Lyn Topinka, Fort Astoria Park

Fort Astoria Park is located at the intersection of 15th and Exchange streets, Astoria, Oregon. In 1956 a re-creation of the blockhouse of the old Fort Astoria was built and a sign telling the history was erected nearby.

The Oregon Historical Society website (2006), describes the blockhouse in 1960:

... re-creation of a Fort Astoria blockhouse in Clatsop County ... A wooden sign about Fort Astoria hangs from its frame near the blockhouse. The sign reads as follows:

"FORT ASTORIA Desiring to dominate the areas explored by Lewis and Clark, John Jacob Astor sent expeditions overland and by sea to seize the mouth of the Columbia. The schooner Tonquin arrived first and work was begun at this site April 12, 1811. 'The foliage was budding. We imagined ourselves in the garden of Eden. Buildings were of boards tightly covered and roofed with cedar bark.' Later palisades were raised against the Indians. Here gathered adventurers from all the vast wilderness. Here, in 1814, lived the Oregon country's first white woman, the English barmaid, Jane Barnes. Here were the true beginnings of our stock raising, farming, and shipbuilding. The property was sold to the North West Company to avoid capture during the War of 1812 and was operated as 'Fort George' until its abandonment in 1825 (25 believed to be last two digits-sign has some distortion at that point) when the Hudson's Bay Company moved headquarters to Fort Vancouver.

"The buildings decayed and modern Astoria rose upon the site." A diagram of Fort George as of 1818 is on file at the Oregon Historical Society and shows it to be a substantial installation, more than 150 by 200 feet, with a stockade and other defenses. A note on the diagram shows that the original Astoria establishment was about 75 by 110 feet, apparently not fortified.

"In 1930, workmen excavating in Astoria found remains of the stockade, probably the north wall, running from Fifteenth to Sixteenth streets, between Duane and Exchange streets. A plan of the fort has been painted on the sidewalks and pavements in this vicinity. ..."

Lyn Topinka, Fort Astoria Park Sign

FORT ASTORIA

"Desiring to dominate the areas explored by Lewis and Clark, John Jacob Astor sent expeditions overland and by sea to seize the mouth of the Columbia. The schooner Tonquin arrived first and work was begun on this site April 12, 1811. "The foliage was budding. We imagined ourselves in the Garden of Eden. Buildings were of boards tightly covered and roofed with cedar bark." Later palisades were raised against the Indians. Here gathered adventurers from all the vast wilderness; here, in 1814, lived the Oregon Country's first white woman, the English barmaid, Jane Barnes; here were the true beginnings of our stock raising, farming, and shipbuilding. The property was sold to the North West Company to avoid capture during the War of 1812 and was operated as "Fort George" until its abandonment in 1925 when the Hudson's Bay Company moved headquarters to Fort Vancouver. The buildings decayed and modern Astoria rose upon the site."

Sign, Fort Astoria Park, visited August 2009.

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