iredale.
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