Page Index

• Wreck of the Peter Iredale

• Point Adams

• South Jetty & The Columbia Bar

• Battery Russell

• Battery Clark

• Original Earthworks & Battery Freeman

• Battery Pratt

• West Batteries

• Battery 245

Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Oregon Coast Tour

At 7.9 m. [Southbound from Astoria], is the junction with a paved road.

Right here to WARRENTON...

FORT STEVENS, 6 m., the only coastal fortification in Oregon, has a small garrison. Each summer the encampment of the coast artillery of the Oregon National Guard is held here.

Chester H. Armstrong, History of the Oregon State Parks: 1917-1963

Fort Stevens State Park is located in the northwest corner of the state, off U. S. Highway 101 approximately 13-1/2 miles west of Astoria in Clatsop County. It adjoins the south end of the old Fort Stevens Military Reservation at the mouth of the Columbia River.

The entire 792.70-acre park, including a strip of land 500 feet wide to the beach, was given to the state by the Clatsop County Court. One parcel of 788 acres was a gift in 1955 and the other 4.70 acres was a gift in 1960.

The area was named Fort Stevens State Park for the adjoining historical military reservation and because the area was well known by that name. Clatsop County had previously made a small development on the north end of Coffenbury Lake and named it Fort Stevens Park.

Among the interesting features of the park are several long, shallow lakes suitable for boating, fishing and swimming; the remains of the old British sailing ship Peter Iredale which went ashore in 1906; the long, broad ocean beach extending north to the Columbia River jetty and south to Gearhart; and the old historic Fort Stevens Military Reservation with its shore gun batteries.

The park land has a new growth of many varieties of trees, most of which were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early thirties. These plantings have reached as much as 30 feet high. Dune grass and small trees were planted in the area west of the park.

Developments at the park include a complete overnight camp area of 380 units, containing 119 trailer sites and 261 tent spaces with the necessary conveniences, a group camp area suitable for 200 people, a large day use area including tables, stoves and sanitary facilities, two swimming beaches with protective log booms outlining a safe water depth and serving as a protection against motor boats and other water-craft, an entrance road to the park, roads to the ocean beach and to the park developments, and suitable car parking areas at the day use area and near the beach. A boat launching ramp, 33 x 40 feet, was constructed on Coffenbury Lake. Another boat ramp in the park, 18 x 75 feet, is located on Crabapple Lake and still another, 9 x 84 feet, was built on Creep and Crawl Lake.

An attempt was made in 1957 to obtain Battery Russell, a part of the old Fort Stevens Military Reservation. It was unsuccessful because of federal complications relating to the deeding of the area to the State Game Commission. The Game Commission was willing to dispose of the area or lease it to the state.

Provisions were made in 1958 for a concession to operate in the picnic area on the east side of Coffenbury Lake. It was unsuccessful and the operator gave it up at the end of the 1960 season.

A claim was made in 1960 for the remains of the Peter Iredale wreckage by a Mr. Caldwell on behalf of a Mr. Hendricks who claimed to be the owner. The claim was never followed up in any way.

Some difficulties were encountered at the water sports areas between fishermen, swimmers and motor boaters. They were reasonably controlled by regulations.

Park usage in 1963 was 399,958 day visitors and 102,767 overnight campers.

Oregon State Parks: Fort Steven State Park

Fort Stevens was once the primary military defense installation in the three-fort, Harbor Defense System at the mouth of the Columbia River (along with Forts Canby and Columbia in Washington). The fort saw service for 84 years, from the Civil War to World War II.

Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation adventures, including camping, beach-combing, freshwater lake swimming, trails, wildlife viewing and a historic shipwreck.

Two smaller nearby lakes are great for fishing and canoeing.

Historic Military Site

Enjoy year-round military displays at the military museum and information center. Visit the only Civil War era earthen fort on the west coast, or explore the many turn-of-the-century, concrete artillery gun batteries. Underground tours are available during the summer of a gun battery that served as a World War II command center. For tour information, call the Friends of Old Fort Stevens at 503-861-2000.

Park History

The park's land was acquired between 1955 and 1974. Close to 790 acres were given to the state by Clatsop County between 1955 and 1960. Other lands were acquired by gifts, leases, and purchases from the county, local school district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a private landowner. The original earthen fort, completed in 1865 to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from Confederate gun boats and the British Navy during the Civil War, was named for Union Army Major General Isaac I. Stevens, first territorial governor of Washington, who died in 1862 at the Battle of Chantilly. The post later served as Oregon's only coastal defense fort during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. The fort has the distinction of being the only military fort in the United States to be fired upon by an enemy during time of war since the War of 1812, when it was attacked by a Japanese submarine on June 21, 1942.

Acreage: 4,247.48

Annual overnight attendance: 256,634

Annual day-use attendance: 1,103,072

Oregon State Parks: Fort Stevens Guide to Military Sites

Central Power Plant

This facility powered most of the fort with steampowered engines that turned electrical generators. The plant operated from 1911 to 1921, when the fort connected to commercial power.

Oregon State Parks: Fort Stevens Guide to Military Sites

Guardhouse

The guardhouse was the center of activity for the fort. Guards gathered here to report for duty and take orders. It also had a cell block for errant soldiers. Assaults, theft, drunkenness, and desertion were the most common offenses — and were notably more frequent after payday. Punishment at times included unpleasant daytime duties under escort.

Oregon State Parks: Fort Stevens Guide to Military Sites

Switchboard Room and Test Tanks (1922)

This bomb- and gas-proof building was the center of all communications for The Harbor Defenses of the Columbia River. A large switchboard transmitted messages via a network of armored cables connecting the forts on both sides of the river. The structures in front of this building held water tanks used to test electrical cable for the submarine mines.

Video (By Others...)

Links

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