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V19 N2 The Point Where Past and Present Meet

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the

UARTERDECK

Vol.19 No. 2

Winter 1993

A review and newsletter from the Columbia River Maritime Museum at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon

An escort carrier is prepared for commissioning at Tongue Point Naval Air Station during World War II.

Woodfield Collection.

The Point Where Past and Future Meet Those who lived in Astoria during World War II have strong and evocative memories of the presence of the Navy here during those years. This community near the mouth of the great river, born of the salmon canning and timber booms and with its roots deep in the American expansion into the West, suddenly found itself nearly tripled in size. Servicemen were everywhere. The U.S.0. became a hotspot of social life. And for those who passed through or were stationed here during the war, this town remains indelibly in their memories as one of the busiest places that ever they were.

Much has changed since then. The canneries are gone now. News from the Port of Astoria brings discussion of importing logs to a place where not so long ago timber was king. The Navy, which remained here after the war to mothball ships, departed in 1962. Now it appears the Navy will be returning. Talk of these subjects touches upon deeply emotional issues: who we are, where we were, and what we are yet to be; our hopes and fears. This town with the longest history of any American settlement west of the Rockies stands at the crossroads. What we are to be we are now becoming.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is a historical institution. Ours is the domain of the sea and ships and ,boats, and the men and women whose lives have touched upon them or been touched by them. But we are not just a storehouse of community memories. Part of our role is to serve the community as a forum for the issues which face all of us here on the lower Columbia - as a meeting place, as a focal point for discussion of ideas, as an anchor in the plans for waterfront revitalization. With this in mind, join us for a look at the past and future of Tongue Point.


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