Astoria is a port city of around 10,000 residents that is located on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. It has the distinction of being the oldest city in the state of Oregon and the first settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, who with the blessing of Thomas Jefferson funded two expeditions that left from New York in 1810 to establish the American Fur Company. One group of voyagers traveled by sea around Cape Horn while the other group traveled by land partially following the Lewis and Clark route. The challenges and extreme hardships they encountered are graphically described in Peter Stark's book, Astoria. I just finished the book and to anyone who has an interest in the early period of exploration and settling of the west, I highly recommend it.
We spent a really nice day in Astoria about five years ago. It was one of our stops on an Alaska cruise that started in San Francisco. As enjoyable as that visit was, it was even nicer on this cool, cloudy but dry day. because we weren't sharing the city with a couple of thousand fellow cruise ship passengers.
On our way to Astoria we made a short detour to Fort Columbia Historical State Park. It is located on the Washington side of the river adjacent to the Astoria-Megler Bridge. Fort Columbia was constructed from 1896 to 1904 as part of a build up of military installations to defend the entry into the Columbia River. It was an active military outpost until the end of World War II when the 618 acres were turned over to the state of Washington. Twelve of the wood frame buildings that served as barracks and offices, as well as the gun batteries have been preserved. Additionally, an interpretive center (currently closed due to covid) and hiking trails have been added. Like Cape Disappointment, Fort Columbia offers great views of the Columbia River, the Columbia River Bar and out to the Pacific Ocean.
Fort Columbia State Historical Park
Our biggest disappointment from our first visit to Astoria was not getting to try the world famous fish and chips at the Bowpicker. Although it's located a few blocks off the water, the Bowpicker is a small repurposed fishing boat (think food boat instead of food truck). Their hours of operation are limited to 11:00-3:00 Wednesday-Saturday and our last visit fell on a Monday. Bucking the traditional, the Bowpicker uses Albacore Tuna instead of the more traditional cod or halibut for it's fish. Although it sounds a little strange, the fish as well as the accompanying chips were fantastic. Well worth the forty minute line to get those tasty, extra crispy on the outside and moist on the inside morsels.
Astoria has a small but interesting historic city center with numerous shops and restaurants. It also has a popular maritime museum that focuses on the once vibrant salmon fishing/canning industry (at one time Astoria was known as the salmon canning capital of the world), as well as the infamous Columbia River Bar. Wanting to take full advantage of the rain free day, we skipped the museum and enjoyed retracing our walk on the Astoria Riverwalk Trail. The western trail head originates at the Port of Astoria and travels eastward under the Astoria-Megler Bridge, past the city center, maritime museum, the skeletal remains of numerous canneries, and Pier 39.
The Astoria Column overlooks the city below.
Pier 39 is a cannery, that unlike the others lining the river has been preserved. It now features a free museum, restaurant, coffee shop and lodging. The museum is well worth visiting and the Coffee Girl Coffee Shop (try one of their "Monster Cookies") is a great place to enjoy a hot beverage while watching the ship traffic on the Columbia River.
Astoria has a very interesting past and seems to be doing well in the present time. Whether later during this present adventure or somewhere down the line, we look forward to visiting again. One thing for certain is we'll try to plan our visit when the Bowpicker is open!
