While my husband Gene and I were in Tillamook for a month, we explored a lot of the area north and south of where we were staying. One day we made it to Astoria and checked out this cute little town. A little later we drove across the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Chinook, Washington. While driving around a bit, we came across Fort Columbia. This 618-acre state park features twelve historic wood-frame buildings from the fort complex as well as an interpretive center and hiking trails. I don’t remember seeing twelve, but there were a few. I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures as it almost seemed like private land and thus we didn’t stay too long. However, I did take a couple of pictures of the signs after we left the park.
They state: Here is the home to the Chinook Indians and their great Chief, Comcomly. Capt. Robert Gray dropped anchor near here after his discovery of the Columbia River in 1792. In the days of the fur trade this area was witness to many stirring events, and in 1843 Capt. Scarborough became the first permanent settler north of the Columbia. For years the promontory served as a vital hallmark for the safe crossing of the Columbia bar. Finally as a coastal fort, its guns guarded the mouth of the river from 1896 to the end of World War II.
