Objects in the Mirror…

Jeffrey Butts

My dad, a career military man, spent the majority of his service in the Artillery branch. At first it was the Coast Artillery. The Coast Artillery was disbanded in 1950 as obsolete in the face of carrier based aircraft and higher accuracy of naval guns. By 1943 and the battle for the Mariana Islands, Dad had already moved into the Field Artillery branch. After the war he drew assignments with Anti-Aircraft artillery. Of course there were stints in other branches (G3, G2, etc) but his main job had been the big guns. I have a family interest in cannons.

The Coast Artillery went through several phases throughout American History but the one that fascinates me the most is the Endicott System era which began in the late 1890’s and continued through the mid-1940s. This was the time of the big guns. Rifled cannons including disappearing carriages on the 6- and 8-inch pieces. Fixed swivel mounts were the norm for the larger 12 and 16-inch rifles placed in various strategic points such as the entrances to San Francisco Bay, the Columbia Bar, and the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Part of my interest is because our family lived in the Presidio of San Francisco in the early 1950’s. The Presidio, no longer a military post and today under the supervision of the National Park Service, still has the ghosts of its Coast Artillery batteries in the form of the concrete casements of their gun batteries. Quite by accident, a family friend here in Oregon told me of his visit to a similar Coast Artillery post at the mouth of the Columbia River. Fort Columbia, in Washington, was one of three Coast Artillery locations on the river. Fort Canby, also in Washington and Fort Stevens, on the Oregon side of the Columbia, provided over-lapping fields of fire that supplemented minefields in the river itself and protected Oregon and Southwest Washington from potential naval assault.

"So" Says I to myself, "What a terrific excuse for a ride down the Columbia River Highway (not that I need many excuses to interrupt my hectic schedule these days)." So off I went, over Cornelius Pass and headed towards the coast. I had no particular schedule to keep although I did want to make sure that I hit a couple of points of interest. The first was the museum in Columbia City. This tiny community of 1500 is about 30 miles from Portland. The Caples Museum is housed in the former home of the town doctor (dating from 1870). Unfortunately for me, they were not open when I stopped. So I walked around the grounds (a full city block) and then drove around the town to get a feel for the layout. There were some nice homes that were on the river side of the highway including a newly constructed two-story place right on the river. It was high enough up the bank to be protected from flooding and it had a floating dock of its own, complete with a nice little speedboat. Spectacular view of the river and Mt St Helens, three car garage, etc. What’s not to like?

Back on the road again I continued on past Rainier and the Lewis and Clark Bridge. A note about the bridge at Rainier. Designed by the same guy that did the Golden Gate (Joseph Strauss), this cantilever bridge opened in 1930 and, at the time, was the highest (at 210 feet above the river) and longest (1.5 miles) of its kind. But the bridge was not for me today. I wanted to catch a ride on the Wahkiakum, the only ferry boat still operating on the lower Columbia, and hook-up with Washington State Hwy 4 at Cathlamet.

Four miles or so up the road I took the Alston-Mayger cutoff. When the highway leaves Rainier it cuts inland and I wanted to stay closer to the river. Mayger was a river town in the early 1900’s but you couldn’t see the place for lookin’ now. My reference books (thanks Ralph Friedman) say that the population here was 350 in 1915 and there was actually a town serving the river traffic with a Post Office and stores. Long gone now, baby. This road is not in the best shape either until you start on the back half of the loop going back towards Hwy 30. I wanted to see a spot along the river that had special significance considering my family name. It is here that you will find Quincy and a glorious link to Oregon history. Due north of Quincy, the south bank of the river is where the first American trading post on the Columbia was established in 1810. At this spot in the river is Crim’s Island, the western tip of which is at the narrowest point on the lower Columbia. Lewis and Clark passed this pinch point in 1806 and originally named the island Fanny’s Island in honor of Francis, Lewis Clark’s sister. On the Oregon side of the river there was an extensive flat land, otherwise known as bottom land with a large grove of oak trees and it was referred to as Fanny’s Bottom. So…Jeff Butts saw Fanny’s Bottom! From Quincy back to the state highway, this second half of the road is absolutely wonderful. It dips and weaves and is well maintained.

Back on the big road now I made for the town of Westport. Boasting about the same population as Mayger in roughly the same timeframe, this community was all about the lumber industry. Today it still has more buildings (taverns for example) than Mayger or Quincy but the main draw of the town is the ferry across to Puget Island and Washington. I had dawdled around so long on the Mayger loop that I missed the ferry by about 15 minutes. Rather than wait the time required for the next arrival/departure, I elected to kick back out on the road and cross the river on the Astoria-Megler Bridge. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a road sign on the left that said “Old Hwy 30.” Now THAT would be interesting. Unfortunately I was now over two hours into my ride and had yet to even get to the mouth of the river or into Washington. The old road kept teasing me, popping into view with occasional intersections all the way to the John Day River.

I made a quick stop at the Uppertown Firefighter’s Museum on Hwy 30 as it goes into Astoria. I have never, ever managed to find this place open. You have to park right on the side of the highway in town and carefully get out of the car in the constant stream of traffic. The wind from passing motor homes messed up my comb-over as I sprinted for the sidewalk. I looked through the windows (again) and decided that it was no big deal to have missed it. Sour grapes?

Up and over the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The bridge is high on both sides, the main span is on the Oregon side where the ship channel is and, at a quarter mile, is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. The overall bridge length is 4.1 miles. It is not quite as high as the Lewis and Clark Bridge, with the roadbed reaching a maximum height of just under 200 feet.

Make a left turn towards Ilwaco when you reach the Washington side and within a couple of miles you enter a tunnel. This promontory point with the tunnel underneath has Fort Columbia above. Just exiting the tunnel and immediate left and you enter the grounds of the Fort which is now a state park. This park is very, very well maintained. They are in the midst of upgrades on all of the buildings and they look better than much of the housing that we saw in the Presidio in 2003. From a perspective of scale, this is a very small Post by comparison to San Francisco but many of the buildings follow the same general specifications if not in dimension, then in concept for sure.

The roadway climbs up and to the main street (Officer’s Row) of the Post. The first building is the barracks, done in an early 20th Century military architecture that some of us are used to seeing. The next building is the Headquarters (Administrative) building and, as you proceed up and across the face of the hill, the officer’s quarters (a duplex) are next and, at the end of the street, the Commanding Officer’s house. An alleyway runs behind these buildings for parking and access to the rear. Another street is a higher elevation and parallel to Officer’s Row. On this street you will find the Supply building, the NCO quarters, and the dispensary. There is one additional street above this and on it are yet another NCO quarters and the CO’s steward’s house. Below Officer’s Row is a Guardhouse (now the rest rooms). A firehouse, casemate, powerhouse for the searchlight round out the lower buildings. The doctor’s quarters are no longer there although the empty ground marks their location. Unfortunately the park facilities close after Labor Day and so you couldn’t get into the Interpretive Center (Barracks) or tour the CO’s house. Trails abound around the post, including one to the top of the bluff where there is an observation post for the artillery and a dormitory. I didn’t hike up there on this trip. For me, the real interest was lower on the hill, below the Guardhouse where the artillery was placed.

The largest casements were at Battery Ord. This gun emplacement was originally set up for two 8-inch guns mounted on disappearing carriages. Construction was started in 1897 and the rifles were placed within the next couple of years. Never fired in anger, here anyway, they were removed and used as railroad mounted artillery in France in the First World War. The battery is an impressive structure. Disappearing guns were part of the Endicott System of Coast Artillery. Originally designed in the Civil War era, these cannon would fire from behind a fortified position and then, using a system of counterweights, drop below the berm to be reloaded, raised, and fired again. They were mounted on a swiveling base and had a field of fire that swept somewhere around one hundred and twenty degrees. Battery Ord is an impressive site and with a little imagination you can see the 8-inch rifles in their place firing a 600 pound projectile five miles out into the target area. In this picture of the battery, you can see where the left gun was placed. The layout is symmetrical with the observation post in the center. The area below contained powder magazines, shot storage, shell storage, tool room, latrines, etc. Look closely at the flat surface of the battery and you can just make out the circular recess in which the gun carriage rotated.

The river was mined as well and there was a smaller emplacement (Battery Crenshaw) that was equipped with three three-inch guns (also known as 15-pounders based on shell size) to cover the minefield. These guns were placed in 1900 and removed as obsolete in 1918. Their mounts and battlements remain.

In WWII, the plan was to equip Fort Columbia with newer six-inch rifled cannon. The other two forts (Canby and Stevens) got their new artillery in 1945 but, although the shields and pits were built, Battery 246 never got its guns. The Washington State Park Department did install two of the exact cannon specified in 1993 with the co-operation of the US Navy. These cannon were protected by a half shell turret and operated on a swivel base. I’d like to say a hardy “thank-you” for the truly outstanding job that the Parks Department has done to restore this site. The fact that they installed the guns 48 years later is just icing on the cake.

After spending a couple of hours walking around the housing area and gun batteries, I loaded back up and took off back towards home. I stayed on the Washington side of the Columbia, running up Hwy 401 until it intersects with Hwy 4 and then headed east. At Cathlamet I crossed the little bridge onto Puget Island to catch the Wahkiakum ferry on this side of the river. I did manage to get there before the ferry left, barely, but since it was 5:15PM, the Wahkiakum was loaded to its maximum capacity of 12 cars. Not to be denied again, I waited for it to return and take me and one other car back over to Oregon. The ferries I have used on the Willamette (see this story) are all guided by cable to keep them from being pushed downstream by the current. The Wahkiakum, on the other hand, has to leave port, cross the ship channel, and cut into a little slough on the Oregon side. So this is a stand alone water craft. It is powered by two 250HP engines. The crossing was very smooth with the reassuring hum of the diesels and the warm wind from up the Columbia Gorge coming across the bow. I suspect that this ferry will continue to run for the foreseeable future. It is certainly one of their smaller boats, smaller even than the one from Vashon Island to Point Defiance if memory serves. If you’re able to, take the ride. It’s worth it.

Back through Westport and down Hwy 30 again to Cornelius Pass. Over the Tualatin’s, into the valley and home seven hours after I left. A great trip. Great history along the way (Fanny’s Bottom was a neat side trip but I remain a tit man), a world record bridge, a mini-Presidio with a tip o’the hat to Dad, and a “one of a kind” ferry boat ride. Ah, but you’ve just got to love the Northwest.