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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, July 1, 2021
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
A GLORIOUS FOURTH
n the “Glorious Fourth of July,” the July 3, 1890,
edition of The Daily Morning Astorian declared
that “Astoria will celebrate in grand style, and wants
neighboring towns and cities to join in.”
Big doings were afoot, starting with a wake-up
13-gun salute at sunrise and a Grand Parade at 10 a.m.,
followed by an oration, readings and patriotic music. At
noon, the “National Salute of 42 guns” was followed by
lunch.
Afterward, there was a Fat Man’s Race up Main
Street for a purse of $10 (about $296 now) followed
by a Tender Race on Water Street (Commercial Street),
a 200-yard Footrace for Firemen, a Boys’ Footrace, a
prize baseball match and finally, a 100-yard foot race for
a $25 prize (about $740 now).
Strangely, the 5 p.m. Walking Tight Rope over the
water was only worth a $5 prize. And, of course, there
was a “Grand display of Fireworks,” followed by a
“Ball at the Opera House.”
Businesses were expected to be festively decorated,
and the townsfolk spruced up their property.
As the editor noted: “It is gratifying to know that the
coming Fourth has power sufficient to induce people to
change the location of their woodpile from the street,
where it does not belong, but has been kept, to the rear
of the house, where it does belong, but has not been
kept.”
Harumph.
At the end of such a hectic day, a dose of
Pfunder’s Kidney and Liver Regulator was available
at the local pharmacy to ensure a speedy recovery.
Or not.
A CHEERFUL PIONEER
O
CASTING CALL
esy Rae Buhl, of casting agency Cargo & Buhl, posted
on the Astoria Oregon Virtual Bulletin Board Facebook
page that a feature film, called “Untitled Road Trip Proj-
ect” (until someone comes up with a title), is casting Asto-
ria locals for a beach party scene, which will be filmed in
mid-July.
They are looking for young adults to play the partygo-
ers, in what is the final scene of the film. Casting is open
to all genders, ethnicities and walks of life, and all roles
are paid. Other parts are also available at cargobuhl.com/
oregon
The film summary is: “Four teenagers from the Pacific
Northwest run away from home and set off on an impro-
visational odyssey in search of hope, opportunity and
adventure.”
Interested? Text Jesy Buhl your name, age, hometown
and a photo or selfie to 504-233-0016 or email cargobuhl-
casting@gmail.com
J
LOCAL BREVITIES
rom The Daily Astorian, July 1, 1890:
• There are 10,000 people residing on this
peninsula.
Note: Well, nope, that’s a rather huge overestimate
according to the 1890 census, which says the number is
actually 6,184 — up from 1803 in 1880, and 639 in 1870.
• Now is a good time for Upper Astoria to come into
the Astoria corporation and be a part of the city in name
as well as fact.
Note: The road from Astoria to Upper Astoria was
completed in 1878, connecting the two cities, ending their
three-decade rivalry and separate post offices.
In 1891, the corporate limits of Astoria were changed
to include Uppertown, making the merger of the two cit-
ies official.
• An illustration of what is sometimes called “luck” is
instanced in the fortunes of Purser Downing …
He happened to be put on the Idaho on the Alaska
route. About two years ago he, with four others, put $125
(about $3,700 today) in a venture in the shape of what
was believed to be a gold mine.
Last week the five sold their mine for $2.5 million,
gold coin; Downing’s share is $500,000 (about $14.8 mil-
lion now) … That may or may not be luck, but it looks
very much like what some folks would deem luck. (bit.ly/
AstoriaPop, tinyurl.com/upperasto).
F
rom The Daily Astorian, July 1, 1888, a snarky tidbit:
“A cheerful pioneer has just passed away at
Eddyville. He was the founder of the town, which consists
of two houses, his cabin and a post office.
“For years, this strange man slept
in his own coffin, and there he
died. He had also performed
the task of selecting his own
burial spot, and if he had
time, he would have dug his
own grave. He now sleeps
in his coffin day and night.”
Eddyville, an unin-
corporated community in
Lincoln County, is about
19 miles east of New-
port, where Little Elk Creek
and the Yaquina River meet.
Founder Israel Fisk Eddy, who
was well-known for his eccentric-
ities, was actually very much alive.
As an example: The post office, which was estab-
lished in 1868, was originally in a town named Little Elk,
after the creek. Eddy moved it away from the creek and
renamed it.
Actually, he moved the post office and renamed it sev-
eral times, to the dismay of many, before finally deciding
on a permanent spot near the mouth of the creek around
1900, and permanent name, Eddyville.
And, aside from his post office fixation: “Israel Eddy
was a man of generous size and remarkable strength who,
on more than one occasion, seized brawlers by the neck
and dunked them into the horse trough,” one account says.
“In 1908, at the wedding of a local young lady, he
appeared with a coonskin cap and ear trumpet and regaled
the assembly with the story of how he recovered from the
flu by drinking a swig of piano polish mistaken for his
medicine. Eddy died in 1911 at age 87.” He’s buried in the
Eddyville Cemetery.
As Mark Twain would say, the report of Eddy’s death
was “an exaggeration.” (bit.ly/eddyville, bit.ly/eddyville1)
F
WHERE’S BILL DODGE?
SALPS ASHORE
alking along the shoreline, you might come across
some of these guys,” Tiffany Boothe, of the Sea-
side Aquarium, wrote. “They are a species of salp called,
salpa fusiformis.” Her photo is shown.
“This species of salp can grow to 1.5 inches in length
… They often undergo daily vertical migrations coming
up to the surface at night, and diving down to over 1,600
feet during the day … Typically found offshore, occasional
nearshore swarms do occur, like right now.”
Salps are tunicates, which belong to the same phylum
as vertebrates.
“Though as adults they do not have a backbone,” she
explained, “developing larvae possess a tail, a dorsal nerve
cord and a dorsal stiffening structure called the notochord;
because of this, tunicates are thought to be more closely
related to vertebrates, such as fish and people.”
“They move by means of jet propulsion,” Tiffany added,
“and feeding is accomplished by pumping plankton-laden
water through the body, where a mucous net is used to
extract food particles. They can be found individually or in
large aggregations consisting of millions of individuals.”
‘W
KUDOS TO THE COAST
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
un rerun: The Ear trusts that something like
this headline won’t happen here on the North Coast:
“Man rescued after getting head stuck between jetty
rocks …”
Yes, it’s true, and it happened in Narragansett, Rhode
Island, according to WJAR, who provided the screenshot
shown.
While on the jetty, the man dropped his phone; when
he bent over to pick it up, he got stuck in the rocks up
to his chest. The tide was coming in, so time was of the
essence.
How did the firefighters get him un-stuck? Air bags
might have shifted the rocks, so they got creative and
used olive oil. It took 2.5 hours, but it worked.
The man is fine, and all of his body parts are intact. His
dignity, not so much. (In One Ear, 9/30/2016)
F
any have been wondering where beloved local art-
ist Bill W. Dodge — whose colorful folk art paint-
ings and of Astoria scenes grace the walls of several local
homes — has been these last few years. The answer is:
Right here on the North Coast, in Warrenton. And yes, he
is still painting.
But he is also well-known outside our area. Did you
know that cruise boat travelers see his work aboard Queen
of the West? One of his original paintings is hanging
aboard.
When asked, he also told the Ear that several celebrities
own his original works, including Maureen Reagan, for-
mer President Ronald Reagan’s daughter; opera great Bev-
erly Sills; Broadway Tony winner Dorothy Loudon; and
Ruth Warrick of “All My Children’’ and Orson Welles’
“Citizen Kane” fame.
One of his paintings hangs in the famous Manhattan
restaurant, Sardi’s. In 1988, he was invited to the White
House to bring a painted wooden egg for the annual Eas-
ter Egg Roll. His egg is now in the Smithsonian collec-
tion of wooden eggs.
Keep your eyes open, as he will soon announce an
exhibit introducing a series of signed early works, quite
unlike his highly detailed Astoria series, at the Angi D.
Wildt Gallery at 106 10th St. Many of these prints have
never been exhibited before, including a metal sandwich
box, “the very first thing” he ever painted, in 1961.
Before becoming an artist, “I started out wanting to be a
movie star,” he recalled. “After all, I was born in a Char-
lie Chaplin’s movie studio, where my dad was a member
of the electrical crew.”
Good thing for all of us, who so enjoy his work, that
he chose painting, instead. To be continued next week …
M
arlin Rasky wrote in to mention that Bravo’s
“Top Chef” filmed an episode in Cannon Beach,
and a few properties were “prominently featured.” A photo
(No. 1) of the chefs is from the show’s Instagram page.
“The cheftestants stayed at the popular Surfsand
Resort … ,” he said. “They also enjoyed some brews from
local spot Public Coast Brewing. The Elimination Chal-
lenge took place at Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge.”
The “Shellfishly Delicious” episode aired June 24.
• SaltLine Hotel is one of the “13 Amazing Asian
American-owned Hotels in the U.S.” by Travel + Leisure.
The hotel opened in July 2020. “… Co-Owner and
Managing Director, Masudur Khan … continues his mis-
sion of consistent commitment to excellent hospitality …”
The photo (No. 2), is courtesy of SaltLine Hotel.
• In Willamette Week, Andi Prewitt wrote such a love
letter about Astoria spots and sights in “36 Hours of Rid-
ing the Waves in Astoria,” there’s just not enough space to
mention them all. Following her lead sounds appealing.
• C