Dave Knows Portland

June 21, 1942: Japanese Submarine Fires at Fort Stevens

by Leave a Comment

Front page of The Oregonian, June 23, 1942In the first attack on a primary military objective in the continental United States, a Japanese submarine fired shells at Fort Stevens, at the mouth of the Columbia river, on June 21, 1942. (The Oregonian, 23-June-1942).

The attack, which began at 11:30 P. M., stirred residents of Astoria hillside residential sections and scores of persons along the popular Clatsop vacation beaches from sleep. Dozens told of hearing the roar of the submarine’s gun and some said they saw the muzzle flash . . .

The shells came “too damn close,” said Colonel Carl S. Doney, commanding officer of the harbor defense of the Columbia, who permitted newsmen to visit and photograph the craters made by the exploding projectiles.

The attacking ship undoubtedly was a submarine and fired from a distance of several miles offshore, said Colonel Doney.

Seventeen shells were fired, but they caused little damage and no lives were lost.

June 7, 1985: The Goonies Released to Theaters

by 1 Comment

Oregon Film Museum (formerly Clatsop County Jail)The Goonies opened in theaters on June 7, 1985. The Oregonian film reviewer Ted Mahar’s description of the film appeared in the paper that day:

“Goonies,” is a whizzingly paced adventure comedy about eight misfits who have the time (and fright) of their lives when one of them literally stumbled across a pirate treasure map. But while pursuing the treasure, they are also fleeing two cretinous bandit brothers and their gun moll mom through a dangerous maze of caves.

Personally I would describe the film as “eight pre-teens screaming for two hours,” but apparently I’m in the minority with my distaste – the $20 million Spielberg-produced film grossed over $60 million.

Partly filmed in and around Astoria and Cannon Beach, The Goonies really hit a chord with a lot of people (i.e. pre-teens), and is celebrated to this day on the North Coast. In fact Astoria threw a Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2010, and Mayer Willis Van Dusen has declared today, June 7 to be Goonies Day in Astoria, Oregon. So, uh, happy Goonies Day!

Photo credit: The old Clatsop County Jail photo by Heather at Mile73.com. The film opens with the “two cretinous bandit brothers” escaping from said jail, which now houses the Oregon Film Museum.

May 29, 1958: Fort Clatsop National Memorial Established

by Leave a Comment

Oregon Senator Richard Neuberger‘s bill to establish the presumed site of Fort Clatsop as a national memorial was signed into law, after unanimous passage in both the senate and house, by President Eisenhower on May 29, 1958 (Sunday Oregonian, 22-June-1958).

The Lewis and Clark expedition built the original Fort Clatsop, the first American military structure west of the Rockies, in 1805. They wintered at the fort before setting out on the journey back east on May 23, 1806.

A replica of the fort constructed on the site had been dedicated during the Lewis and Clark sesquicentennial celebration in Astoria in 1955 (Sunday Oregonian, 21-August-1955). It burnt down in 2005, but was rebuilt in 2006 (with fire detection system).

Heather at Fort Clatsop

May 23, 1992: Opening Day at the Oregon Coast Aquarium

by Leave a Comment

Oregon Coast AquariumThe Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport opened on May 23, 1992 (Eugene Register-Guard, 24-May-1992).

A pair of frolicking sea otters rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska upstaged politicians Saturday at formal opening ceremonies for the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Gov. Barbara Roberts, Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Ore., and Reps. Les AuCoin and Mike Kopetski, both D-Ore., commended organizers who worked a decade to turn their dream into a “world-class aquarium.”

Most of the aquarium’s exhibits focus on the native flora and fauna of the Oregon Coast, e.g. seals and sea lions, giant pacific octopus, sea bird aviary, and the aforementioned sea otters.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is one of Oregon’s top tourist attractions, hosting over 40,000 student visitors a year.

May 18, 1910: Steamer J. Marhoffer Explodes in “Boiler Bay”

by Leave a Comment

The J. Marhoffer, a 175 foot long 600 ton steamer, left San Francisco for the Columbia River on May 14, 1910 with the intention of loading lumber at St. Helens and Oak Point before returning to the Bay City (Morning Oregonian, 20-May-1910).

Traveling at about 9 knots off the coast a few miles north of Newport on May 18, 1910, an assistant engineer had an accident with a blowtorch and set the engine room on fire. Without the ability to quench the fire or shut down the engine – the valves were too hot and the fire continued to spread – Captain Gustave Peterson pointed the steamer towards shore and gave the order to abandon ship. The crew, the captain, and his wife boarded lifeboats and made for shore. One of the lifeboats capsized, but everyone made it to shore as the J. Marhoffer crashed into the rocks with a dramatic explosion.

The only casualty was the cook Frank Tiffany, who, badly burned and tossed into the sea when the lifeboat he was on capsized, died of exposure or drowning (Morning Oregonian, 21-May-1910).

Brigg’s Landing, where the ship exploded, was later renamed Boiler Bay. To this day, during extremely low tides, the ship’s 12 foot diameter boiler is visible on the rocks.