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THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
AN ORNAMENT
fter building his mansion on the corner of Eighth
Street in Astoria in 1886, the June 24, 1887, edition
of The Daily Astorian mentions the southwest corner of
Main (Ninth Street) and Chenamus (Marine Drive) streets
was to be “graced by a brick building to be erected there
by Capt. George Flavel,” three stories high, and expected
to be “an ornament to the city.”
If such a building was erected in 1887, it was more
than likely destroyed in the 1922 fi re. B ut in 1924, another
brick structure was built by the Flavel family on the same
block, facing Commercial Street, the M&N Building.
In 1887, the captain was also busy fi nishing construc-
tion of his enormous wharf at Tansy Point in Warrenton.
It was 900 feet long, had a warehouse on it, and it had a
T on the end that was 150 feet long by 60 feet wide. It
cost $6,000 ($170,000 now) to build. Flavel died in 1893,
before the Flavel Hotel was built there.
But that wasn’t all. He owned 600 acres in the War-
renton area, initially mostly on tidal land. He and sev-
eral other men, including D.K. Warren (Warrenton’s
namesake), by constructing an extensive diking system,
expected to reclaim more than 2,000 acres of tidal lands
that summer.
When Flavel died, at home in his mansion, he was
worth about $2 million ($60 million now). He is buried at
Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton.
HE SERVED WELL
A
SAD VIGNETTE
sad vignette appeared in The Daily Astorian, June
24, 1884:
Last Thursday o ffi cer Carlson’s attention was attracted
by a woman on Flavel’s wharf who was crying pite-
ously and who, on being questioned, said that her hus-
band, whose name is Dodson, had abused her and refused
to support her and her children.
It appears that he has been working at Grays Harbor,
and some time ago sent to her at Rainier to come down,
that he was going to work across the river. She sold all her
little eff ects and came down on Tuesday, but he refused to
have anything to do with her.
Offi cers Carlson and Vaughn exerted themselves in
her behalf and raised about $65 ($1,785 now) which was
given the poor woman who was thus deserted by her hus-
band. She had three children, the eldest of whom is not
more than 7 years old.
She left for Rainier yesterday morning, where she hoped
to be able to make a living for herself and her little ones.
Note: The generous donation probably got her off to a
fi ne start; rent would likely have been $4 to $10 monthly,
and food $100 to $300 annually. (historymatters.gmu.
edu/d/5754)
ttention local history buff s: The Knappton Cove Her-
itage Center, across the river in Knappton, Washing-
ton, has started producing short informative videos about
the history of the former quarantine station. So far, there
are four episodes.
Episode 1, “First Documented History at Knappton
Cove,” introduces Knappton Cove, and talks about the
trade beads found there, and why the area was once labeled
Todd’s Bay on maps.
Episode 2, “Westward Migration,” covers the fi rst
permanent residents of Knappton Cove, Job and Sarah
Lamley, and canned salmon labels from the Knappton
Cove cannery. A screenshot from this episode is shown.
Episode 3, “Protecting the Port!” discusses immigra-
tion and disease, and how the Columbia River Quaran-
tine Station came to be.
The most recent is Episode 4, “Digging Into the Past!,”
which talks about the archaeology of Knappton Cove.
You can watch them all at bit.ly/YTKnappton and get a
nice history fi x in the bargain.
A
n June 16, at 11:15 a.m., I pedaled away from the
Pacifi c Ocean at Fort Stevens State Park, just
northwest of Astoria,” Mike Myers, of Marshfi eld, Mas-
sachusetts, posted on Facebook. “Cross Country For A
Cure For ALS has offi cially begun!”
He will end his fundraising journey in August, when he
reaches home in Marshfi eld.
The 52-year-old, who describes himself as a “lifelong
bicycle adventurer,” has a noteworthy Facebook travel
blog, updated daily, loaded with photos and videos docu-
menting his adventures, at bit.ly/Myers4ALS
Myers was inspired to do this fundraiser by his
co-worker Leo Cooney, who has been suff ering with amy-
otrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal progressive neurodegen-
erative disease, for four years.
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s d isease) causes “the
gradual loss of muscle movement, (including for) speech,
swallowing, and, eventually, breathing,” according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Raising awareness, and funds, to advance research
for a cure, and to help with care for those affl icted with
ALS, are Myers’ goals. You can donate at give.classy.org/
CrossCountryForACure
“This isn’t about Mike Myers, a bicycle, or even the
4,000 miles,” he wrote. “This is about ALS, and what we
can do as a team to help those aff ected by this horrible
disease.”
‘O
un rerun: On June 21, 1942, a Japanese I-25 subma-
rine snuck close to the Oregon C oast through a fi sh-
ing fl eet, to avoid minefi elds, then fi red its 5.5-inch deck
gun at Fort Stevens, without even taking aim.
Fortunately, the only damage to the fort from the shell-
ing was to the backstop of the baseball diamond. The inci-
dent also created some craters on the beach and marshes
around Battery Russell. Some even say a shell or two even
landed in Coff enbury Lake. If so, they’re still there.
Other minor casualties were a nicked power line, and a
soldier who cut his head while rushing to his battle station.
Fort Stevens did not fi re back, as the fort’s commander
didn’t want to give away their location.
A photo of Paul F. Laughman, shown, was posted on
Facebook by his son, Thomas Laughman. His father is
holding a piece of shrapnel and standing in one of the cra-
ters, about 100 yards southwest of big gun No. 12 at Bat-
tery Russell, shortly after the bombing.
“My father came to the West as a member of the Civil-
ian Conservation Corps from Ohio,” Thomas explained.
“(He) was trained and served at Fort Stevens as a gun-
nery aide at Battery Russell, but mostly laid mines in the
river to prevent Japanese ships from entering. He worked
in the cold Columbia River. He was young and strong and
did his job without complaint, as our entire life in the U.S.
was at risk.
“When the war ended, he was a civil servant with
b ase Astoria, Tongue Point, and serviced the (U.S.) Coast
Guard cutters and tenders,” Thomas continued. “He also
serviced the lighthouses on the Oregon C oast for many
years. He died at age 90, in 2008. He was a proud man
and a great father. He served his country well, and raised
12 children.”
To quote Paul Harvey, “Now you know the rest of the
story.” (historylink.org/File/7217) (In One Ear, 6/21/2013)
G
ASTORIA
CINNAMON
TOAST
A
COVE CHRONICLES
‘THIS IS ABOUT ALS’
am a Nevada resident who grew
up having Astoria Cinnamon
Toast and coff ee for breakfast with my
grandfather and my father,” Kathryn
Ostrom-Hovore, of Sparks, Nevada,
recalled.
“Whenever grandpa came for a visit,
he would bring tins and tins of Astoria
Cinnamon Toast. He would send us tins,
and later boxes, for every holiday, if he
wasn’t coming for a visit.
“When grandpa died, my cousin con-
tinued to send Astoria Cinnamon Toast.
When my family was gone, I started
ordering it from the bakery every Christ-
mas for my family. I stopped ordering it
when my kids all left home and moved
away to start their own lives.
“I was reminiscing with my kids
about our Christmas traditions, as they
are all coming home for Christmas this
year. They asked if we could have Asto-
ria Cinnamon Toast.
“So, here I am trying to fi nd it, only
to fi nd that the bakery that made it is
closed.”
A longtime local favorite, the treat
was from Home Baking Co., which
closed in 2019, after 109 years in busi-
ness. The bakery’s secret recipe is not
available online.
“Do you know if there is anywhere
that makes Astoria Cinnamon Toast?”
Kathryn asked. “Your help is greatly
appreciated.”
If you know the answer, please con-
tact the Ear at ewilson@dailyastorian.
com or 971-704-1718.
‘I
GONE GARGOYLES
n June 15, between 1 and 3 p.m., my gargoyle, Vern
(pictured), was taken from my front porch at 1080
Valley St.,” Erik Forrey wrote.
“The zip ties and chain that held him in place were cut;
some blood was left on the porch from doing this,” Forrey
continued.
Astoria police o ffi cer Dayna Groder took a report.
“I purchased Vern from Gargoyles in Seattle in 2017. He
is a unique and somewhat irreplaceable item. He was a fl oor
or display item. I have not seen another one like him either
online or in any store. I think he was a prototype of some
sort. He is constructed of polymer, not concrete, suited for
outdoors.
“This is the second gargoyle I have had stolen from my
front porch. The fi rst was Fred (pictured, inset), a grotesque/
hobgoblin. Sometime on the night of Feb. 23, 2019, between
11 p.m and 7 a.m., he was taken from my porch. It is still
unsolved,” Forrey said.
O ffi cer Andrew Randall took a report about Fred.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of either Vern or Fred,
please either contact the Astoria Police Department or just
drop the gargoyles back off at Erik’s house. He misses them.
“Astoria is a place I decided to move from Seattle because
I like the vibe the town has,” Erik added, “and the quality of
life here is much better than in big cities.”
‘O
SURPRISED AND EXCITED
he North Coast got some countrywide attention
recently, the Tillamook Headlight Herald reported,
when ABC News’ “Good Morning America” came to
Rockaway Beach to check out the Oregon Coast Scenic
Railroad for a story about Oregon’s pandemic recovery.
Filming was June 15, when the eight-person camera
crew arrived for a special run from Rockaway Beach to
Garibaldi and back. The crew was especially impressed by
the McCloud 25 engine, which has been in several mov-
ies, and the “breathtaking views.” You can see the video at
bit.ly/GMAsteamtrain; the train segment is at about 3:20
minutes. A screenshot is shown.
“We were certainly surprised and excited,” Carla
Lyman, of the railroad, said, “at the thought of being
included in something on the national level.”
T