The oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, dating from the fur trading post set up by John Jacob Astor’s men in 1811. City website.
Took a bunch of photos:
Harpoon gun - one company did some whaling killing a dozen whales for mink food.
Exhibit at the Maritime Museum - this was the actual boat used by the Coast Guard for assist and rescue. The scenario is not unrealistic. The Columbia Bar can be brutal - even when I was living in Boston, it was legendary.
Visited the Lightship - very stout and safe vessel but the museum said that it bobbed like a cork rather than roll or pitch. From a seasickness standpoint, this is the worst possible motion and in the winter storm season, the sailors were miserable.
Coast Guard ship at the pier with another one steaming out to sea.
Supposed to be the Astoria Column here but it is being restored and is currently covered with a condom for protection.
Some lupines blooming at Fort Stevens State Park - this was a military base from the Civil War through WW-II defending the shipping down the Columbia River.
Would be nice if someone knew how to spell "sentinel".