Category Archives: History

LIGHT IN THE DARK NIGHT – LIGHTHOUSES OF SOUTHERN OREGON

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Lighthouses always seem to be high on the list of tourist attractions and the lighthouses of the southern Oregon Coast are no exception.  Most of them stand on outstanding natural locations furthering their value for the casual tourist.  All of them steep with historic and functional value.  Nine lighthouses survive until today with a couple lost to time along the way.  Two private lighthouses have also developed in recent years, but are not open to the public. Here, we start with lighthouses in southern Oregon.

Coquille River lighthouse on the right.

its successor is a light beacon on the left at the mouth of the Coquille River.

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LAST PIECE TO THE RIVER’S MOUTH TRIAD – FORT COLUMBIA

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The Endicott Plan finally brought about the construction of a fort on Chinook Point. Fort Columbia was planned for at the time of the Civil War, but not built, the fort went up between 1896 and 1904. Off Chinook Point is where Captain Robert Grey anchored his ship Columbia Rediva after crossing the bar and gave the river its name. The nearby village of Chinook predates the Lewis & Clark visit of 1805 near where they established ‘Middle Camp”.

1937 aerial view of Fort Columbia.

Built on a hill rising off the north shore of the Columbia – Highway US 101 goes underneath the fort in a tunnel – gave the fort a great view out over the river and the mouth. The same hill caused for crowding. Building the batteries meant them placed closer to each other than normal.

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THE BAR IS CLOSED – FORT CANBY ON THE COLUMBIA

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Having written last of Fort Stevens on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia River, the lynchpin of the triad of forts arranged to guard the entrance from the sea from 1865 until 1947, it is time to turn our attention to the north side of the river. First, Fort Canby set up on the headland on the north side of the entrance to the mouth. Even today, a visit by car to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center – literally erected upon the aprons of one of Fort Canby’s former battery aprons – takes you winding along a narrow densely forested lane giving you just a taste of the primeval nature of the site.

Mouth of the Columbia River with the former defensive forts arrayed.

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FORT STEVENS – FRONT DOOR CLOSED ON THE COLUMBIA

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Replica of a 6-inch disappearing gun at Battery Pratt.

A visit to semi-restored Fort Stevens on the Point Adams along the southern mouth of the Columbia River transports one part way back in time. Here you see three or four distinct flavors of the month in terms of ideas on how to properly defend the nation.

Fort Stevens became the lynchpin of three forts developed in the latter half of the 19th century to defend the mouth of the Columbia River from would-be invaders, whether they be British, Confederate, German or Japanese. The other two forts forming the Columbiad triad forming on the north side of the river in Washington – Forts Canby and Columbia.

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TABLE MOUNTAIN – THE BETTER OPTIONS

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Devil’s Peak to the left and Table Mountain to the right from atop Lion’s Head.

Cape Town has been described as the most beautiful city in the World.  The natural setting is indeed magnificently unique.  Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean dominate.  The original town lies in the City Bowl created by Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak to the east and south.     To the west, the Lion’s Head and Signal Hill complete the semi-ring. It is truly an urban equivalent of the glories found farther to the east atop the wilds of the Drakensberg.

Many times, to properly appreciate a mountain, you need to climb another to gain a better appreciation.  So, it can be with Table Mountain. My journey started here.  Lion’s Head gets it name because the shape resembles a reclining male lion looking towards Table Mountain. Signal Hill is also known as the Lions Rump.  Again, better appreciated away from the mountain.     

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LIVES LOST BEYOND THE MEDALS at MEUSE-ARGONNE ABMC CEMETERY

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View from the Visitor Center across the Large Pool and at the Chapel on the hill at Meuse-Argonne ABMC Cemetery.

The mass of the graves at Meuse-Argonne ABMC Cemetery belong to men who did not win medals but still did their duty. They made up the main throng of the two million strong American Expeditionary Force in France during World War One. In two previous posts, I talked about the stories of the men honored with the Medal of Honor or some honored with the second highest Distinguished Service Cross. In this post, some of the other stories found among the graves at Meuse-Argonne come to light. The stories are mostly of officers for their lives were generally a little longer and better recorded than the greater numbers of young enlisted men just starting out in life.

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BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND – WIND FARMS OF SHERMAN COUNTY

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Wheat fields are Sherman County, but then again, so are the wind farms.
Switch off the mind and let the heart decide
      Who you were meant to be
Windpower!

Flick to remote and let the body glide
     There is no enemy
Windpower!

Etch out a future of your own design
      Well tailored to your needs, Yeah
Windpower!

Thomas Dolby - from his song Windpower 1982.

Such is the beginning of Thomas Dolby’s song in a dystopian Britain following years of authoritarian rule following an alternate Axis victory in WWII. Just like the countries of the North Sea, Oregon has seen the development of wind farms over the last quarter century as nations develop new energy sources. In this post, I am talking about the wind farms in Sherman County and Gilliam County. Further to the east, Morrow County, also is the site of wind farms, but everything gets more complicated here.

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COLUMBIA RIVER FROM A MID-19TH CENTURY PERSPECTIVE AND TODAY

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Europeans – albeit in American-form – have only been present in the Pacific Northwest for a little over 200 years.  The main push of emigrants did not start until the mid-1840’s.  Here our focus is on the mid-19th century Columbia River area views. A lot has changed since then. Some things remain timeless, however.  The natural beauty of the landscape a prime example.  Even here dramatic change does not go unnoticed.

A restored version of James Madison Alden’s tryptich view over Fort Dalles.

Fort Dalles Museum.

View over The Dalles today to compare – 160 years later.

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EASIER WAY OVER THE CASCADES? HIGHLIGHTS ON THE BARLOW ROAD

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“Laurels” on Laurel Hill. Pioneers mistook the rhododendrons for laurel bushes since the time of year they came through was early fall, long after the rhodies had bloomed.

Like the beginning, the Oregon Trail had various endpoints.  For most, the overland passage ended at The Dalles.  From here, emigrants with enough cash used barges to float their wagons down the river to the confluence of the Sandy River where they disembarked (Sandy Boulevard is the old route they took to finish the journey).  In 1846, an alternative to the river journey arose – the Barlow Road.

The river route was expensive – $50 or more – and dangerous.  By the time emigrants reached The Dalles, the season was fall.  Water levels in the Columbia River were low meaning rocks in the Cascades Rapids – now submerged in the waters of Lake Bonneville at Cascade Locks – making the passage more perilous.  Rafts and barges could easily flip causing loss of life and household goods.

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GAZING UP IN AWE – RAFTING DOWN THE GRAND CANYON

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Moki Mac rafts running Unkar Rapids as the Colorado River transitions from Marble into the heart of the Grand Canyon.

The man who first led an expedition along the river responsible for one of nature’s most magnificent works offers a perfect description of the Grand Canyon –

The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail.

jOHN WESLEY POWELL

I just finished reading Kevin Fedarko’s The Emerald Mile, a book about a trio of river runners who established a speed record for rowing the entire 277 miles of the Grand Canyon.  They were helped by near catastrophic releases of water from Glen Canyon Dam – release costing the Bureau of Reclamation over $32 million to repair spillway tunnels extensively damaged due to cavitation which literally ripped apart the insides of the tunnels.

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