1973 — Survey crews from Cornell, Howland, Hayes, Merryfield and Hill at work mapping the Clatsop Plains area as part of a study to develop a regional sewage collection and treatment plant.

10 years ago this week — 2013

There’s a Ghadar political party memorial in India.

There’s also one in San Francisco.

But in Oregon, the birthplace of the Ghadarites, there is nothing to symbolize the party that sparked the movement to free India from British rule.

That is, until now.

The Ghadar party was born in the Finnish Socialist Hall of Astoria, which was burned down in 1923, but stood where the Dunes Motel stands today. They gathered there because the Finnish socialists stood for the freedom of self-rule, something the Indians badly wanted to achieve.

On Saturday, Astorians gathered at the Maritime Memorial Park with other Oregonians, Americans and Canadians of Indian descent to ensure that place is never forgotten, as the centennial celebration in the city was underway.

“It might not seem fast enough for the locals, but I’m blown away by the progress here,” said Peggy Moretti, the executive director of Restore Oregon, the co-sponsor of the 2013 Oregon Main Street Conference.

“This has become a happening place.”

That was a common sentiment among attendees as Astoria and its Downtown Historic District Association took centerstage for this year’s Oregon Main Street Conference last week. The event was organized by Sheri Stuart, of the State Historic Preservation Office.

“I’m really proud of what Astoria has done, and what the downtown association has done, to revitalize and energize not just the beauty of Astoria, but the population of people and merchants downtown,” said Dulcye Taylor, president of the downtown association. “We get accolades from people who have fresh eyes and haven’t seen Astoria for 10 or five years.”

More than 200 people on the public and private sides of downtown development descended on Astoria Wednesday through Friday to learn more about how to develop, preserve, market, organize, fund and otherwise drive their own downtown development.

Ranald MacDonald, an Astoria native born at Fort George, landed on the Japanese island of Rishiri 165 years ago and became the first English teacher in Japan.

This month, two students from Rishiri Public High School visited Astoria to improve their English skills and understanding of MacDonald’s birthplace. They departed today for other locations in Washington state before heading back to Japan.

Tatsuya Koujiya and Yuuki Komatsu, both 16, arrived in Astoria Oct. 6 with their principal, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto.

“The purpose of it is to encourage the students to learn English and nurture international-minded youth,” said Masaru Yatabe, chairman of the 25-year-old Friends of MacDonald and host and interpreter for the students during their visit.

The Garden of Surging Waves is coming along nicely with completion on schedule for the end of November, City Manager Paul Benoit said.

But although community members may see a lack of substantial activity on the site right now, things will start picking up shortly as the behind-the-scenes work comes forward.

50 years ago — 1973

Dredging should continue another three weeks at the Port of Astoria, bringing both its slips to a water depth of between 35 to 38 feet and removing, at least for now, problems of ships running aground while taking on cargo.

Assistant Port Manager Ray Holbrook said some 100,000 cubic yards of dredge spoils have been clammed out of the port’s two slips so far. He added that represents slightly more than three-quarters of the job.

Dredging will continue in slip one, which is nearest the grain elevator and possibly on the face or riverside of Pier 2. Dredge spoils are being taken by bottom dump barge and disposed in a water dump area in the lower Columbia River.

At least 40 Astoria businesses, including motels, restaurants and convenience stores, have been named as violating Gov. McCall’s ban against display lighting, the Oregon Energy Information Center claimed today.

The center added that compliance with the ban in Astoria has improved tremendously during the past week.

PORTLAND — Spokesmen for 10 Oregon cities, including Astoria, said Thursday the state of Oregon should encourage and possibly subsidize intrastate commuter airline service.

City spokesmen voiced their concern at a Portland news conference because they said cities faced ever shrinking air service.

Gradual abandonment of air service between Portland and smaller communities in Oregon may undermine the state’s new mandate to disperse new industrial expansion outside the Willamette Valley, the spokesmen added.

SEASIDE — Ed Whelan, director of the Oregon State Division of Economic Development, charged here last night that the people and organizations that are trying to prevent construction of an aluminum plant at Warrenton are guilty of environmental overkill.

He said nobody has proved that fluoride emissions from an aluminum plant have injured an individual. He scoffed at claims that water discharged by an aluminum plant is contaminated.

He noted that although Reynolds Aluminum Co. was sued for alleged damage to animals caused by fluoride emissions from its Troutdale plant, natural activity continued there.

He said a plant built by American Metal Climax Co. at Warrenton would have much stricter emission standards than the Reynolds plant. He predicted the plant would have more safeguards than any aluminum plant ever has had.

Bumble Bee Seafood Co. announced today it will expand its shrimping operations in South American waters as a result of a joint venture between its parent corporation and the government of Suriname, formerly Dutch Guiana.

The venture involves formation of a new company, which will acquire and operate 20 new shrimp trawlers.

The agreement was applauded by Bumble Bee Seafood Co. officials because shrimp is the largest-selling seafood item in the United States in terms of dollars.

HAMMOND — Smokers, beware when you pass through the town of Hammond.

Mayor Rich Carruthers and his crew don’t like their air fouled with tobacco tars.

At a town council meeting Wednesday, smoking was banned at all future official Hammond government sessions. The council, with not a smoker among its members, passed the ban without dissent.

75 years ago — 1948

Elaborate observance of Navy Day, Oct. 27, is being planned here.

Tommy Luke, chairman of Oregon’s Navy League, has designated Brewer Billie as chairman of a committee to whip up a program for the day in Astoria.

The U.S. Navy is sending a submarine, the Sea Fox, from Honolulu to Astoria for the day.

Personnel of Tongue Point Naval Station will participate in the observance and an open house at the naval station is expected to be on the program.

A runaway truck that broke loose on 14th Street Saturday afternoon narrowly missed other cars, but wound up traveling a block. It caused major damage only to itself.

The truck, owned by Fred A. Alfonzo, was parked near his residence. It broke loose at 4:15 p.m. from its parking place on the west side of 14th Street and traveled down the street across Jerome Avenue.

Then, swerving across the street, it went to the east side of 14th Street and traveled down the street across Jerome Avenue.

Then, swerving across the street, it went to the east sidewalk of 14th Street and sideswiped another truck parked at the curb. The owner of this truck reported that his vehicle was slightly damaged.

After striking the second truck, the runaway blew a tire and swerved into Parker Way, missing other vehicles parked on 14th Street. It came to rest at the entrance of Parker Way. Its left side was considerably damaged.

Gabriel Franchere, the young clerk with the John Jacob Astor expedition of 1811 whose narrative has become the most famous account of that expedition to be found in Astoria, has a grandson living in Lake Crystal, Minnesota, who reads the Astorian-Budget.

This information was disclosed by a letter through this newspaper from Mr. Walter S. Jones, of Lake Crystal, asking for five copies of the Astorian-Budget of Sept. 22 that contained an account of the Oregon historical exhibit in the Library of Congress.

“I saw a copy of this article tonight in the home of Dr. and Mr. Frederick W. Franchere, the latter being a great-grandson of the fur trader, Gabriel Franchere, about whom the article is written,” Mrs. Jones wrote.

“It might interest you to know that the Francheres have on display in their home the silver medal given to Gabriel Franchere, the fur trader, by John Jacob Astor.”

Clatsop County communities were well represented at ceremonies Friday at Banks marking the formal opening of the completed Sunset Highway to traffic.

Between 300 and 400 people from communities along the route, from Portland to Astoria, turned out for the celebration, staged by the Sunset Chamber of Commerce, of Banks, under a bright, sunny sky.

The ceremony was held at Davis overpass, just north of Banks. The feature event was the sawing in two of a big log across the highway. All 400 people took turns at sawing and when the log was cut, all helped roll it off the highway.