10 years ago this week — 2013

On Sunday afternoon, Ocean View Cemetery came alive for the 10th annual “Talking Tombstones: Don’t Take Them for Granite,” put on by the Clatsop County Historical Society and Astoria Granite Works.

Nine actors portrayed the lives of nine past local citizens buried at the cemetery — plus one imaginary character.

Mac Burns, executive director of the Clatsop County Historical Society, brought the program to Clatsop County after seeing a similar one elsewhere. The living history event suits the organization’s mission to make the past interesting and accessible.

The autumnal event draws about 500 viewers each year, according to Burns. In the first 20 minutes Sunday, about 120 had shown up and the count was 600 by the end of the day.

WARRENTON — Campers and other visitors lined up Friday and Saturday at KOA’s pole barn near Fort Stevens, screams and scuffles emanating from behind black plastic and plywood walls.

They came to buy the Haunted Toy Factory, although employees and volunteers at KOA seemed to be doing everything they could to prevent the sale. The factory closed after Saturday’s fright night.

KOA scared away hundreds of potential buyers over the last three weekends in October. But they left behind more than 1,700 pounds of food for Clatsop Community Action’s Regional Food Bank and more than $1,300 for the Kid Care Camp, a free camping opportunity for medically fragile children.

The city of Astoria plans to have a better understanding of its timber resources in the Bear Creek watershed.

An inventory — expected to be completed by the end of the year — will show the rate tree species are growing and how much can be harvested while maintaining management objectives.

Without an updated assessment, the city has been careful to not cut too much and has been conservative with its assets.

“We’re growing more than we’re harvesting,” said Mike Barnes, the contracted forester for the city. “We’ve set our harvest levels low simply because we didn’t have a good inventory.”

During the past two fiscal years, Barnes said about 900,000 board feet of timber have been harvested, a $300,000 net for the capital improvement fund, which is part of the city’s general fund.

A carbon inventory will be included that will assess the volume of carbon dioxide stored in tree stands, which could be potentially sold as carbon credits to businesses wishing to offset their carbon footprint.

50 years ago — 1973

Gov. McCall’s decision last week to withdraw his personal support for the American Metal Climax Co. aluminum plant has brought to light just how firm his support was previously.

AMAX said in a news release, “Over the past few years, Gov. McCall has been a positive influence and a source of assistance for developing plans for the Warrenton aluminum plant.”

State Sen. Bill Holmstrom’s letter Monday to McCall also zeroed in on McCall’s previous backing of AMAX and implied the governor’s sudden change in positions was like changing horses in midstream.

The Clatsop County Historical Advisory Committee wants to identify and list locations of historical interest on waterfronts of the lower Columbia and its tributaries.

Dr. Edward Harvey, committee chairman, told the group Monday evening the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is compiling a list of such sites, with cooperation from the Oregon Historical Society. The purpose is to plan future dredging and other navigational improvement projects so as to do minimal damage to such sites.

Sites suggested at the Monday night committee meeting as worth preserving included the old Olney boat landing, the site of the Northwest’s first paper mill on Youngs River near the falls and others.

WARRENTON — A band of Warrenton businessmen made it clear they don’t favor the proposed American Metal Climax Co. aluminum plant during a Warrenton Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday.

Several chamber members spoke against the plant proposal on the grounds it will mean more pollution, more power lost, more of a housing shortage and more taxes for services provided by the police, fire, water and sanitation departments and the school district.

SEASIDE — The Seaside Chamber of Commerce board of directors on Wednesday unanimously voted to support American Metal Climax Co. efforts to locate a clean aluminum plant in Warrenton.

The chamber will write a letter to all public and private agencies involved, indicating its support and asking for statements about the plant to reveal where they are from and what their relationships are to AMAX and Clatsop County.

“It is time for the chamber to take a stand,” board president Ken Karge said at the meeting. He was referring to the uproar following Gov. McCall’s withdrawal on Monday of his personal support for the project.

In taking its stand, the board felt it could be sure the state Department of Environmental Quality would enforce realistic air pollution standards for the plant.

75 years ago — 1948

Harry John Kolar, who made local history by becoming the first person to make an escape from the Astoria city jail, was sentenced in circuit court Saturday morning to a prison term of two years.

Kolar, charged with larceny in a boat, had waived grand jury proceedings and entered a guilty plea.

The man was arrested on Oct. 8 in Warrenton and was charged after gear stolen from the boat Hazel was found in his possession.

Weekend storms claimed the life of one gillnet fisherman, nearly wrecked a 38-foot troller and forced coastwise shipping vessels to drop anchor for several hours off the mouth of the Columbia River Sunday afternoon.

Elk hunting season opened Monday morning and reports from sporting goods stores indicated that a considerable number of hunters were out after the big game.

Preparations for Wednesday’s Navy Day observance reached their climax Tuesday as the long gray submarine Sea Fox slid into her berth at Pier 1 of the port terminals after an eight day stormy voyage from Pearl Harbor naval station in Honolulu.

Brewer Billie, Navy League president and Navy Day committee chairman, said all details for the Wednesday observance are completed.

Tongue Point naval authorities completed policing and polishing the station preparatory to its open house Wednesday from 9 to 5 o’clock.

The entire Astoria Fire Department, aided by members of the Tongue Point Fire Department, fought for two hours early Wednesday morning to extinguish a $35,000 fire. The fire destroyed large portions of the interior of Amato’s supper club and Locker club at the foot of 11th Street.

It was feared at first that the entire block near the waterfront might go up in flames, but firemen working with eight hose lines and climbing on top of adjoining buildings were able to bring it under control.

The Astoria Port Commission authorized Airport Manager Vic Nunenkamp to award a contract for installation of heating facilities in the airport firehouse and rejected a request from the Astoria Chamber of Commerce for a $100 donation to the chamber’s Navy Day fund at the regular meeting Tuesday night.

The term “mothball fleet,” often applied to the 426 amphibious craft of the Columbia River group at Tongue Point Naval Base, is a misnomer, as these vessels are “far from laid up in mothballs,” Capt. S.G. Fuqua, chief staff officer of the Columbia River group, declared Wednesday in a Navy Day address.

Capt. Fugua addressed a joint Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce forum luncheon at noon, one of the major events of Navy Day observance here.

The observance also included an open house at Tongue Point which attracted hundreds; an open house aboard the submarine Sea Fox at the port terminals, which attracted more hundreds; a chamber of commerce buffet supper at the Astoria Hotel, given as a “salute to the navy,” and a Navy Day dance at Tongue Point Recreation Hall which packed the hall.