10 years ago this week — 2014

It took nine years to complete, but Saturday closed a dark chapter of Astoria history to fix a decadeslong mistake.

The Garden of Surging Waves, a Chinese Astorian commemorative park, officially opened to the public, following a morning ceremony which hosted leaders, community members, donors and the Chinese Americans who can still remember a time when the Chinese were treated like second-class citizens.

“Astoria, Oregon, is going to get just a little bit better today,” Mayor Willis Van Dusen said. “What we are doing today is dedicating a beautiful park that tells a story. It is a story of the American pioneers that came here from China to make Astoria and the Northwest a better place to live. The story was never told properly, in fact I think intentionally, the story of the contribution of the Chinese Americans.

“It was a mistake it wasn’t told and we’re correcting that now with our bicentennial gift.”

After a very long day Monday, Astoria native Paul Rummell and partner Ben West spoke of the victory for equality in the state of Oregon. The Portland couple were plaintiffs in the lawsuit ruled on by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane overturning Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Monday’s ruling was a “tremendous victory for our state in pursuing marriage equality,” Rummell said. “This is the 18th state now that recognizes same-sex marriage. It is a huge, huge victory for equality.”

On Friday, the U.S. naval vessel Howard O. Lorenzen passed by Astoria, across the Columbia River Bar and out into the Pacific Ocean to conduct missions for the U.S. Air Force. The Lorenzen, a missile range instrumentation ship, tracks missile launches and weapon tests carried out around the world.

Military Sealift Command operates the Lorenzen, commanded by Capt. James White, an Air Force space officer. It weighs 12,642 tons, stretches 534 feet and widens to a beam of 89 feet.

It is manned by a combined crew of 88 sailors and civilian mariners and hosts embarked military and civilian technicians from other U.S. government agencies.

REDMOND — One of the most successful sports programs at Seaside High School has always been boys golf.

And just to keep themselves up to par, so to speak, the Gulls will add another state championship banner to the gymnasium, as Seaside won the Class 4A boys golf state title Tuesday at Eagle Crest Ridge Course in Redmond.

The Gulls stopped in Sisters for dinner on their way home, and the “State Champs” title hadn’t quite hit them.

“They’re still absorbing it,” said Seaside coach Jim Poetsch. “There’s some big smiles around the table right now.”

50 years ago — 1974

Twelve American fishery representatives, including several U.S. Coast Guard officers, “overstayed their leave” aboard a big Soviet stern trawler at the mouth of the Columbia River Tuesday.

The human cargo was picked up finally by a Coast Guard vessel out of Cape Disappointment, near Ilwaco, Washington, after the Soviet vessel was given permission to steam within 2 miles of Ilwaco where waters were calm. Permission came from the Coast Guard commandant in Washington, D.C.

It was Mother Nature and not the Russians that held the 12 Americans hostage until about 6:15 p.m., when they were transferred off the 278-foot Posyet. High waves and stormy weather kept the group shipbound some three to four hours beyond their scheduled departure.

The Americans on the Soviet trawler were designated to spend some time aboard the Soviet vessel to observe its fishing gear and catch under bilateral agreements worked out between the Soviet Union and United States in recent years.

Their saga began Monday morning just off Coos Bay, where they boarded the Posyet. It was to have ended by mid-afternoon in Astoria, but high-level red tape by both governments canceled the planned historic voyage to Astoria by a Soviet fishing vessel.

Until further notice, commercial fishing on the main stem of the Columbia River has been banned by Oregon and Washington fisheries agencies.

In addition, the Oregon Wildlife Commission has indicated it will follow the lead of Washington and impose a ban on sports fishing, resulting in a total shutdown of fishing on the Columbia main strem.

The Fish Commission of Oregon and the Washington Department of Fisheries, meeting jointly in Portland Tuesday, decided to place an emergency ban on fishing in order to protect the severely endangered spring Chinook salmon run.

WARRENTON — “It wasn’t one of our better meetings,” City Manager Dick Baldwin said of a chaotic City Commission session Monday, which didn’t seem to solve any problems.

The big issues involving the Skipanon River — one concerning a controversial bridge and the other two disputed islands — were discussed but not decided. The discussion came close to getting out of hand at times.

In addition to long and loud wrangling over the river, there were heated words exchanged over the city’s insistence mobile homes stay in mobile home parks.

This issue wasn’t solved, either, at least not to the satisfaction of the person complaining.

As usual, local landowner Herb Palmberg brought up the waterway issues. He ran through the reasons he favors a better bridge now and why he wants to use two upriver islands he claims he owns.

75 years ago — 1949

Fire season started officially Sunday, May 15, in Clatsop County forests.

Gates of steel railroad rails clanged shut on highway entrances of most forest roads in the county and state law imposed burning permits on all persons wanting to build fires in forest areas of the county.

LONG BEACH, Wash. — Between 25,000 and 30,000 people were here over the weekend to participate in a clam festival that attracted clam lovers from all over the Northwest.

Four tons of clams served both in chowder and fried, were consumed Saturday and Sunday by the throngs who came to eat clams and enjoy the contests and festivities that marked the annual event.

Wellington Marsh, who officiated at clam cooking operations, reported that within one half-hour period, 500 gallons of clam chowder, served in cups, were consumed.

Four hundred quarts of fried clams went down the hatches of hungry customers on Sunday.

A Long Beach girl, Mary Ann Giem, won the junior clam chowder eating contest held Saturday for boys and girls ages 8 to 16. She won by a teaspoonful in a close contest with a Long Beach boy, Gary Wilson.

Hordes of vehicles returning from the Long Beach clam festival Sunday put all three Astoria-Megler ferries into service for the first time this year and the newest ferry, the M.R. Chessman, carried nearly half of the peak load.

Floyd H. Simon, ferry superintendent, said a total of 790 vehicles plus 1,716 passengers were carried from 1:15 p.m. Sunday until ferry service ceased late in the evening.

Of this total, the Chessman carried 515 cars and 1,124 additional passengers. The ferries Tourist No. 1 and Tourist No. 2 carried 275 cars and 592 passengers.

Columbia Broadcasting System feels that Francis Robinson, Astoria furniture dealer, is entitled to “a full statement” about why he was cut out of a chance at $53,000 in cash and merchandise prizes on a radio program, but that’s all.

Robinson received a letter Tuesday evening from William H. Fineshriber Jr., director of CBS operations, answering Robinson’s letter to president William Paley of CBS.

The broadcasting system told the Astoria man that it was sorry but nothing can be done.

Robinson was deprived of a chance to identify the “phantom voice” on the “Sing It Again” program as Sgt. Alvin C. York when a phone connection was cut April 30.

No reports of high water endangering dikes in this area were received today, although reports from Portland indicated that the Columbia was threatening some areas in that vicinity.

The Clatsop County engineer’s office had received no reports of endangered dikes or roads this morning.

Three ships formerly operated by the Pacific Exploration Co. were offered for sale this week by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in Seattle.

Offered for sale by the company were the converted freighter Pacific Explorer and the trawlers Oregon and Washington.

The Pacific Explorer, built in 1919, was converted for operation as a mother ship with a fleet of fishing vessels for fisheries exploration work in 1947.

The vessel is equipped with refrigerated cargo space of 166,000 cubic feet, a meal reduction plant, a crab cannery and ice-making equipment. It is currently tied up at the port docks in Astoria.