Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Astoria-Megler Bridge Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them! Isaiah 42:10 Clatsop County has to be one of the most romantic and historically interesting counties in Oregon. The Lewis and Clark Expedition ended their trek and spent the winter of 1805-06 along the Clatsop County coast. The first settlement in the Pacific Northwest, Astoria, was carved out of the wilderness by the men of John Jacob Astor’s expeditions in 1811 – one overland and one on the ill-fated Tonquin, a ship that sailed around the Horn, but then was attacked by Native Americans north of Astoria and blown up by one of the sailors to prevent the natives from gaining control of it. Fascinating history includes the stories of the maritime trade before the advent of steamboats, and the kidnapping and shanghaiing of men to sail the ships. There are tales of shipwrecks, and lost treasure – The...

Flavel House, Astoria, OR Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:12 Clatsop County is in the top northwestern corner of the state, bordered by the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.  It is home to the oldest American settlement in the Northwest, Astoria, founded by trappers sent out by John Jacob Astor in 1811. Before that, just a bit south, the Lewis can Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1905-6 at Fort Clatsop. You can still visit a replica on the site. Astoria is the county seat, and the county was created in 1844 from a portion of one of the original four districts, Twality. Clatsop County, OR An early settler in Astoria, and one credited with creating modern Astoria, was Captain George Flavel. Born, it is believed, in Ireland, he first caught sight of the little village of Astoria in 1849 when he was shipping supplies during the gold rush. He had sailed around the Horn as a young man from New Jersey to make his fortune in th...

Tonquin Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters,   they see the works of the  Lord , and His wonders in the deep. Psalm 107:22-24 In the North Coast region, the counties that lie along the Pacific Ocean south of the Columbia River, Clatsop is the northernmost and includes the mouth of the Columbia. While Oregon City and the surrounding areas were settled early by pioneer immigrants, Astoria has the earliest settlement by Americans with the brief establishment of Fort Astoria in 1811. This was settled by fur traders sent out by John Jacob Astor, who also sent a ship, the Tonquin, that blew up and sank further up the coast at Vancouver Island. While that disaster was the result of an attack by Native Americans, the stretch of coast from about Tillamook Bay up past Vancouver Island became known as The Graveyard of the Pacific, due to unpredictable weather and dangerous coastal features. It is thought that more than 2000 ships have been lost alo...

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them!  Isaiah 42:10   In no particular order, we are exploring each of Oregon’s 36 counties. We’ve gone from Malheur, in the extreme southeast corner of the state, to, now, Clatsop in the northwest corner.   Clatsop is another old county, created out of the Tuality District, one of the original four districts established by the first Provincial Legislature. Clatsop County was established in 1844 and by 1853 had assumed its present boundaries.  The Columbia River lies along Clatsop’s northern border and empties into the Pacific Ocean to the west. Washington State is on the other side of the Columbia, Tillamook county is to the south and Washington and Columbia counties to the east. With Clatsop County we get even further back in Oregon hi...