Water under the bridge

Published 4:00 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Compiled by Bob Duke

From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers

10 years ago — 2016

Historians have a clear understanding of what Lewis and Clark looked like and what they faced on their journey west. The Corps of Discovery expedition more than two centuries ago is a celebrated foundation of American history.

One unofficial member of the expedition, York, a black slave to William Clark, has not received the same recognition, despite the fact he is considered the first black man in America to cross the continent north of Mexico.

York is mentioned in journals and letters, but his image was never captured. Paintings and statues of him rely on interpretations of the way he was described in historical writings.

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park unveiled an exhibit this month exploring how York has been perceived throughout history.

On Sunday, members of the Maritime Archaeological Society took the first public tour of the Salvage Chief, possibly the most accomplished salvage vessel ever.

Leading the tours around the cramped, industrial passageways crisscrossing the former U.S. Navy landing vessel were Dean Lackey and Don Floyd, who collectively spent about 60 years as crewmen on the vessel as a chief engineer and boatswain.

The two are part of a small group of volunteers with the new nonprofit Salvage Chief Foundation who are trying to breathe life back into the engines of the vessel and kick-start the newest chapter of a storied career as a training vessel for local mariners.

A new brewery is coming to downtown Astoria.

The Astoria Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit for Josh Allison and Finn Parker to open Reach Break Brewing at Astoria Station, which currently houses Astoria Indoor Garden Supply.

Parker and Allison said they will focus on sour beets, start a build out in May and hope to open later this year. They will lease the building from Astoria Station LLC, owned by Warren Williams.

LONG BEACH, Wash. – In the past quarter century, Pacific County has become a focal point for land-conservation efforts. Private groups based elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest presently own more than 16 square miles of land here, in addition to about 50 to 55 square miles of conservation property managed by federal, state and local agencies.

The armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Oregon heightened public awareness of some of the trade-offs of conserving land versus using it for income-producing activities such as forestry and ranching. The refuge’s former occupiers are incensed about federal land ownership in the west. However, with legal title to about 2.75% of the land in Pacific County, the federal government is a substantial (but not dominant) property owner here.

Nevertheless, a small but vocal group of county residents has expressed concerns for years about incremental losses from local tax rolls. Their worries stem from property being acquired and set aside by conservation groups and public agencies, sometimes working together.

50 years ago — 1976

Lida Smith received an early birthday present, Clatsop County Sheriff Carl Bondietti developed a sore arm and Clatsop County’s general fund got a boost at an auction of stolen women’s clothing last Friday at the courthouse.

More than 100 persons, mostly women, jammed the courthouse lobby where 26 pieces of purloined apparel, seized in 1974 from two professional shoplifters, were sold to the highest bidders.

Suede coats, three-piece pant suits, dresses and other garments were sold generally for less than half of what they would have in a store.

For Mr. Smith, Friday must have seemed like her birthday even though it is a couple of months away as her husband paid $160 for a three-piece polyester and wool suit, with a coat trimmed in Norwegian blue fox.

The retail price of the suit was $365.

Flu-related absenteeism continues to run high in Clatsop County schools this week, but not nearly as high as last week when the flu outbreak was at its worst.

Warrenton High School, which closed its doors to high schoolers Thursday because more than 25% of them were out with the flu, reopened Monday. Only about 10 percent of its students were reported absent this morning.

Clatsop County commissioners voted 2 to 1 today to withdraw from the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), virtually dooming the bi-state organization in its present form.

Clatsop Commissioner Hiram Johnson, thumping a stack of notebooks on his desk and saying he was “sick of it,” sided with Commissioner Al Palmer in voting to give CREST the required 90 days notice withdrawing the county.

Commissioner Lyle Ordway opposed the county pulling out of CREST, saying opponents misunderstood CREST’s purpose and failed to recognize its value in toning down state-mandated coastal and estuarine goals.

CANNON BEACH – What was once a water tower and more recently a Cannon Beach city reservoir, has become a coastal home for a northwest man.

The transformation for a wooden reservoir into a 1,400-square-foot house was accomplished by local contractor Dave Firebaugh and owner Dan Patton.

The three-by-eight-inch, beveled plank walls were given a second outside skin of fresh wood and a double row of windows that face the ocean below the house’s perch at the top of Sunset Boulevard.

For the past 18 years or so, the wooden tank served as a reservoir for Firebaugh’s Cannon Beach Water Co. and later the city of Cannon Beach.

Firebaugh explained he found the old tank in eastern Oregon and reassembled it in Cannon Beach. Last summer a new metal reservoir phased out the wooden tank.

Firebaugh decided to recycle the tank rather than tear it down. “What else would you do with it, use it for firewood?” he added.

75 years ago — 1951

President Truman’s water resources policy commission today recommended legislation which would “require” unified planning and common goals of all federal agencies participating in the development of the Columbia basin.

The commission said the Columbia basin still is “relatively immature,” despite expenditure of about $631 million on various projects. It described the basin as the “last important physical frontier” in the United States.”

“There need be little doubt as to the far-reaching effect of a completed program of developing the water resources of the Columbia basin,” the commission said.

“With its completion, a region now heavily dependent upon extractive industry and dominated by destructive exploitation of resources, will have been transformed into a region with a stable, well-balanced resources base.

A five-week effort to have every Clatsop County resident over 15 years old get his or her chest x-rayed will begin March 26, it was announced today by the county and state health departments and the Clatsop Tuberculosis-Health association.

Astoria Plywood corporation prepared today to raze the ancient Clatsop mill building to the ground, completed driving of piling for the foundation of its own new mill building, and was assembling material for the building itself.

One of the finest of the army engineers’ dredges was assigned recently to the Portland district area and currently is operating off the Astoria waterfront deepening the Columbia River channel.

The name of the new dredge with a massive forward superstructure is the Biddle.

The flu has been striking hard at Astoria school children this week, causing absenteeism to jump 400 percent.

In the four Astoria schools 193 students were reported absent Thursday, in place of the usual 35 who miss classes. The increase is almost entirely attributed to flu.

A start toward organizing a battalion headquarters of the National Guard Reserve was made at the meeting Wednesday night in the Armory, according to Laurence Jackson, who will act as company commander.

Jackson said activation of the company is scheduled for Monday, March 5, at which he expects to have 20 men or 10% of the authorized strength. This number is required for activation.

Jackson said officers and noncoms will be selected before March 5 and that an effort will be made to recruit as many men as possible for the company.

Postal savings in Astoria nearly equaled the entire amounts of similar deposits with the governments in Maine and Rhode Island, post office officials announced today.

In Oregon, the only city with more funds on deposit is Portland. Astoria ranks 16th in cities of the eight western states, the post office said.

Coast Guard inspection of fishing vessels would be required by HR 1762, a bill introduced into congress and referred to the committee on merchant marine and fisheries.