Winter 2000 Vol. 26, No. 1
the
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A review and newsletterfrom the Columbia River Maritime Museum at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon
The Columbia River Bar Pilots by Captain Robert Johnson Commercial sailing ships started calling on the Columbia shortly after its bar was crossed by Captain Robert Gray in 1792. The settlers who followed the Oregon Trail were soon benefiting from the many riches nature bestowed on the fertile soil of the Willamette Valley, the forests covering the hills, and the abundant salmon in the River. As trade grew, more and larger ships came to the Columbia. The local knowledge of pilots was essential to minimizing the hazards that led to the numerous accidents in the early years of commerce over the bar. The first pilots were local Indians and then
seamen from the Hudson's Bay Company. While the Captain sailed his ship, early pilots were guides giving advice on where he needed to go. By the 1850's Captain George Flavel became the dominant player by offering the most professional service. Today the Columbia River Bar Pilots consist of 19 men and one woman, all of whom have sailed as Master prior to becoming pilots, the highest sailing standard in the United States. The need for pilots is both commercial and political, to provide expertise which keeps the River open to commerce, and certainly to guard against environmental disasters.
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