What really — truly — happened during those final wind-blown, rainsoaked thirty days of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s trek to the Pacific? Southwest Washington author and explorer Rex Ziak revolutionized historical scholarship by providing the answers: day by day and week by week. We’re delighted to offer In Full View, and Rex’s other two books, one with an extraordinary fold-out map, as our inaugural offerings from CRR Collectors Club.
Rex Ziak
$29.95
A true and accurate account of Lewis and Clark’s arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and their search for a winter camp along the lower Columbia River.
Gabriel Franchére
The newly edited and annotated by Rex Ziak version of Franchére’s 1820 journal, Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America in the Years 1811, 1812, 1813 and 1814, or The First American Settlement on the Pacific.
Rex Ziak $18.95
A unique fold-out guide mapping day-by-day Lewis and Clark’s journey from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and back.
11 issues $55.
We’ll send your recipient a printed gift notification card.
Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures
By Robert Michael Pyle and Judy VanderMaten. In three editions:
• Boxed Signature Edition Color and BW $50;
• Collectors Edition,Trade paperback. Color and B/W $35
• Trade paperback B/W $25
A Layman’s Lewis & Clark
By Michael O. Perry.
• Collectors Edition,Trade paperback. Color and B/W $35
Eons ago I took a college course called “Newswriting.” It was listed as Journalism 101, one of the many introductory classes I took, often on a whim, while pondering what major course of study to pursue. We were assigned during spring break to return to our hometowns, find something newsworthy, and write about it, incorporating, of course, the “Five Ws” — who, what, when, where, why.
I realize now that this whim helped fuel what has become my passion and my career, creating the paper you hold in your hands now. And the previous 215 editions of it. Imagine!
In this spirit, I’m especially excited and proud to welcome to CRR’s pages esteemed writer Andre Stepankowsky, a long-term reporter and editor for The Daily News in Longview. Andre is an award-winning and accomplished journalist, one of several editors at
The Daily News who I learned from while writing as a freelance “correspondent” there some 25 years ago.
Others who helped me include Pete Ellis, Tom Paulu, Cathy Zimmerman, and Michael Williamson, and I appreciate them all, still. Journalism is learned mostly on the job, not from a textbook, and it’s a hands-on, humbling, lifelong learning experience.
The details of that hometown event escape me now — as well as the grade I received on that piece and in the newswriting course — but my story dealt somehow with a time capsule being placed, or maybe it was being opened, in the cornerstone at St. John’s Hospital. Perhaps they were dedicating a new wing.
The custom of sending meaningful “souvenirs” across time to future citizens seemed significant to me then. And does now, too, all these years later. Especially since right now another time capsule awaits opening, as part of Longview’s Centennial celebration.
Hall, and will be transported under police escort, or so I’ve been told. A little fanfare never hurts!
The capsule will be opened January 20th during the Longview Centennial Committee’s Kickoff Celebration (details, page 27) . Finally, 2023, our centennial year is here — after several months’ run-up!
Besides the opening of the time capsule, the Kickoff Celebration will feature mixing and mingling, remarks by dignitaries, and displays of historical artifacts and photos. And, of course, bubbly for toasting in appreciation our City and its founders and everyone else who helped build it, maintain it, improve it, or simply populate it and live their lives here.
Welcome to the January issue. 2023 will be a memorable year — the 100 years of our city correspond with 20 years of our own “newswriting” efforts here at CRR. Still working to get it right! What were those Five Ws, again?
Happy New Year!
Your columbia RiveR ReadeR Read it • Enjoy it Share it • Recycle it
Columbia River Reader is printed with environmentally-sensitive soy-based inks on paper manufactured in the Pacific Northwest utilizing the highest percentage of “post-consumer waste” recycled content available on the market.
Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper
Columnists and contributors:
Tracy Beard Hal Calbom
Alice Dietz
Joseph Govednik
Dayle Olson
Michael Perry
Ned Piper
Robert Michael Pyle
Marc Roland Alan Rose
Alice Slusher
Greg Smith
Andre Stepankowsky
Debra Tweedy
Judy VanderMaten
Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Tiffany Dickinson, Debra Tweedy, Sue Lane-Koontz
Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632
Columbia River Reader, llc 1333 14th Ave, Longview, WA 98632
P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048
Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3*
*Other times by chance or appointment
E-mail: publisher@crreader.com
Phone: 360-749-1021
Pilot-mechanic Reed West, at the SW Washington Regional Airport, Kelso, where he works for Cascade Air FBO , earning the A&P (air frame power plant) FAA certification.
Photo by Hal Calbom
Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 14,000 copies distributed in the Lower Columbia region. Entire contents copyrighted; No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of Columbia River Reader, LLC. Opinions expressed herein, whether in editorial content or paid ad space, belong to the writers and advertisers and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Reader.
Submission guidelines: page 36. General Ad info: page 42.
Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.
This one will be unearthed from beneath the floor of Longview’s City
Visit our website for the current issue and archive of past issues from 2013.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: We often host friends and family for overnight visits. Before departing, some of our guests take it upon themselves to strip their beds and take their linens to the laundry room; some even start the washing machine. Of course we have never even hinted that this is expected, as it most certainly is not.
For me, it’s also absolutely unwanted. I find it insulting that they act as if we’re the kind of hosts that would expect them to do this. My wife disagrees and says they’re only trying to be helpful, but I wonder if they don’t trust us to wash the sheets between guests.
I was always taught that while it’s important to be a gracious host, it’s also important to be a gracious guest.
GENTLE READER: How about teaching you not to presume unkind motives where none are intended? Your
guests are merely trying to lessen your burden and pitch in — not to criticize your home care and hygiene.
Miss Manners will concede, however, that starting the washing machine without asking is an overstep. Proper overnight protocol is to strip the bed, put the bed cover back on it and put the folded sheets on top of the cover at the bottom of the bed. The trick is to fold them just nicely enough to look tidy, but not so neat that the host will mistake the set for clean ones -- and then unwittingly remake the bed with dirty sheets.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a lovely silver candelabra that is a family piece. I keep it on display on a sideboard in my dining room with white taper candles. It is purely decorative; I have never had the occasion to use it for its intended purpose.
At a shower at my house, one of my friends took me aside to tell me that I was committing a decorating/etiquette faux pas by having unlit candles in the candelabra. She said that I should at least present the appearance that the candelabra was used if I were going to display it.
I had never heard of this. Is she right? Do I need to light all of the candles, let them burn for a little while, and then blow them out?
GENTLE READER: If Miss Manners explains this to you, are you going to use it as evidence that the entire field of etiquette — the whole paralegal system to regulate human social behavior at a tolerant level — is silly? Probably.
Nevertheless, she will plunge ahead.
The idea is to avoid displaying things purely for show. Supposedly, you furnish your house for practical reasons -— which can include the pleasure you derive from non-utilitarian objects for their aesthetic or sentimental value. That is how you think of your family candelabra.
Nevertheless, it is obviously a utilitarian object, the practical use of which you are ignoring. The candles, being there just for display, are a bit like the fancy guest towels that hosts resent their guests using. Burning the wicks suggests acknowledging their use, even if you do not continue to use them.
Is failing to do so a high crime? Certainly not. Especially when compared to criticizing the decor in a house in which you are a guest.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My dear friend got married privately during the pandemic, and I gave her a monetary gift in recognition. Now, two years later, I will be attending the celebration of their wedding.
It’s still a wedding: I have to dress up as a bridesmaid, and there will be dinner, dancing and all. Do I need to provide another gift for her? Same amount? Or a small, physical gift instead?
GENTLE READER: If you wish, but it is not still a wedding.
This couple is already married. There is nothing wrong with their tossing a party, but Miss Manners wishes that people would stop calling such celebrations “weddings” when they lack the key ingredient: a marriage ceremony.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A woman in my friend group has earned several advanced degrees and belongs to many prestigious academic and professional societies. I am bothered by the fact that she signs every email, even social ones, with her full name, followed by an alphabet soup of her degrees and affiliations.
This strikes me as braggy and pretentious; do we really need to know her resume for the purpose of making brunch plans?
I don’t wish to offend her by objecting to this, as she is perfectly nice and down-to-earth in person. But I’m sure I can’t be the only one feeling annoyed, and possibly belittled, by this practice. What does Miss Manners say?
GENTLE READER: That the lady must have trouble convincing people that she is educated.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: For my 78th birthday, one of my children sent me a birthday cake. The cake was maybe 50% icing with bits of sugar candy throughout. I know it was expensive because I saw it advertised.
I have been a baker for 50 years and rarely make iced cakes. The cake was so sweet I couldn’t eat it.
I didn’t know how to respond when they asked how I liked it, so I said, “What was it supposed to taste like?” What should I have said?
As we learned in the last episode, the Expedition spent a miserable two weeks trying to reach the Pacific Ocean following the sighting of the mouth of the Columbia River from Pilar Rock on November 7, 1805. After deciding to spend the winter on the south side of the river, they loaded their canoes and went back upstream where the river was narrower and crossed over to Tongue Point. Lewis and a couple of men went ahead seeking a place to spend the winter. For the next five days, storms returned, pinning down Clark’s party and preventing Lewis’ party from returning. Clark became worried about Lewis, fearing he’d had an accident. A day later, Lewis returned and reported he’d found a good place to spend the winter.
The Corps constructed a log fort under a canopy of old-growth Sitka spruce somewhere near today’s reconstructed Fort Clatsop. The fort was on a bluff on the west side of the Netal river, southwest of present-day Astoria and about 7-miles from the ocean. While it was a dark, damp and mossy setting, it provided protection from the gale force winds and crashing waves that the Corps had experienced in November as they made their way along the north shore of the river to reach the Pacific Ocean. Nothing but the best-est Plans were drawn up for a log fort and construction began on December 10th. The first priority was building a meat house since “all our last Supply of Elk has Spoiled in the repeeted rains which has been
fallen ever Since our arrival at this place, and for a long time before.” It only took two weeks to build Fort Clatsop with the “Streightest & most butifullest logs.”
During that time, it rained continuously. It snowed and hailed. Lightning and strong winds added to the dismal conditions. Clark described December 16th as “Certainly one of the worst days that ever was!” During their four-month stay at the mouth of the Columbia River, only twelve days were without rain. Finding enough dry wood for their fires was a constant challenge.
On December 25th, Joseph Whitehouse wrote, ”We saluted our officers, by each of our party firing off his gun at day break in honor of the day (Christmass).” Sergeant Ordway wrote, “They divided out the last of their tobacco among the men that used and the rest they gave each a Silk handkerchief, as a Christmas gift, to keep us in remembrence of it as we have no ardent Spirits, but are all in good health which we esteem more than all the ardent Spirits in the world. We have nothing to eat but poore Elk meat and no Salt to Season that with.” Clark wrote they had “a bad Christmas diner” consisting of unsalted, spoiled lean elk meat, spoiled pounded fish purchased two months earlier at Celilo Falls, and a few roots.
Everyone had moved into the still uncompleted fort by Christmas Day,
From a National Park Service sign in Seaside, Oregon: After the Lewis and Clark Expedition was established at Fort Clatsop, members of the group camped here from January 2 to February 21, 1806. The explorers conveniently found stone to build an oven, wood to burn, fresh water to drink, elk to hunt, and seawater to boil, having “... a good concentration of salt.”
… five men hiked to the ocean …
The Corps had run out of salt for seasoning food, and, perhaps more important, for preserving meat. Preserving meat was critical for the Corps. The elk meat harvested near Clatsop was lean and tasteless. If it spoiled it made the corpsmen sick. And they hoped to lay in a good supply of salted meat for the journey home. To make salt, the Corps needed rocks to build a furnace, wood to burn, and ocean water to boil. They also needed fresh water and game to survive their sojourn at the coast. The party found a site 15 miles southwest of Fort Clatsop. Five men traveled to the beach site, built the camp and set five kettles to boiling 24 hours a day. According to their records, they set out from Fort Clatsop on Dec. 28, 1805, and left the camp Feb. 20, 1806, with 3.5 bushels or about 28 gallons of salt.
and Clark wrote they were “Snugly fixed.” Sleeping under a roof must have been a great relief, but they still had to deal with the fleas “that torment us in such a manner as to deprive us of half the nights Sleep.” Sergeant Gass wrote, “the ticks, flies and other insects are in abundance, which appears to us very extraordinary at this season of the year, in a latitude so far north.”
In their rush to build the fort, the men had neglected to build chimneys for the fireplaces. Whitehouse wrote, “We found that our huts smoaked occasion’d by the hard
wind; & find that we cannot live in them without building Chimneys.” A day later, Whitehouse wrote the chimneys were “completed, & found our huts comfortable & without smoak.”
On December 28th, five men hiked to the ocean, near present-day Seaside, to set up a salt making operation. A week later, Lewis wrote that two of the men brought back “a specemine of the
& Clark series appeared in Columbia River Reader’s early years and helped shape its identity and zeitgeist. After two encores, the series has been expanded and published in a book. Details, pages 2, 43.
salt of about a gallon, we found it excellent, fine, strong, & white; this was a great treat to myself and most of the party.” Prior to that, much of their meat had spoiled in the warm and damp conditions. In seven weeks, enough sea water was boiled to extract 3-1/2 bushels (28 gallons) of salt, most of which was used to preserve meat for their return trip the next spring. While at Fort Clatsop, 131 elk and 20 deer were killed.
New Year’s Day of 1806 was welcomed with a volley of gunshots, “the only mark of rispect which we had it in our power to pay this selebrated day.” The men were, almost certainly, already making plans for the trip back to St. Louis in spring. But first, they had to survive a soggy winter.
The firsT forT ClaTsop replica, built in 1955, burned down on October 3, 2005. Rather than rush to rebuild it in time for the 2005 Bicentennial events, it was decided to take a little time and try to do it right. In the 50 years since it was built, historians had learned more about the fort and knew the 1955 reconstruction was not as accurate as it might have been. However, while the replacement fort would end up incorporating some of the new knowledge to better reflect how the original fort may have been constructed, a decision was made to build the new fort on the old 1955
This photo shows a “fireplace” in the rooms at Fort Clatsop, which was simply an open fire built on a stone slab. There was no enclosed chimney; the smoke rose in the room to escape through a hole cut in the roof.
foundation even though evidence indicated the original fort was “U” shaped rather than made up of two parallel structures facing each other, open at both ends.
In late 2005, after the charred debris was cleared, excavations were made under the replica fort in search of evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In three weeks of digging and sifting, the only things found were pieces of broken glass and pottery made after Lewis and Clark’s visit. A blue bead found was believed to have been made after 1850. Previous excavations in the area also failed to turn up any evidence of elk or deer bones, the Corps’ garbage pit, or a latrine pit (which could be identified by high levels of mercury from Dr. Rush’s infamous “Thunderclappers” used to treat many Corps members’ illnesses). Thus, there still is no clear evidence of where the original fort was located. The replacement fort was constructed indoors at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds so that visitors could watch as it was built. The reconstruction began on December 10, 2005, which happened to be 200 years to the day after Lewis and Clark started construction of the original fort. After the new replica fort was built, it was disassembled and treated with a wood preservative and then rebuilt at the Fort Clatsop site.
This photo, taken less than two weeks before the Fort Clatsop replica burned down in 2005, shows smoke coming out of the chimney in the middle room. On that day, a re-enactor was demonstrating how the Corpsmen made candles by heating a kettle of tallow over a fire. This is probably where the fire started that destroyed the fort.
Lewis and Clark re-enactors play an important role at today’s re-built Fort Clatsop replica. The metal container the re-enactor is holding contains char-cloth.
Traditional Toys, Games & Books We’re family owned, locally owned & here to stay Authorized Lazboy Dealer www.elamshf.com 360-749-PINK (7645) to schedule your free consultation 1311 Hudson Street • Longview
1339 Commerce #112
IN THE MERK • 360-425-5042
Mon-Wed-Fri 11am–3pm Other times by chance or appointment 1333 14th Ave, Longview
It’s delivered all around the River by the 15th of each month. Here’s the list of handy, regularly-refilled sidewalk box and rack locations where you can pick up a copy any time of day and even in your bathrobe:
LONGVIEW
U.S. Bank
Post Office
Bob’s (rack, main check-out) In front of 1232 Commerce Ave
Paint Everything! Accessories and Art to Go!
360.636.0712
LINDA KELLER at Pretty Please Text or Call WORKSHOPS 1309 Hudson Street 10–5:30 M-F 10–3 Sat
In front of 1323 Commerce Ave
YMCA
Fred Meyer (rack, service desk) Teri’s Grocery Outlet Gifted Kitchen (711 Vandercook Way) Fibre Fed’l CU - Commerce Ave
Monticello Hotel (front entrance)
Kaiser Permanente
St. John Medical Center (rack, Park Lake Café)
LCC Student Center
Indy Way Diner
Columbia River Reader Office 1333 14th Ave. (box at door) Omelettes & More (entry rack) Stuffy’s II (entry rack)
KELSO
Visitors’ Center / Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce
KALAMA Fibre Fed’l CU Kalama Shopping Center corner of First & Fir McMenamin’s Harbor Lodge (rack)
WOODLAND
The Oak Tree Visitors’ Center
Longview
Outdoor Gallery
Unique sculptures along the sidewalks of Downtown Longview, both sides of Commerce Ave.
Grocery Outlet Luckman Coffee Antidote (rack)
CASTLE ROCK
Lacie Rha’s Cafe (32 Cowlitz W.)
Parker’s Restaurant (box, entry)
Visitors’ Center 890 Huntington Ave. N., Exit 49, west side of I-5 Cascade Select Market
RYDERWOOD Café porch
TOUTLE Drew’s Grocery & Service
CLATSKANIE
Post Office
Mobil / Mini-Mart
Fultano’s Pizza
WESTPORT
Berry Patch (entry rack)
RAINIER
Post Office
Cornerstone Café
Rainier Hardware (rack, entry)
Earth ‘n’ Sun (on Hwy 30)
El Tapatio (entry rack) Grocery Outlet
Senior Center (rack at front door)
DEER ISLAND
Deer Island Store
COLUMBIA CITY - Post Office
WARREN
Warren Country Inn
ST HELENS Chamber of Commerce Sunshine Pizza
St. Helens Market Fresh Olde Town: Wild Currant, Tap into Wine, Molly’s Market
Safeway
SCAPPOOSE
Post Office Road Runner Fultano’s Ace Hardware
WARRENTON, OR Fred Meyer
CATHLAMET
Cathlamet Pharmacy
Tsuga Gallery
Cathlamet Realty West
Puget Island Ferry Landing
SKAMOKAWA
Skamokawa General Store
NASELLE
Appelo Archives & Café Johnson’s One-Stop
Miss Manners from page 9
GENTLE READER: The intention of your child was surely to please you with an extravagant, and apparently welladvertised, cake — not to maliciously rot out your teeth and give you cavities.
Miss Manners suggests you practice saying, “It was so kind of you to think of me on my birthday” as an alternative to, “Why are you trying to both kill and annoy me with your sugary presents?”
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband of 58 years died last year. He was highly respected and loved by many people who had experienced his comfort and prayers in times of need. In fact, I received 150 sympathy cards. He truly was a good man to all who were in need.
What no one knows is that, from the beginning of our life together, he NEVER put me first. He seldom, if ever, encouraged me or complimented me. His abusiveness came through in the tone of his voice, not his actual words. I sought counseling after 30 years because I no longer knew who I was or what I wanted.
I cannot explain the relief I felt when I no longer came home to his car in the garage. How do I respond to the constant sympathy I continue to receive from those who miss him more than
I do? I don’t want to denigrate his memory for those who experienced his love and concern.
GENTLE READER: “Thank you. He will be missed.” That it will not be by you, Miss Manners assures you, need not be specified.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My good friend is having her first grandchild. She asked me to make a quilt for the baby,
which I did. Quilts are not cheap, so I asked if it could be my gift to the baby. She was thrilled and said yes.
My daughter, who is friends with the mom-to-be, is upset that I am not buying a gift from the registry. Am I messing up?
GENTLE READER: For handcrafting a gift that took you some time and will be remembered by the family when the animated tummy mat is celebrating its
tenth anniversary in the landfill — instead of taking 15 seconds to check a box and push a button on a website? Miss Manners hopes not.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My boyfriend gave me a pair of diamond earrings for Christmas. They are substantial in size. He also bought diamond jewelry for his daughters and mother.
page 38
Idon’t have a long bucket list, but one “to do” is a particular challenge.
I want to wade in every one of Washington’s significant rivers. I’ve checked off many, but many are left to go.
Every time I float, wade or traverse a new river, I cup water in my hands and splash my face. These baptisms are a spiritual and psychological imprinting of that waterway on my memory.
Like salmon drawn to their natal streams, I’m attracted to any river by its unique or outstanding character.
To the Elochoman in Wahkiakum County, I go to take in the bright fall foliage. The berry brambles that cascade down the river banks furnish a feast during a late summer float.
In Central Oregon, the McKenzie River flows three miles under a 1,600-year-old lava flow before emerging in sapphire and turquoise radiance known as Tamolitch Blue Pool. It’s a jewel my daughter and I enjoyed last year.
The Skykomish River last summer was my portal to the North Cascades and some of the nation’s most spectacular alpine scenery. Clattering and gurgling over rocks and logs, the river piped out nocturnal music that put me to sleep.
Yes, rivers speak to us, in whispers of comfort and violent tones of admonishment.
Rivers and watersheds are arteries and capillaries that sustain life and civilizations. They are ancient courses of history that support us today and will do so again in countless tomorrows. Rivers define most of our major cities.
Rivers are sources of inspiration, instigators of thought and means of solace. Surely, we all have watched twigs and leaves bob downstream on courses so out of their own control — much like our own destinies. Rivers teach us to change what we can but accept what we cannot alter.
Rivers have brought me both terror and awe. My son Nicky and I once overturned in the Lewis River when I underestimated a narrow rapid. Nick laughed while we clung to our inflatable kayak — and I kicked frantically to get us and our craft ashore. I learned that even a meager summer flow could present a potent danger.
The Columbia River often is dangerously underestimated, too. Its immense force was made plain when I went out by boat to cover a 1984 oil tanker spill with photographer Roger Werth. The river boiled up from beneath the stricken vessel with a force like Niagara Falls in reverse. We kept our distance.
Rivers often are born of violence. The Cowlitz is notable for this, having its origins on three different volcanoes — Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. It is a turgid wreck below Castle Rock, a reminder of the planetary cannon blast at Mount St.
Helens 43 years ago. But the upper Cowlitz still flows deep and green. An exuberant, bronco-busting rafting trip down the turbulent Cispus — a tributary fed by Mount Adams — is still a fresh and joyful memory 30 years later.
Rivers don’t need beauty to be memorable and restorative. The Coweeman River suffered terrible damage in the 20th century due to logging “splash dams,” grazing, and other uses. Still, its tidal reach behind Kelso High School is an easy and peaceful drift bordered by forested hills, cattails and other wetland plants.
Kudos to the City of Kelso for planning a ramp for non-motorized boating on the Coweeman. As my fellow CRR contributor Robert Michael Pyle has noted, humans need access to
landscapes and rivers — even damaged ones— to solder our connections to nature.
I grew up appreciating rivers’ importance because my New Jersey community was in the headwaters of the Passaic River and the state’s largest reservoir. The lower Passaic, though, is among the nation’s most polluted waterways, a legacy of northeastern New Jersey’s industrial presence.
The health of rivers is a measure of our stewardship, because just about everything we make, grow, eat or discard somehow touches our waterways.
We need to care for them — and every so often to be reborn in our appreciation of them.
Award winning journalist Andre Stepankowsky is a former reporter and editor for The Daily News. His CRR column will spring from his many interests, including hiking, rose gardening, music, and woodworking. More of his writing is available through his online newsletter on substack.com by searching for “Lower Columbia Currents.”
Poem by Robert Michael Pyle Photograph by Judy VanderMaten Field Note by Hal Calbom
Pocket-handkerchief of shoreline on the channel side. Spruced-up, also dogwood- and blackberry-bound, plus willow, alder, reed canary grass, and broom — almost impenetrable.
Nearby shore rip-rapped, but green and soiled-over, rocks filled in with volcanic ash. Sharp-shinned hawk, breast herringboned red, swoops along the shore. Fifty pintails rise off the river, turn north, overhead. The sharpie shoots back across the other way, flicking its tail like a cat. Follow it to willow cove
henged in by driftwood logs and root wads, platforms for gathering river silt, for growing of sedges, shelf-fungus fingernails, brush, briar, algae, moss, and ferns.
As if, having lost their own lives, the best these logs and wads can do is give a boost for something else that still wants to live.
Most of the Lower Columbia and tidewater reach enjoy a classic maritime climate, with the occasional interruption of severe Pacific storms. Average annual high temperatures are in the high 50s, lows in the low 40s, and averages a comfortable 50 degrees. Precipitation, which tends to fall as drizzle as much as downpour, is another story: an average of some 50-plus inches of rain a year, climbing to 80-plus inches in Astoria, and as much as 120 inches annually in Grays River. As for the relatively low probability phenomenon known as snow: about 1-2 inches a year.
On this page we excerpt poems, pictures and field notes from our own “Field Guide to the Lower Columbia River in Poems and Pictures,” The Tidewater Reach, by Gray’s River resident and renowned naturalist Robert Michael Pyle, and Cathlamet photographer Judy VanderMaten. The two dreamed for years of a collaborative project, finally realized when Columbia River Reader Press published color and black and white editions of The Tidewater Reach in 2020, and a third, hybrid edition in 2021, all presenting “a different way of seeing” our beloved Columbia River.
For information on ordering, as well as our partner bookshops and galleries, see pages 2 and 43.
The Pacific Northwest is a fantastic place to live. The abundance of rain nurtures a lush green backdrop for hiking and adventuring throughout the region. However, that same H2O can also cause depression if you cannot explore the great outdoors and are perpetually destined to remain inside. My solution to the potential doldrums is a winter escape each year. Whether you can travel in the literal sense or enjoy a virtual trip, I’d like you to join me on my recent venture to Mexico.
My husband Steve works outdoors on massive construction projects, so when he gets the opportunity to join me on vacation, he wants to go where the weather is temperate or raises the mercury higher on the thermometer. Our recent trip to Mexico provided the perfect temperature: 65 degrees in the morning and a balmy 78-82 degrees in the afternoon and evening.
We stayed at Vidanta’s Grand Mayan Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico. Our one-bedroom suite, located on the sixth floor, overlooking the lazy river and several pools, featured a king-sized bed, living room, dining room, kitchen, spacious bathroom, private terrace with a plunge pool, and two TVs. The optimal temperatures provided an excellent environment for strolling the resort, alfresco dining, fishing in the bay, walking the beach, and lounging by the pool.
In the past our trips to Mexico included a great deal of car travel. We enjoy visiting smaller villages, eating local cuisine, and getting to know the people there. However, the last three years, including 2022, have been tough, so we decided to spend most of our time at the resort with the exception of a fishing trip. We also spent one afternoon enjoying lunch with my cousin and his wife who live in the area.
Steve and I booked a private, half-day fishing trip with J.J. and the captain of Flipper IV. We had a wonderful morning and caught six fish—mackerels and skipjacks. Even though Steve’s ultimate goal was to hook a mahi-mahi, we considered the day a success. It began with a gorgeous sunrise and continued with numerous whale sightings, calm seas, relaxation, and laughter.
At the resort, we dined at many upscale restaurants. There are plenty of places to enjoy poolside snacks, tacos, pizza, and other casual fares, but I like to have dinner at the higher-end spots.
A Daily Indulgence in Fine Dining Gong specializes in Asian cuisine. Whether you are interested in lobster rolls, sushi, or incredibly prepared sea bass, there are numerous choices. We enjoyed dinner two times at Gong. The first time we booked the teppanyaki dinner, something similar to a trip to Benihanas. It is a set dinner menu and a show. The chef cooks on a hot surface at the table. Throughout the dinner, the chef juggles knives, flips food, and keeps guests amused while they dine. We sat outside by the lake the second night and watched the light and water show. The program was enchanting with lights and spouting water set to music. Our dinner was a la carte and quite delicious.
Other delightful dinners included fresh pasta at Tramonto, the Italian restaurant, apple tartar at the French-inspired Bistro Bleu restaurant, and a 1.7-pound Caribbean lobster tail at the luxury seafood restaurant on the beach.
Vidanta Resorts provide excellent onsite entertainment. The Sanctuary, located at the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Mayan, is a large pavilion just under 7,000 square meters that hosts evening programs for the entire family. We watched several exciting performances, including Mayan dancers, mariachi music, sand sculptors, and a talented violinist. Sanctuary boasts comfy couches, tasty drinks, and small bites in an exquisite setting.
We enjoyed the entertainment at the Sanctuary, the light show on the lake, and the volcano light and fire show at the entrance to the soonto-open onsite amusement park, but sometimes just meandering the grounds and looking at the wildlife was entertaining enough. The resort, located in a tropical setting, is home to numerous melodious birds and colorful iguanas.
When vacationing at Vidanta’s Grand Mayan or any of their other developments, you can choose to be busy all day and all night or to spend your time relaxing, reading a book, or sipping on a cocktail at the swim-up bars. I took relaxation a step further and spent a couple of hours at the Brio Spa. A staff member at the spa told me that immersing myself back and forth between the cold water tub and the Jacuzzi was good for my circulation, promoted deep sleep, and helped to build my immune system. After two plunges into the icecold tub and back into the Jacuzzi, I was ready for my 50-minute deep tissue massage. I don’t know if the cold/hot immersion session was helpful, but the massage was excellent. Vacations are about taking a moment to stop, reset, and rejoice. Steve and I relished our break from real life, and although an additional week of restoration would have been welcome, it was nice to return to the Pacific Northwest for the holidays.
Back in Washington we were welcomed with freezing temperatures, snow, and rain. During this frigid time of year, I suggest you warm yourself by the fire with one of my favorite winter drinks. •••
By Tracy BeardTracy’s Ultimate Spanish Coffee
8 oz hot coffee
1 ½ oz Bacardi 151 rum
1 oz Kahlúa
½ oz Triple Sec
1 lemon wedge
1 Bordeaux cherry
1 Tbl. sugar
Whipped cream
Make your favorite hot coffee. Put the sugar on a plate. Rub lemon wedge around the rim of the heatproof glass, and dip the edge in the sugar. Pour the rum into the glass, add the Kahlúa, and top it with the Triple Sec. Light the liquor on fire with a match. Let it burn for a minute while you tip the glass a bit to caramelize the sugar on the rim, then pour the coffee over the top to put out the fire. Top the hot cocktail with whipped cream and a Bordeaux cherry.
I never seem to get enough vegetables when I travel. Tempura veggies are one of my new go-to appetizers.
1 cup McCormick Tempura Seafood Batter Mix
¾ cups ice-cold water
1 pound of raw vegetables (I like cauliflower, carrots, sweet potato, and green beans.)
1 bottle of sweet chili sauce (I prefer the Panda Express brand.)
2 Tbl. chopped chives
1 Tbl. dried coconut
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Cut the vegetables into 1 ½ to 2-inch pieces. Stir the batter and water together in a medium bowl. Pour the oil into a deep fryer, large skillet, or saucepan no more than 1/3 full. Heat oil to 375 degrees on medium heat. Dip the vegetables into the batter and shake off the excess. Add a few vegetables to the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and salt while they are hot. Top the vegetables with chives and coconut, then serve with the sweet chili sauce.
of all kinds, 50 shades of grey in the sky, followed by more precipitation. A great way to fight cabin fever if the outdoor elements are a discouragement is visiting your local museum!
I find a change of environment and stimulation can break up the monotony of seemingly-endless liquid sunshine. Make a full- or half-day out of a rainy Saturday by visiting any of the 16 museums on the menu (next
page) and support the local economy by eating lunch nearby and browsing nearby retailers.
Pick a museum out of your immediate area to give that small road trip feel by adding a 30- or 45-minute meandering drive. Incorporating your trip across the Columbia River — whichever side you live on — adds to the “out of state” trip experience. You may cross at Longview/Rainier and Astoria/Megler by bridge, or from Cathlamet/Westport via car ferry for an adventurous option, though call first, 360-795-7867, for ferry details. Be sure to contact these museums prior to scheduling your trip as many have limited or by-appointment hours during the winter.
• Choose a regional museum at least 30 minutes’ drive away.
• Spice it up option: Choose an across-river destination.
•Contact museum to confirm hours and appointments.
• Visit local shops nearby (My family loves thrift and antique stores, Internet search can help)
• Make sure to get your lunch at a local restaurant!
• Head home with new memories!
Mix all the ingredients together and simmer 4-6 hours on your rainy day. Makes memories for the entire carload. AND a good cure for the common cabin fever!
1
Port of Kalama Interpretive Center
110 W. Marine Drive Kalama, WA 98625 www.portofkalama.com 360.673.2325
2 Lelooska Foundation and Museum 165 Merwin Village Road Ariel, WA 98603 www.lelooska.org 360.225.9522
3 River Life Interpretive Center 1394 W. State Route 4 Skamokawa, WA 98647 www.friendsofskamokawa.org 360.795.3007
4 Stella Historical Society 8530 Ocean Beach Highway Longview, WA 98632 www.facebook.com/ stellahistoricalmuseum 360.423.3860
5 Cowlitz County Historical Museum 405 Allen Street Kelso, WA 98626 www.cowlitzcountyhistory.org 360.577.3119
6 Allepo Archives Center and Museum 1056 State Route 4 Naselle, WA 98638 www.allepoarchives.org 360.484.7103
7 Caples House Museum 1925 First Street Columbia City, OR 97018 www.capleshouse.com 503.397.5390
8
11
Clatskanie Historical Society Museum
620 Tichenor Street Clatskanie, OR 97016 www.cityofclatskanie.com/ aboutclatskanie/museum.html 503.728.3608
9 Rainier Oregon Historical Museum
106 W. “B” Street (City Hall, 3rd floor) Rainier, OR 97048 www.rainermuseum.org 503.556.9661
10
Vernonia Pioneer Museum 511 E. Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 www.vernoniahandsonart.org/ vernonia-pioneer-museum/ 503.429.3713
Watts House/Scappoose Historical Society
52432 SE 1st Street Scappoose, OR 97056 www.scappoose-historicalsociety. org 503.961.5621
12
Historic Courthouse Museum (Columbia County) 230 Strand Street St. Helens, OR 97051 www.colcomuseum.org 971.225.3971
13
Knappton Cove Heritage Center 521 WA State Route 401 (see website for details) www.knapptoncoveheritagecenter. org/ 503.738.5206
Map by Erin Govednik
14
Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum
115 SE Lake Street Ilwaco, WA 98624 columbiapacificheritagemuseum. org 360.642.3446
15
Columbia River Maritime Museum 1792 Marine Drive Astoria, OR 97103 www.crmm.org 503.325.2323
16
Woodland Historical Society 417 Park Street Woodland, WA 98674 www.facebook.com/people/ Woodland-Historical-MuseumSociety
• Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce Kelso Visitor Center I-5 Exit 39 105 Minor Road, Kelso • 360-577-8058
• Woodland Tourist Center I-5 Exit 21 Park & Ride lot, 900 Goerig St., 360-225-9552
• Wahkiakum Chamber 102 Main St, Cathlamet • 360-795-9996
• Castle Rock Visitor Center Exit 49, west side of I-5, 890 Huntington Ave. N. Open M-F 11–3.
• Naselle, WA Appelo Archives Center 1056 SR 4, Naselle, WA. 360-484-7103.
• Pacific County Museum & Visitor Center Hwy 101, South Bend, WA 360-875-5224
• Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau 3914 Pacific Way (corner Hwy 101/Hwy 103) Long Beach, WA. 360-642-2400 • 800-451-2542
• South Columbia County Chamber Columbia Blvd/Hwy 30, St. Helens, OR • 503-397-0685
• Seaside, OR 989 Broadway, 503-738-3097; 888-306-2326
• Astoria-Warrenton Chamber/Ore Welcome Ctr 111 W. Marine Dr., Astoria 503-325-6311 or 800-875-6807
360-740-2632.
Selected by Debra Tweedy
After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.
--Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright, 1854-1900.
Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
--Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, 1872-1933
Ring out the false, Ring in the true.
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ºEnglish poet, 1809-1892
Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New Year’s prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage.
--Susan Sontag, American writer and political activist, 1933-2004
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
--Ben Franklin, American statesman, writer, inventor, 1706-1790
Life admits not of delays; where pleasure can be had, it is fit to catch it.
–Samuel Johnson, English writer, 17091784
It is a great thing when two souls are united to support each other in their work, in their successes and misfortunes, until the last silent minutes of the last good-bye.
--George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), English novelist, 1819-1880
Paradoxically, the ability to be alone is the condition for the ability to love.
--Erich Fromm, German psychologist, psychoanalyst and writer, 1900-1980
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.
--Neil Gaiman, English writer, 1960“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone, and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”
--J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, British author, 1965-
Longview native Debra Tweedy has lived on four continents. She and her husband decided to return to her hometown and bought a house facing Lake Sacajawea.“We came back because of the Lake and the Longview Public Library,” she says.
Busack Electric Cowlitz PUD
Don & Andrea Cullen
Cutright Supply Evans Kelly Family Joe M. Fischer
Richelle Gall Insurance
The Lee Family NORPAC
Michael & Marilyn Perry Perry E. Piper
Port of Longview RiverCities Transit Weatherguard, Inc
Merrilee Bauman Linda Calbom Elam’s Furniture
The Gebert Family Robert & Pauline Kirchner
Kirkpatrick Family Care
Edward Jones • Nick Lemiere
The Minthorn Family Rodman Realty, Inc.
Holly & GM Roe
Sessions Plumbing Stirling Honda Teague’s Interiors
A year-long feature series written and photographed by Southwest Washington native and Emmy Award-winning journalist Hal Calbom
The Guts, the Gamble, the Glory
T he L ower C o Lumbia ’ s pioneers were starry-eyed visionaries with mud on their boots.
They regarded these mighty lands and waters with a mixture of awe, respect and fear. The Great River of the West demanded no less. Stewart Holbrook memorably described the Columbia as, “Not a cozy river, not the kind a man can feel belongs to him.”
Beware, said the skeptics: Build your mansions and estates on the tranquil banks of the Hudson, meander your way down the Mississippi with the riverboat captains and their cotton bales, swoon over and serenade the Swanee. But pay heed to the humbling Columbia: She will sink your ships, rot your crops, and flood your puny settlements, as regularly and inevitably as the seasons.
Longview’s founders were not unaware of this reputation. But they were also products of the Roaring Twenties and the Aspirin Age, as Holbrook reminds us, seemingly capable of anything they set their minds
to. So they made a big bet, securing an isolated, swampy delta with a history of natural disasters and displacements on which to situate their giant mills and planned city.
They were prescient, these audacious pioneers. They looked past the past and muddled through the present with a dream of a future they might create for generations to come. Their bet paid off.
They defied the skeptics, overextended their capital and exhausted their energies on behalf of this particular forlorn piece of real estate. Their guts and experiences guided them. Their rationale would evolve over a hundred years and become a real estate agent’s modern mantra. Location, location, location.
The Long View project pairs history with modern context. To celebrate Longview’s 100th
birthday, Columbia River Reader is expanding its monthly “People+Place” feature to contrast the historical “Then” with the contemporary “Now.”
“It’s important to look back and celebrate the past,” said publisher Susan Piper, “but equally important to track the changes that make us what we are today. How close are we to the founders’ vision? What remains? What’s entirely new?”
Thanks to tremendous community support (see Partner Spotlights, page 26), the Reader will present 12 months of “People+Place Then and Now” reportage, then combine and expand these features into a commemorative book. The Long View: A Planned City and
America’s Last Frontier written by Hal Calbom, with a foreword by John M. McClelland, III.
The Reader is coordinating with the Longview Centennial Committee, led by Reed Hadley, to publicize civic activities and celebrations (see Centennial Countdown, page 26) and will host a Book Launch Gala June 30, 2023.
then: building bridges now: the crossroads
Local and global: Trade and transportation are immediate concerns for the new town.
In the Pacific Century, Longview is a crossroads for local, regional, and international commerce.
Longview’s has been a local story with national, even global implications.
Physically remote, the town nevertheless had a wider presence from its very inception. Boastful media and promotion blanketed the country and trumpeted the Planned City. If the new enterprise were to prosper, the product it produced locally — lumber by the millions of board feet a day — would need to be marketed and distributed literally around the world.
There would be fits and starts. The nation’s largest lumber company, located half a continent away, was making hasty decisions and plans that could feel over-the-top, misjudged and arbitrary. Still, how many isolated mill towns ever enjoyed these farsighted and deep-pocketed resources? A wealthy, benevolent corporation as its parent? National figures such as Olmsted and Kessler and Nichols directing its birth and infancy? The world’s eyes fixed upon them and their prospects?
Before the first shovel of earth moved in the Cowlitz delta, the founders had a global business plan for Longview. World’s Largest Sawmills or no, this venture would live or die by transport and trade.
You don’t build the nation’s largest lumber company without chutzpah, market savvy, and aggressive sales tactics. Though Longview’s founders occasionally showed their naïveté as city planners and builders, they were first-class salesmen and marketers. And the time was right.
It was conceived and whelped in what has been called the Aspirin Age of the 1920s, a time of marvels without end, when not even the sky was the limit, when normalcy was near to fantasy, and Men of Vision were as highly regarded as were the Old Testament prophets in biblical times.
The founders knew their markets and their potential customers. What worried them was transportation and trade: serving these markets efficiently and economically. Getting from here to there — point A to point B, mill-to-customer — was a much more daunting prospect viewed from the country’s far corner than it had been from its heartland.
In an age dominated by ships and railroads, the founders knew the value of a deep water port, especially one serviced by rail. They had first planned to build two mills, one to serve the oceanic export side exclusively. Instead they chose a single site — the confluence of two formidable bodies of water and with deep water access — in a significant act of foresight.
In 1920 — 13 years before Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin project began — the remarkable Wesley Vandercook revealed a vision of the future:
The government has a reclamation project on which they proposed to spend $300 million to reclaim about 2 million acres of land for farming and incidentally develop 1 million horsepower of hydroelectric power. Looking a long way into the future, it may prove that the great profit from the proposed operations will come not from the manufacture of lumber but from taking advantage of these increased land values.
Vandercook Report, 1920
The proposed Hayden Island site would have forever made them beholden to Portland and Vancouver; The Warrenton / Astoria location was too far from the
Facing
timber itself. By gambling on a “twofer,” serving both the domestic and foreign markets from the same site in the Cowlitz delta, the founders went all-in, gambling on their ability to transport and to trade from this single central location in mid-river.
The site would challenge even the most ambitious engineers and planners. Wake of the Floods
The founders soon discovered why their “flood plain delta” still sat relatively untamed and unsettled in the early 1920s. Most days the Great River of the West and its cousin, The Cowlitz, ran gently by the future Planned City, but could be fearsome beasts when riled up. And these uprisings were written in area history and bitter experience.
The delta had hosted native peoples for centuries, of course, but it was a seasonal, transient home base. Tribes were ever alert to the fierce and fickle rains, storms and floods. Later, in the 1800s white settlers watched in terror as their more “permanent” attempts at settlements washed away, their investments sunk. Even the site of the famous Monticello Convention, which had called for the separation of the Oregon and
MEN OF VISION WERE AS HIGHLY REGARDED AS THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS IN BIBLICAL TIMES
It’s always good to know where you’re goingSign of the Times: Finding one’s way north approaching Longview.
from page 19
Washington Territories in 1852, had been obliterated in an 1867 flood and now lies buried underneath a dike in present-day Longview.
To move people, machinery and automobiles, the founders first needed simply to cross the Cowlitz River. And, given the almost instant, bitter rivalry with Kelso, that would prove more easily said than done. Cooperation and agreement became virtually impossible and proposed bridge building plans stalled repeatedly. Both sides would persistently underestimate the logistical and engineering challenges.
They would pay dearly for their indecision and overconfidence. Disaster
The first wooden bridge crossing the Cowlitz from east Kelso to what was then the village of Catlin was built in 1904 and lasted two years, knocked down by winter floodwaters. Its replacement, built in 1906, was still in use, terribly deteriorated, when Longview started up in the 1920s. By the end of 1922, a new steel drawbridge was finally under construction, beside its rickety predecessor, but automobile traffic increased the strain on the rotting, one-lane wooden structure.
Photos, this page: Longview-Rainier Ferry. Colossal newly-sawn timbers ready for shipment by rail. Facing page: Pioneer Bridge, lower Cowlitz River, under construction. Early Longview transit bus. All photos courtesy of longview public libr Ary
Crowds gathered on New Year’s Day 1923 as the storm-swollen Cowlitz, running “savagely” in the words of one writer, hurled logs and debris against the bridge supports. Pedestrians grew wary but traffic continued as normal, until two days later, January 3rd:
Suddenly a cable supporting the center of the bridge snapped. Those walking across who could escape ran frantically to safety. A.B. Little, who later became a state patrolman, saw the danger and threw his car into reverse, backing up against those behind him. He yelled and waved his arms until his car and at least four other cars backed off in time. About a dozen cars were not so lucky.
The suspension span flipped over, throwing cars and screaming pedestrians into the turbulent river and flotsam below.
The scene was quickly one of panic. Screams of victims were heard two blocks away. The cars that fell sank quickly to the bottom, past the tangle of bridge cable and timbers, and it was never determined precisely how many lives were lost. The known count was 19.
John M. McClelland, Jr. R.A. Long’s Planned City
Even this shock and staggering loss of life couldn’t quell the animosity and petty feuding between Kelso and the upstarts across the river. Traffic on the new Allen Street bridge was often slowed by incessant (and allegedly intentional) railroad traffic on the Kelso side of the river. And when S.M. Morris and other founders decided to bridge the lower Cowlitz (the Pioneer Bridge built in 1926) the move was vilified in Kelso as bypassing and cutting off their city.
Which is exactly what it did.
To make the matter clear, a direction sign was posted at the wye that made motorists believe the shortest way to Seattle was through Longview. Kelso retaliated by putting a sign south of that sign that would persuade motorists not to be seduced into thinking a detour to the left would be the way to go north to Seattle.
They Came to Six Rivers
“A Trusted Name in the Electrical Industry”Proud Sponsor of People+Place Then and Now
THEY WOULD PAY DEARLY FOR THEIR INDECISION AND OVERCONFIDENCE
Squabbling over another proposed bridge project — a grand span of the Columbia planned between Longview and Rainier — would draw even bigger competition into a fight: from the United States Department of War to the city fathers of the feisty metropolis upstream, Portland.
One hundred years of distance can cause us to idealize things: assembling a rosy history out of grand visions, selfless labors, heroic dreamers and idealists. On closer inspection the opposite can reveal itself: mean-spiritedness, self-interest and crooked dealings abound, too.
In Longview’s first few decades, no debates were as heated, or the antagonists so entrenched, as those over transportation. Perhaps because the stakes were so high and the authority so hazy: Roads connected population centers with heavily vested interests, often across state lines; Rivers were the critical links to livelihood, to commerce and commodities; The rails often started it all, first on the scene and usually the products of land grabs, speculation, robber barons, and political graft.
Portland did not want a bridge there. It would, according to horrified spokesmen for the river’s metropolis, be a grave obstruction to traffic on the lower Columbia. All of the Portland papers, except The Oregonian, referred to Longview as the “synthetic city.” Portland’s mayor declared “we must win in order to protect Portland and the Columbia Basin” from this dreadful span.
Stewart HolbrookIt should come as no surprise that the leader of the Longview faction advocating for the bridge was the indispensable Wesley Vandercook. It can be said in fairness that beyond Long-Bell’s immediate self interest there existed a grander vision among R.A. Long and his captains, a larger and longer view, appropriate for their namesake town.
Vandercook and company began to see that the Columbia River at Longview could become a premier port, not only for Long-Bell, but for the industries. But this would require roads and bridges. Long’s intent was to connect the city to the outside world by routing as much traffic as possible through Longview.
Marc Roland
“Vandercook’s Bridge,” unpublished essay for Master’s degree coursework, Portland State University
The Longview faction used its worldliness to its advantage. Among their most adroit strokes was enlisting the engineering services of the estimable Joseph Baermann Strauss, designer of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. He came with local knowledge, too, having designed Portland’s Burnside Bridge, which would be built in 1926.
Portland enlisted allies in the United States War Department, who testified that the 155-foot clearance specified in early designs might impede the passage of warships. Months, years of hearings and debates ran on and on. Proposals were bandied back and forth, including building a tube tunnel under the river. When a
Northwest hydropower produces no carbon emissions, thereby significantly reducing the total carbon footprint of the region’s energy production.
THE MOVE WAS VILLIFIED IN KELSO AS BYPASSING AND CUTTING OFF THEIR CITY ... EXACTLY WHAT IT DID
from
compromise was finally agreed upon, which required authorization by the United States Congress, the city was required to build what at that time would become the largest cantilever bridge in the world, with an astonishing clearance of 195 feet.
And therein lies a tale.
In 1925, the only ships that tall were tall-masted clipper ships. But Portland was able to get the War Department (today’s Department of Defense) to require the bridge be tall enough to allow any U.S. Naval ships to pass under it. Portland knew the USS Constitution’s main mast required 195 feet of clearance.
Michael O. Perry
No doubt delighted by throwing up this considerable obstacle — adding forty feet of height to the bridge would cost a cool $2 million added to an already heavy price — the Oregonians congratulated themselves on their ploy. Rotting away in the Boston Navy Yard, “Old Ironsides” was unlikely to see sea duty soon, but maintained her commission and active status in the U.S. Navy.
On July 20, 1969, viewers worldwide watched live as humanity took its first steps on another world as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin landed on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
The Moon landing was a historic achievement that not only demonstrated the United States’ technological and scientific prowess but also completed a national goal set by JFK in 1961 to land a man on the Moon before the end of the decade.
The landing inspired future generations of scientists and engineers - capturing the imagination of people around the world.
It remains one of the most iconic events in human history.
The founders persevered. On March 29, 1930, the LongviewRainier Bridge, at the time the world’s highest and longest — yet another Longview superlative — opened for business.
More wrangling, finagling and politicking birthed the Port of Longview, which began life as the Port of Kelso. Port Districts are public entities, subject to control by commissions, regulations, and political sway. Though it would grow into a thriving deep water destination on the Columbia, the public port’s development was relatively slow.
The major industries on the river had more than adequate pier facilities of their own — Long-Bell’s alone had berthing space for four ocean-going ships at a time. The attractiveness of the river’s edge deep water access was instrumental in luring both Longview Fibre Company and Weyerhaeuser to Longview to land not under Port of Kelso (it would become Port of Longview in 1929) control.
Still the Port fight raged and distracted through the 20s and featured the emergence of a genuine scoundrel, one A. Ruric Todd, who played on Kelso-Longview antipathy and eventually even conned his way into election as Mayor of Kelso. A successful recall effort only complicated the situation, which turned tragic. Virginia Urutia:
Never had Cowlitz County seen more problems with an official that those Todd stirred up in the short time he was in office brewing those problems. The recall vote did not quite end the turmoil. Thomas Dovery was editor of the strongly pro-Todd Cowlitz County
News. One dark night when he was returning from a meeting of the pro-Todd organization, the Public Welfare League, someone shot him. Todd and his supporters quickly assumed that the murder was an act of vengeance against the editor for defending Todd.
Some months later the case was solved by a Seattle criminologist. Robbery, not political revenge, was the motive, and eventually the out-of-town criminals confessed and were tried.
The fleeting nature of Pacific Northwest history, its “telescoping” as one writer calls it, cuts our Railroading Era substantially down to size.
The history that elsewhere required from two hundred to three hundred years for its unfolding was in the Northwest compressed to much less than a century.
Most certainly a railroad terminus, and railway connections, were a pre-requisite as the founders looked over various sites. But they soon encountered different circumstances of topography, population and transportation which changed their calculations.
Longview was a remote destination, not a way station. There was little Northwest population demanding to be shuttled back and forth. The visions of the great transcontinental railroads, spanning hundreds of miles, simply didn’t apply in such primitive territory. Not yet.
What was needed, and what quickly emerged, a practical “mosquito fleet” of one-horse rail routes, ingenious little engines that could, and the endless practicality and inventiveness of the loggers and lumbermen. Even the predecessors of today’s parallel rail routes up and down the Columbia Gorge were short-range portages, 4-5 miles, around Cascade Locks and Celilo Falls. Rather than two or three huge companies laying hundreds of miles of tracks, Pacific Northwest railroading became hundreds of companies, big and small, blazing, exploiting, then abandoning dozens of short-haul routes.
These utilitarian fixes, of course, didn’t slake the founders’ relentless hunger for credibility and the grand gesture. Whether they really needed one or not, they’d build a magnificent railroad station and figure out what to connect it to later.
Long’s generation loved America’s trains, and no city of stature was thought to be complete without an impressive depot as an entrance into town. Longview gained a passenger depot that would have been extraordinary for a town three times its size.
Lenore Bradley Robert Alexander. Long
On July 13, 1928, thousands turned out to greet the first passenger train into town, the Great Northern No. 458 from Portland to Seattle. Six bands played, whistles blasted, and fireworks lit the sky. Unfortunately, maintenance of the rail service proved high and revenue from fares low, and, according to Lenore Bradley:
It was not long before the three main carriers regretted their decision to run trains into Longview. Then nature seemed to conspire to bring about the station’s demise. The Cowlitz flooded, washing out the draw span on the railroad bridge. Long-Bell had sold its logging road to the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Great Northern in 1930, so passenger trains stopped at Longview no more.
Their impeccable station, resplendent in its Tuscan Italianate style, was converted into a facility for Cowlitz General Hospital, then vacated in 1968.
Local and global: Trade and transportation are immediate concerns for the new town.
In the Pacific Century, Longview is a crossroads for local, regional, and international commerce.
It’s remarkable that transportation — which proved so difficult to establish and maintain at Longview’s birth — is today so critical to the city’s continued success.
Unlike many decaying sawmill towns that withered when logging and lumbering slowed, Longview bustles with local motion. Certainly it’s built a thriving wood products business in the wake of sawmilling’s demise. But it flourishes also as a connection hub, a regional crossroads, thanks in large part to the visionary founders and their instinct for confluence.
The Columbia River, now officially a federal highway, teems with local, national and international commerce, served by Longview’s deepwater port and prized waterfront. Two railroads shuttle cargo and passengers in and out of town, the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. Longview sits adjacent to the major interstate highway linking Canada and Mexico, 45 miles from one commercial airport and 90 miles from another.
And if you’re flying for pleasure or commuting by corporate jet, the Southwest Washington Regional Airport nestles comfortably next to the Cowlitz River, a stone’s throw from town.
Longview is much more than on the beaten track. It owns a good share of it, and thrives as a modern crossroads for trade and transportation.
In 1911, the Washington state Legislature passed the Port District Act, and the Port of Kelso (located in present day Longview) was founded in 1921. Previous to going public, ports — like utilities and other key services — were private ventures often subject to mismanagement and graft.
“Mr. Long got it right,” said Longview Port Commissioner Jeff Wilson, “Longview must
have a public port, and in 1921 we founded one.” Previously private monopolies controlled access to the waterfront, so creation of public ports became a progressive policy decision, not just a land grab.
That public port district formally became Port of Longview in 1929.
Wilson points out that the Port is a “neighbor and economic partner in the community,” and collects and pays taxes on its operations. Governed by a board of three elected Commissioners, the Port of Longview, as a non-container Port, provides valuable specialized services on the competitive, and very busy, Columbia River.
“We’re a niche because we fill that need for break bulk,” said Wilson. “Food, grain, steel are all ‘break bulk’ items.” The Port also handles dry bulk commodities like calcified coke, potash and soda ash, all critical to manufacturing economies regionally and even internationally, and so-called project cargo items such as heavy machinery, industrial parts, and wind tower components.
“Our profit is returned into the community’s benefit,” said Wilson. “R.A. Long had it right, as he did with so many other things. Longview needs this Port,” he concluded, “and we expect to be here for another hundred years.”
“We’re the only jet-capable airport in Southwest Washington,” said Chris Paolini, airport manager. “People fail to realize that we’re a genuine part of the transportation infrastructure.”
Twenty percent of the aircraft based at Southwest Washington Regional Airport are used for business, the remainder devoted to civil aviation and flight instruction. This business-friendliness has proved attractive, especially with so many of Longview’s core industries now nationally or internationally corporate-owned. Local EDC and Development pros cite the “jet-factor” as a crucial benefit for today’s mobile executives.
Paolini, an upbeat Californian, is himself an advertisement for the airport and its environs. “I escaped the concrete jungle to this beautiful green area, and I love it.” A Pomona College business grad, he was bitten by the airplane bug early, and is still infected,”My parents would give me a gas station lego kit and I’d tear it apart and make it into an airplane.”
The airport is a publicly-owned entity which contracts with Cascade Air, a fixed base operator, to run it. With fifty names on the waiting list for hangar space, expectations for the future are sky high. Said Paolini, “Seeing the world from God’s perspective, floating in the air, what’s more magical than that?”
The two men who led the privately-funded effort to preserve Long-Bell’s historic Shay Locomotive call it a part of our “continuing history,” which must be renewed and refreshed if it’s not to be lost.
“The locomotive is amazing in itself,” said Jeff Wilson, who along with John Chilson and hundreds of volunteers helped accomplish this historic preservation, “but the four interpretive panels that surround the display are important too, our local beginnings right there to remind us.”
Ephraim Shay perfected a design for a “geared locomotive” in the late 1800s, and by 1924 Long-Bell was a customer. The Shays were especially suited to mining, logging and industrial operations where the track could be steep or of poor quality. “Longview is completely unique, our own Planned City,” said Wilson, whose restoration efforts preceded his election as Port Commissioner. “We are what we are, old enough to respect, yet young enough to be open to future possibilities. Our claim to fame is measured in more than historical time.”
Wilson and his fellow restorers see this continuing history influencing generations to come, a process of not just restoration and respect, but of adaptation and change.
It’s almost too good to be true. Those inventive obstructionists from Portland get their comeuppance. Local historian Michael Perry relishes the tale: Old Ironsides — the U.S.S. Constitution — meets its potential nemesis, the Big Bridge.
“In 1924, the ship was found to be in an advanced state of decay. Congress authorized a complete restoration, and much of the needed money came from 10 million school children who donated to the project,” said Perry. Once returned to condition, the Constitution began a tour of U.S. waters to celebrate its revival, under tow, not sail, (Annapolis hadn’t turned out reefers, trimmers and steerers for well over a century).
“Old Ironsides visited many port cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in 1931 and 1932,” said Perry. “In the spring of 1933, after being towed through the Panama Canal, the ship worked its way up the Pacific coast.”
Toward the end of its celebratory cruise, she was scheduled to visit, of all places, Portland, Oregon, (assuming, perhaps, that city’s affection for the ship was untainted by self-interest), by way of Longview and beneath its newly-minted Longview-Rainier bridge. True to specification, “Old Ironsides’ new masts cleared the 195-foot high Longview Bridge deck with just five feet to spare,” said Perry, a most unlikely, and apt, proof of concept.
On its way back downstream the historic ship paused at Kalama, then spent four glorious days in Longview beginning August 23, 1933. During her stay she was visited by more than 25,000 enthusiastic citizens, twice the city’s population at the time, strolling her historic old decks under the shadow of their shiny new bridge.
Hal Calbom is a third generation Longview native who works in public affairs television and educational publishing. This is his fifth year photographing and writing Columbia River Reader’s People+Place feature. Reach him at hal@halcalbom.com.
With their sponsorship, Ned Piper, Joe Piper and Jane
As part of a “1923” family, we often heard stories about how our Grandpa, the Rev. Ed Gebert, was selected by Longview’s founder Robert A. Long to form and lead one of the first community churches in the country. This to serve all of the religious denominations that would settle in the newly founded city of Longview. The land on which the Longview Community Church was built was donated by Mr. Long. Church members took out a loan to construct the church. The mortgage was paid off in 1957. The church remains an architecturally stunning addition to the beautiful planned city.
We Piper kids — Ned, Janey and Perry (and later, Joe) — knew every nook and cranny of the church, from the crawl spaces under the altar, to the bats in the bell tower. Our mother, Jane Piper and her brothers, Kirk and Robert, were Geberts. Mom followed her mother, Ruth Rees Gebert, as a devoted member of the ’23 Club and an active member in the church and the community.
Our dad, Emary (Em), was born on the plains of Calgary, British Columbia, the oldest of four brothers, including Walt, Pat and Harvey. Their father, Frank Piper, was born in Oregon. When he heard about Canada’s homestead opportunity, he and his wife Martha moved to Calgary. Later, learning about a new mill being built in Longview that was hiring mill workers, Grandpa Piper piled the family into his Model A Ford and drove the 816 miles across the border to Longview. He hired on as a laborer at the Long-Bell Lumber Company, where he helped build the largest lumber mill in the world. He later transferred to the Longview Fibre Company where, with only an 8th grade education, he became the Superintendent of Millwrights and the president of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite, and Paper Mill Workers Pulp and Paper Union’s local hall.
Em and Jane met in the 8th grade at Kessler Elementary School in 1923. After dating throughout high school, and graduating from the College of Puget Sound in Tacoma, they returned to Longview as a couple who loved their beginnings and vowed to contribute to the town that brought them together.
Dad taught and coached at R.A. Long High School, ultimately becoming the school’s vice principal. He also founded Washington State’s first high school wrestling team and was the first coach inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame before his death in 1995, at age 81. Brothers Walt and Pat also became teachers and coaches, Walt in Kelso, Pat in Tacoma. Brother Harvey found a career in the U.S. Army and later as a hospital administrator.
Em and Jane Piper created a “Love Story” of town and family that began in Longview in 1923 and continues to this day.
With their sponsorship, Elam’s Home Furnishings celebrate the family’s legacy in Historic Downtown Longview
Elam’s Home Furnishings was founded in 1987 by Paul and Kathy Elam and has been serving the Lower Columbia region ever since. The first location was in Rainier, Oregon. However in 2002, the family realized that they could better serve the community by opening a store in Longview, Washington. In 2009 Paul’s son, Rob and his wife, Janin took over the operations. Paul semi-retired in 2015
In recent years, the third generation of Elams were handed the reins as sons Tyler, who is the store manager, along with Dustin, the warehouse manager, were put in charge.
“Longview is the heart and soul of the family business,” said Tyler, “ and will continue to be so as the family and business continue to grow.” Historic Downtown Longview has become an important part of the family’s history; the store motto states: “Family owned, locally owned and here to stay.”
Rob and Janin also have a daughter, Emily, who along with Rob oversees the operations at the Centralia store that opened in June 2020.
The Elam family are proud to be a sponsor of CRR’s “The Long View” project honoring Longview’s Centennial in 2023.
~ Story by Susan Lane-Koontz
Jan 20 6–8pm at The Merk, Downtown Longview - details below
Feb. 5 Southwest Washington Symphony Family Concert 3pm Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts - details below
Mar 24-25 “A Night to Remember,” by Cabaret Follies of Lower Columbia June 24 Centennial Car Show - Vintage 1920s-30s-40-50s Reg. fee $25
June 25 Trinity Lutheran Church Open House 1–4pm 10:30am Joint Worship Service followed by 1920s-themed Picnic RSVP June 30 CRR’s “From Page to Stage” Book Launch & Gala Variety Show Rose Center, Lower Columbia College
To volunteer: Students: For ways to earn volunteer hours for school, contact Danielle Robbins. Email: RobbinsD@co.cowlitz.wa.us
Please contact: Reed Hadley longviewcentury@gmail. com or Arleen Hubble ahubble61@gmail.com
U.S. MAIL: P.O. Box 1035, Longview, WA 98632
Historic Calendars $5, Official Centennial Coins $10, lapel pins $3 (2 for $5); T-shirts $1518, Pens $1, Stainless steel drink tumblers, etc
Sept 8-9 Centennial Celebration: Banquet, Drone Shows, Parade, Street Dances & MORE Calendars also
Now available at Kelso Longview Chamber Visitor Center next to I-5 in Kelso, and Longview YMCA.
770 E. Columbia River Hwy
Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more!
Dine-in,Take-out and Home Delivery. Visit Fultanos.com for streamlined menu. 503-728-2922
Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restau- rant
640 E. Columbia River Hwy
Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials. The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. Dine-in, curbside pickup. M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-728-3344
102 East “A” Street
Microbrews, wines & spirits 7am–8pm Daily. Inside dining.
Interstate Tavern
119 E. “B” St., (Hwy 30)
Crab Louie/Crab cocktails, crab-stuffed avocados. 17 hot and cold sandwiches. Amazing crab sandwiches. Full bar service. Catering for groups. 503-556-5023. interstatetavern@yahoo. com 503-556-5023
117 W. ‘A’ Street
Mexican Family Restaurant. Open Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, rest of week 11am-10pm. Full bar. Karaoke Fri-Sat 8-11pm. Patio seating. 503-556-8323.
1335 14th Avenue
18 rotating craft brews, pub fare.
M-Th 11am–8pm. Fri-Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. Local music coming soon. 360-232-8283. Inside dining See ad, page 33. Follow us on Untappd.
Family friendly tap house and eatery. 18 taps local craft beverages, hand-crafted soups, sandwiches, flatbread and desserts. Live music on Thursdays. Hours: Tues-Sat 11am–10pm. 360-353-4295.
Sun & Mon available for special events.
Bruno’s Pizza 1108
Washington Way. Pizza, breadsticks, wings, salads, fish & chips. WE DELIVER. Four beers on tap. 360-6364970 or 360-425-5220,
The Carriage Restaurant & Lounge 1334 12th Ave. Open 8am–9pm (sometimes later, call to check). Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full bar, banquet room available for groups, special events. Happy hours daily 9–11am, 5–7pm. 360425-8545.
The Corner Cafe
796 Commerce Ave.
Breakfast & Lunch. Daily Soup & Sandwich, breakfast specials. Tues-Sat 7am-3pm. Closed Sun-Mon. 360-353-5420.
Email: sndcoffeeshop@comcast.net
Eclipse Coffee & Tea
In the Merk (1339 Commerce Ave., #113)
360-998-2139. Mon-Fri 8am–4pm. Specialty coffees, teas, bubble teas and pastries....drinks with a smile. Takeout and on-site.
Freddy’s Just for the Halibut
1110 Commerce Ave. Cod, Alaskan halibut fish and chips, award-winning clam chowder. Burgers, steaks, pasta. Beer and wine. M-Sat 10am–8pm, Sunday 11am–8pm. Inside dining, Drive-thru, outdoor seating. 360-414-3288. See ad, page 32.
The Gifted Kitchen 711 Vandercook Way, Longview “Celebrate, create, inspire.” Soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, entrees, sides, pot pies, quiche, grazing boxes & more. M-F 11–6; Sat special events only; Sun closed. 360-261-7697.
Hop N Grape 924 15th Ave., Longview Tues–Thurs 11am–7pm; Fri & Sat 11am–8pm. BBQ meat slow-cooked on site. Pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, turkey, salmon. Worldfamous mac & cheese. 360-577-1541.
Kyoto Sushi Steakhouse 760 Ocean Beach Hwy, Suite J 360-425-9696.
Japanese food, i.e. hibachi, Bento boxes, Teppanyaki; Sushi (half-price Wednesdays); Kids Meal 50% Off Sundays. Mon-Th 11-2:30, 4:30-9:30. Fri-Sat 11am10pm. Sun 11am-9pm.
Lynn’s Deli & Catering 1133 14th Ave.
Soups & sandwiches, specializing in paninis, box lunches, deli sandwiches and party platters. Mon-Fri 8-3, Saturday 10-2. 360-577-5656
Roland Wines 1106 Florida St., Longview. Authentic Italian wood-fired pizza, wine, and beer. Casual ambience. 5–9pm Wed-Fri, Sat. 1–9. 360-8467304. See ad, page 43.
Scythe Brewing Company 1217 3rd Avenue #150 360-353-3851
Sun, Tue,Wed, Th 12noon -8pm; Fri-Sat 12noon -10pm
Closed Mondays Family-friendly brewery/restaurant with upscale, casual dining, lunch and dinner.
Stuffy’s
804 Ocean Beach Hwy 360-423-6356 8am–8pm. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. American style food. Free giant cinnamon roll with meal purchase on your birthday with proof of ID. Facebook: Stuffy’s II Restaurant, or Instagram @ stuffys2.
Teri’s, 3225 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview. Lunch and dinner. Burgers, steak, seafood, pasta, specials, fresh NW cuisine. Full bar. Tues–Fri, 12Noon–8pm. Sat 5:30–8:30pm.. Curbside pickup. Inside dining. 360-577-0717.
239 Huntington Ave. North, Drive-thru. Pastries, sandwiches, salads, quiche. See ad, page 30.
Parker’s Steak House & Brewery 1300 Mt. St. Helens Way. I-5 Exit 49. Lunch, Dinner. Burgers, hand-cut steak; seafood and pasta. Restaurant open 1-8pm Tue-Th, 1-9pm, F-Sat. Lounge Happy Hours 4pm. 360-967-2333. Call for status/options.
Vault Books & Brew 20 Cowlitz Street West, Castle Rock. Coffee and specialty drinks, quick eats & sweet treats. See ad, page 34
Fultano’s Pizza
51511 SE 2nd. Family style with unique pizza offerings, hot grill items & more! “Best pizza around!” Sun–Th 11am–9pm; Fri-Sat 11am–10pm. Full bar service ‘til 10pm Fri & Sat. Deliveries in Scappoose. 503-543-5100. Inside Dining.
Ixtapa Fine Mexican Restaurant 33452 Havlik Rd. Fine Mexican cuisine. Daily specials. The best margarita in town. Daily drink specials. M-Th 11am–9:30pm; Fri & Sat 11am–11:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm. 503-543-3017
Warren
56575 Columbia River Hwy.
Fine family dining. Breakfast, lunch & dinner. Full bar. Call for hours.503-410-5479. Check Facebook for updates. Dine-in.
5304 Spirit Lake Hwy (10 mi. fr Exit 49) 24-hour fueling (gas & diesel, card at pump, cash at Jule’s Snack Shack (when open). Red Leaf Organic Coffee. See ad, page 43.
215 N. Hendrickson Dr., Port of Kalama. A Northwest pub and unique bars serving breakfast, lunch & dinner daily. Info & reservations, bar hours at mcmenamins.com. 8am–midnight daily. 360- 673-9210. Indoor dining, covered outdoor seating, curbside take-out.
Sunshine Pizza & Catering 2124 Columbia Blvd. Hot pizza, cool salad bar. Beer & wine. Limited inside seating, curbside pickup and delivery. 503-397-3211 See ad, page 14.
313 Strand Street on the Riverfront. Lunch/Dinner Tue-Thurs 12–8pm;
1350 Atlantic Ave. Rotating craft brews, pub fare. Open M-Th 11am–6pm; Fri–Sat 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm. 360-841-8941. See ad, page 33.
1230 Lewis River Rd. Small batch on-site roasted coffee, breakfast, lunch. Inside seating. M-F 5:30am–6pm, Sat 6am–5pm, Sun 7am–3pm. See ad, page 30.
1020 Atlantic Ave. Breakfast served all day. Famous Bankruptcy Stew, Oak Tree Salad, desserts baked in-house. Full bar. Happy Hours 1-3, 7-9pm. Live music. 360--841-5292. See ad, page 30.
Plymouth
Restaurant operators: To advertise in Columbia River Dining Guide, call 360-749-2632
Debra
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January 19 – Feb. 15, 2023
By Greg SmithBe watching- for a comet headed toward the North Star in this last half of January. The comet’s name is C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Zwicky Transient Facility,s an automated telescope that searches for comets and asteroids, discovered the comet in March 2022. It will be quickly moving each night as it travels from the northwest towards Polaris.
Every week there are discoveries of new Earthlike planets. Two were recently discovered around a red dwarf star only 16 light years away. Earth-like means they are somewhat similar to Earth in size and mass and orbit their star in the star’s habitable zone. Habitable zone means that the planets lie in an area that would allow for the surface temperature of the planet to contain liquid water on its surface. Also known as the Goldilocks zone, not too hot nor too cold.
for the rest of the journey across the planet. Unfortunately this one will not be visible here in the northwest in mid-April.
But at least there is a partial eclipse to be seen here on October 14th.Beginning about 7am, peaking at 8:19am and lasting till about 9:30am. Let’s hope for some nice weather that October morning. Have your eclipse glasses handy.
The Star is called GJ-1002. Thus the planets are called GJ-1002b and GJ 1002c. If they have atmospheres (it is unknown at this time) they are possible targets for the Webb telescope and other large Earth-based telescopes to get the data on what the atmospheres are made of.
Moon Phases:
New: Sat., Jan 21
1st Quarter: Sat., Jan 28 Full: Sun., Feb 5 3rd Quarter: Mon., Feb 13
On February 1st, it will be at its brightest and its closest approach to Earth. On a clear dark sky it may be visible with the naked eye (42 million miles from Earth). This is a periodic comet, one that comes every so often. Several sources I read say that it was last seen by the Neanderthals (about 50,000 years ago). A periodic comet can be compared to throwing a snowball straight up in the air. It travels fast at first, but the pull of gravity slows it down and it starts falling back to the ground.
End of twilight - when the stars start to come out:
These questions may be answered this year. Something to keep a watch on. If they do have a habitable atmosphere, it will be all over the news media, for sure.
The James Webb Telescope has surely been a big success
There will be two full moons in August, the 1st and the 31st. Two full moons in one season in one month is also known as a True Blue Moon. These are not common, often with years between them, not like two full moons that span the divide of seasons like in a September when one occurs on the 1st and the second occurs on the 30th with the seasons changing from Summer to Autumn.
The Perseid Meteor Shower in mid-August will be a good show, as the Moon will be near new, with very little moonlight to bother the meteor shower.
During January the planets of Venus, Saturn, Neptune (very hard to find), Jupiter, and Mars are visible. Jupiter is very bright in the southwest. Mars is high overhead near the Pleiades star cluster. Saturn , Venus and Jupiter form a line in the western sky as they get ready to set just before 6pm.
The Morning Sky
Sun., Jan. 15, 5:45pm Mon., Jan 30 5:54pm Fri., Feb 10, 6:01pm Wed., Feb. 21, 6:16pm
It is just getting started on what it will explore. So far, it is doing way better than expected or hoped for. It has been using Hubble targets to see what else can be discovered from those Hubble targets. The increased detail is what is blowing the astronomers’ and astrophysicists’ minds.
Planets are having a good show this year, too Mars is the high bright red dot in the sky right now in mid-January, near the star cluster of The Pleiades.
(cloudless western horizon sky required)
Mercury will appear bright just before dawn at the end of January. Jan. 30, Mercury stands about 4° above the Eastern horizon an hour before sunrise.
NIGHT SKY SPECTACLE: Comet c/2022 E3 (ZTF)
If we get some clear nights at the end of January, this will be a treat. This is the first naked eye comet since C/2020 F3(NEOWISE) which was visible here in July of 2020. I am sure many of you went out to observe it. I was able to photograph it from the banks of Lake Sacajawea in Longview. This could be another chance for me to photograph a comet. •••
A new comet, Comet 2022 E3 ZTF will be seen in our northern sky at the end of this month. It is not the only comet that will be seen this year. ZTF was last in our skies some 50,000 years ago. Maybe some Neanderthals saw it then. There are several more comets slated to appear in our skies this coming year. So if you miss one, there will more chances for others. But the one this month is the one to try to see.
There is always something going on in our skies — for example, comets and /or eclipses. One eclipse this year is a rare one called a hybrid eclipse. This is where the eclipse starts out on the beginning of its path across the earth as an annular in which the moon does not fully cover the sun and a ring of the sun is shining around the moon. Then, as the moon’s shadow continues across the face of the Earth, it becomes a total eclipse for a short while before returning to being an annular eclipse
Longview resident Greg Smith is past president of Friends of Galileo. Meet him and other club members at monthly meetings in Longview. For more info about FOG, visit friendsofgalileo.com.
Uranus will be right below the 3rd quarter moon by 1º (less than one finger width at arm’s length) as it rises in the east on Jan. 29 at midnight, look for a pale blue dot.
Saturn , Venus and Jupiter form a line in the western sky as they get ready to set just before 6pm on January 30th.
Mercury rises at 7:05am on Jan 31st, to be swallowed by the rising sun 20 minutes later. Must have a low southeastern horizon to catch this.
Saturn’s best views will take place in Late August as Saturn will be opposite the Earth from the Sun. This is when it will be its brightest and seeing the moons of Saturn will be most likely.
Neptune will be at opposition in late September, on the 28th it will be just to the upper left of the moon most all night in the constellation Aquarius, look for a Blue dot in your telescope. Saturn is not far away to the southwest.
Jupiter will be at opposition on the first week of November. With great views of it and its four brightest moons all night long
All the planets have good views this year. A telescope will be needed for sure to see Uranus. So keep those telescopes and binoculars where you can find them this year, there will be a lot to see in the night sky, especially this summer.
Saturday, January 28
Support your local Businesses & Restaurants!
S & R Cleaning Services
1111 9th Ave. Longview, WA 98632 360-562-5570
Renewal City Church DBA The Roxy Theater 1101 Commerce Ave. Longview, WA 98632 360-355-2576
Ryan’s Detailing LLC Kelso, WA 98626 360-721-6935
Country Village Nutrition Shoppe 1052 Washington Way Longview, WA 98632 360-425-8100
Tactical Patriot Protective Services Longview, WA 98632 360-623-9080
Guesthouse Inn & Suites 501 Three Rivers Dr. Kelso, WA 98626 360-414-5953
Jan. 10 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Business After Hours
TEAM - Total Employment and Management 1015 Vandercook Way, Suite D, Longview
Join us for Winter’s Best Networking Event! TEAM is hosting our first event of 2023. Enjoy food and drinks from Hop-N-Grape, raffle prizes and networking. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Tickets available at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org
January 2023 sQuatch Fest
27 - 28 Cowlitz County Event Center, 1900 7th Ave., Longview Friday 4 - 8 pm, Saturday 10 am - 8 pm, Kids’ Cave Saturday 10 am - 6 pm sQuatch Fest 2023 features World Renowned Speakers including Craig Yahne, Cliff Barackman, Shane Corson, Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Marc Myrsell, Scot Violette and Kathy Strain. Plus:
• Brew Mountain regional beer & wine garden
• Food carts
• Themed merchandise vendors
• Kids’ Cave sponsored by CalPortland
A must-see for the entire family! Register today at: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org or call 360-423-8400
March 3 - 7:30 am - 9:00 am Boardmanship Boot Camp
April 7 American Workforce Group Event Center, 1145 14th Ave., Longview New board member? New chair? President? President Elect? These six classes are for you. $100 all six classes or $35 each. Sign up today! www.kelsolongviewchamber.org
By Marc Roland
Here’s what to expect in 2023. Change! The wine world is being turned upside down like I have never seen before; some for thebetter, some for the worse. Let’s start with the bad. Three trends that can’t be good for you as a lover of the precious elixir:
The big news this year in Washington was the purchase of Chateaux St. Michele Wine Estates by Sycamore Partners. According to Sycamore it will consolidate its winemaking operations to Eastern Washington to save shipping costs. The key here is to save money which translates to maximized profits. They may even sell the Woodinville property. What a loss to the whole concept of wine as a lifestyle versus wine as a commodity. I understand a lot of wine is sold in grocery stores, and the top five U.S. grocery companies account for about half of total revenues in wine. So, big store chains tend to prefer to work with a small number of distributors in each product segment, if possible. Thus, distributors have also consolidated. The three top distributors sell 65 percent of wine to retailers. This is bad if you are a
lover of the variety and uniqueness of fine wine, but if you buy on price only, maybe it’s a plus.
But hold on. Prices will also go up, even for grocery store wine. In our winery, the cost of goods has skyrocketed. Bottles, corks, grapes, labels, and transportation costs are making it difficult to hold down prices. Wineries and tasting rooms are looking for new streams of revenue. This has resulted in what I call “bummer wine experiences.”
Exorbitant tasting fees, two or more bottle purchases required to get the tasting fee waived, and pressure by tasting room staff to sell wine has kept me out of most tasting rooms. This is much worse in California, but Washington is not far behind. I believe the tasting room should be a place to showcase your wine, to tell your story, and make relationships with people. I guess I’m old school.
Not to be misunderstood, curated, value-added wine experiences can be worth it, but most aren’t. Lesson here, call and ask about costs before heading out.
Let’s end on a positive note. The more consolidated the wine industry gets, the more value you will find at small boutique producers and wine merchants. The wine quality is superior and bargains can be found. Unfortunately, here in our local community there are few wine shops where you can find an array of wines from around the world, but let me mention Hop ‘N’ Grape in Longview, and the Wine Loft in Olympia. Dave Look offers a good assortment
of fantastic wines that you can’t find at the grocery store. And if you want to have a nice Saturday drive to the Wine Loft, you can taste wines for a mere $10 tasting fee, and a pleasant knowledgable staff. Have fun!
I believe 2023 is a year to drop your less-than-satisfying wine memberships and join a local wine club. Nearby is Capstone Cellars (Rose Valley), Bateaux Cellars (Toledo), Matranga Vineyards (Woodland) and my own Roland Wines (Longview).
Wine club members usually experience big discounts and special events. Being members of your local producers offers more opportunities to participate in club activities in your own backyard.
BIG NEWS: A NEW AVA!
You can look forward in 2023 to Southwest Washington coming into their own with a designation as the Mount Saint Helens AVA (American Viniculture Area). Yes that’s right. You now will be living in wine country! This proposed area includes all of Southwest Washington. I know of several new winery and vineyard projects underway right now. I will keep you up to date.
Finally, look for more food and wine destinations. Many wineries are adding restaurants and cafés to their venues. Tasting rooms alone will not interest the new generation of wine drinkers.... The Foodies.
Longview
Kelso
in his garage. He and his wife, Nancy, now operate Roland Wines at 1106 Florida Street in Longview’s new “barrel district.” For wine tasting hours, call 360846-7304.
THE
Consolidation will continue Higher prices for average quality wine Less fun in the tasting rooms
New AVAs to explore Memberships worth more Wine and food experiences to increase
istorical fiction is at its best when a compelling story features a protagonist facing staggering odds. Both elements are present in this novel, based on a true story and written by Astoria author Marianne Monson.
put themselves in danger to help one more person, one more family escape. Their tenacity and grit as Europe edges closer to war is inspiring.
The book centers on sisters Ida and Louise Cook, living with their parents in 1930s London. The sisters have jobs which pay little, but a memorable classical music concert motivates them to scrimp shillings to attend future shows. They become devoted fans and eventual friends with opera singers Amelita Galli-Curci, Ezio Pinza and Rosa Ponselle. Other performers enter their circle, creating a dizzying musical whirl. Ida earns extra money as a writer, which allows the sisters to travel to Vienna, Frankfurt, and Berlin to experience opera on the Continent.
Located in the historic Castle Rock Bank Building 20 Cowlitz Street West Mon-Sat • 8:30–5 360-967-2299
Against this glittering backdrop is the growing threat of Hitler’s Nazi regime. The Cook’s Austrian and German friends believe the intimidation and terrorizing of Jews (as well as homosexuals, Roma travelers, and the disabled) will only get worse. They are right. Ida and Louise go from being fan girls to heroines, using their love of opera as a cover to save lives as they
Read a good book lately? To be mini-interviewed by CRR Book Reviewer Alan Rose for a future “What Are You Reading?” spotlight, please contact him at alan@alan-rose.com or the publisher/editor at publisher@ crreader.com.
When war finally breaks out, the story shifts to the harrowing years the Cook family endures in London with bombings, loss, and deprivation. For Ida, these hardships pale in comparison to the fates of so many who couldn’t escape Hitler’s death machine. To those who were helped by Ida and Louise Cook, these sisters were nothing less than angels. •••
Dayle Olson’s poem, “Water Highway,” was one of eight selected statewide by Humanities Washington for inclusion in Washington Poetic Routes. Her short stories were selected for Seaside Libraries anthology in 2019 and 2020. Dayle is a member of The Writer’s Guild of Astoria, and lives in Cathlamet with her husband David and one opinionated cat.
The Longview and Kelso Public Libraries are launching book discussion groups that focus on contemporary issues affecting Cowlitz County and the nation.
The community is invited to getacquainted meetings where interested readers will determine future dates and times of the book discussions, and propose books to discuss in the months ahead.
The Longview Public Library will host an evening book club on Monday, February 6, at 6:00 pm. The Kelso Public Library will host a daytime book club on Wednesday, February 8, at 11 am. All events are free and open to the public.
“There are a number of issues that threaten to divide us as a nation and as a community,” said Jacob Cole, director of the Longview Public Library. “We hope this book discussion series will become a public forum where community members with different views can discuss these issues in a respectful and friendly manner.”
Potential topics might include the current political divisiveness, race and gender issues, climate change, wealth inequality, poverty, and homelessness.
“The books we’ll be reading can be nonfiction or fiction,” said Erik Moser, Kelso Library manager. “Nonfiction works offer information and context to better understand an issue, but novels can capture the emotions and personal impact of those issues on people’s lives.”
Supporting and collaborating in the libraries’ efforts are Lower Columbia College, the Friends of the Longview Public Library, the Civil Dialogue Project, which hosted a series of public forums on civil discourse in the fall, and WordFest, a group of local writers and readers. Library staff and LCC instructors will also recommend books for participants to discuss.
For more information, or to suggest books for the series, contact Jacob Cole at 360-442-5309 or Jacob.cole@ ci.longview.wa.us.
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid, Washington Square Press, $17
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury Publishing, $18
3. Legends & Lattes Travis Baldree, Tor, $17.99
4. The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller, Ecco, $17.99
5. It Ends with Us Colleen Hoover, Atria, $16.99
6. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Shehan Karunatilaka, Norton, $18.95
7. Project Hail Mary Andy Weir, Ballantine, $20
8. It Starts with Us Colleen Hoover, Atria, $17.99
9. The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman, Penguin, $17
10. The Final Case David Guterson, Vintage, $17
1. The Body Keeps the Score Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Penguin, $19
2. All About Love bell hooks, Morrow, $16.99
3. Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $20
4. All That the Rain Promises and More David Arora, Ten Speed Press, $17.99
5. Finding the Mother Tree Suzanne Simard, Vintage, $17
6. Entangled Life Merlin Sheldrake, Random House, $18
7. These Precious Days
Ann Patchett, Harper Perennial, $18
8. Come As You Are
Emily Nagoski, Simon & Schuster, $18.99
9. Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $24.99
10. Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest 2nd Edition
Rachel Wood, Brandon Fralic, Helvetiq, $19.99
Lessons by Ian McEwan Alfred A. Knopf $30
The unexamined life remains unexamined for good reason. Such deep reflection was never meant for the faint-hearted. Regrets inevitably come with it. Now in his 70s, Roland Baines is haunted by the Could-Have-Beens of his life: He could have been a concert pianist. Could have been a tennis pro. Could have been a poet. He became none of those, and as he tries to understand why not, he must face the man who he did become.
Alan’s haunting novel of the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT category.)
He can be reached at www.alan-rose.com.
Brought to you by Book Sense and Pacific Northwest Booksellers Assn, for week ending Jan 1, 2023, based on reporting from the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. For the Book Sense store nearest you, visit www. booksense.com
1. Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $32.50
2. Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday, $29
3. A World of Curiosities
Louise Penny, Minotaur, $29.99
4. Babel R.F. Kuang, Harper Voyager, $27.99
5. The Passenger Cormac McCarthy, Knopf, $30
6. A Psalm for the WildBuilt Becky Chambers, Tordotcom, $20.99
7. Stella Maris Cormac McCarthy, Knopf, $26
8. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin, Knopf, $28
9. Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng, Penguin Press, $29
10. Before the Coffee Gets Cold Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Hanover Square Press, $19.99
1. I’m Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster, $27.99
2. The Light We Carry Michelle Obama, Crown, $32.50
3. Smitten Kitchen Keepers Deb Perelman, Knopf, $35
4. Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner, Knopf, $26.95
5. Atomic Habits James Clear, Avery, $27
6. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99
7. The Myth of Normal Gabor Maté, M.D., Daniel Maté, Avery, $30
8. An Immense World Ed Yong, Random House, $30
9. The Song of the Cell Siddhartha Mukherjee, Scribner, $32.50
10. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $32.99
1. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99
2. The Three Billy Goats Gruff Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (Illus.), Orchard Books, $18.99
3. The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats, Viking Books for Young Readers,$19.99
4. Bluey: The Pool Penguin Young Readers, $4.99
5. The Sour Grape Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illus.), Harper, $19.99
6. The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! Mo Willems, Union Square Kids, $17.99
7. Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long Sherri Duskey Rinker, AG Ford (Illus.), Chronicle Books, $17.99
8. Dragons Love Tacos Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (Illus.), Dial Books, $18.99
9. Bluey: Camping Penguin Young Readers, $5.99
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, $10.99
British novelist Ian McEwan (Atonement, Amsterdam, On Chesil Beach) writes from the deeper registers of human experience, on the pathos and imperfection of being who we are, so we shouldn’t expect some warm and cheery Tuesdays With Morrie tale from him.
As Roland attempts to understand his life while still living it —somewhat akin to fixing one’s car while driving it down the freeway — two key moments emerge: having been seduced at 14 by his attractive, 25-year old piano teacher Miriam Cornell, and then his wife abandoning him and their 7-month old baby. Roland examines how these two events set the trajectory of his life. McEwan, like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Woolf, and the greatest novelists, does the heavy lifting for us. He models how to take stock of one’s life—wondering what he or she achieved, and what it matters, how it might have been different depending on what one did, or didn’t do, the choices one made — with the brutal honesty that refuses to absolve oneself of responsibility for how it turned out.
This was the beginning of the transition, of letting go, though Roland had never heard anyone speak of it, this form of parental dismay. You think of your child as your dependent. Then, as he starts to pull away, you discover that you are a dependent too. It had always cut both ways. -- from Lessons
It is an older person’s hobby, and this book could only be written by someone on the downhill side of life (McEwan is 74) and by someone with his consummate skill as a novelist. It’s all here: the self-doubt, the self-pity, the blaming others and the self-blame (he wanted to be seduced), the moments of happiness along with times of sadness, of love, as well as loneliness, of profound gratitude and deepest despair. Roland (and the reader) begin to see patterns indicating to what
1. The Tryout: A Graphic Novel Christina Soontornvat, Joanna Cacao (Illus.), Graphix, $12.99
2. Odder Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illus.), Feiwel & Friends, $16.99
3. Sweet Valley Twins: Best Friends Francine Pascal, Claudia Aguirre (Illus.), Nicole Adelfinger (Adapt.), Random House Graphic, $13.99
4. A Wolf Called Wander Rosanne Parry, Greenwillow Books, $7.99
5. Forge Your Dragon World Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illus.), Graphix, $12.99
6. Super Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook (Pokemon) Scholastic, Scholastic, $14.99
7. Snapdragon
Kat Leyh, First Second, $12.99
8. Two Degrees Alan Gratz, Scholastic Press, $17.99
9. An Anthology of Aquatic Life Sam Hume, DK Children, $21.99
10. The First Cat in Space Ate PizzaMac Barnett, Shawn Harris (Illus.), Katherine Tegen Books, $15.99
By Alan Roseextent he was a willing, if not necessarily self-aware, participant in his own fate. He wasn’t always 14 — Or maybe he was. Such soul-searching is both uncomfortable and inspiring to read, demonstrating the courage to ask the difficult questions that many of us can’t, or don’t wish, to ask ourselves.
Socrates famously pronounced that the unexamined life is not worth living. He never said examining one’s life is pleasant. •••
At St. Stephen’s Church 1428 22nd Ave., Longview Feb 14
For information visit www.alan-rose.com
January 15, 2023 / Columbia River Reader
Send your non-commercial community event info (name of event, beneficiary, sponsor, date & time, location, brief description and contact info) to publisher@crreader.com Or mail or hand-deliver (in person or via mail slot) to:
Columbia River Reader 1333-14th Ave
Longview, WA 98632
Events occurring: Feb 15–Mar 20 by Jan 25 for Feb 15 issue Mar 15 – April 20 by Feb 25 for Mar 15 issue.
Calendar submissions are considered for inclusion, subject to lead time, relevance to readers, and space limitations. See Submission Guidelines below.
Whether it is mind expanding or guilty pleasures, reading can provide excitement, information, joy, and a sense of shared community. Lower Columbia College’s Winter 2023 Community Conversations lecture series focuses on “Books that Move Us.” The series includes literary giants, popular fiction, and how reading brings us together.
Presentations are by LCC instructors from the Language & Literature department, the Fighting Smelt Debate Team, and CRR’s book reviewer Alan Rose.
Jan 19 “About Book clubs” (Becky Connolly)
Jan 26 “That’s Wild: Dark Magic on the Pacific Crest Trail” (Hiedi Bauer)
Feb 2 “I like to read banned books” (Chris Tower)
Letters to the Editor (up to 200 words) relevant to the publication’s purpose — helping readers discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River region, at home and on the road — are welcome. Longer pieces, or excerpts thereof, in response to previously-published articles, may be printed at the discretion of the publisher and subject to editing and space limitations.
Items sent to CRR will be considered for publication unless the writer specifies otherwise. Writer’s name and phone number must be included; anonymous submissions will not be considered.
Political Endorsements CRR is a monthly publication serving readers in several towns, three counties, two states and beyond and does not publish Letters to the Editor that are endorsements or criticisms of political candidates or controversial issues. (Paid ad space is available.)
Unsolicited submissions may be considered, provided they are consistent with the publication’s purpose. Advance contact with the editor is recommended. Information of general interest submitted by readers may be used as background or incorporated in future articles.
Outings & Events calendar (free listing): Events must be open to the public. Non-profit organizations and the arts, entertainment, educational and recreational opportunities and community cultural events will receive listing priority. Fundraisers must be sanctioned/sponsored by the benefiting non-profit organization. Businesses and organizations wishing to promote their particular products or services are invited to purchase advertising
Feb 9 “Enchanted by Romance Novels” (Hilary Walther)
Feb 16 “Stephen King” (Adam Wolfer & Mavourneen Rister)
Feb 23 “Emily Dickinson: Telling it slant” (Alexis Franz)
Mar 2 “A guilty pleasure literature debate” (Fighting Smelt Speech and Debate Team)
Mar 9 “How books transform us and our world.” (Alan Rose)
Lectures are held on Thursdays from 11:30 am - 12:20 pm in HSB 101 on the LCC campus (across the street from Longview Public Library), and also streamed via Zoom. Sessions are recorded and posted to the college’s website and LCC Youtube channel. All lectures are free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are needed. Additional information and Zoom links are available at lowercolumbia. edu/conversations.
This quarter’s lecture series is sponsored by a grant from Humanities Washington.
Contact Courtney Shah, Social Science Instructor, at cshah@lowercolumbia. edu for more information.
Minthorn Collection of Chinese Art Tues-Thurs, 10-3, Rose Center for the Arts, upstairs art gallery, Lower Columbia College.
Ronda Lutz Photographs — capturing the vastly different landscapes that encompass the Pacific Northwest, from Washington State and Oregon, from the Okanagan Highlands in winter to the spring waterfalls of Mt. Rainier and the Columbia River Gorge. Through Jan. 31. Free. Koth Memorial Gallery, located on the lower floor of the Longview Public Library. More info: 360.442.5300, visit longviewlibrary.org.
Lower Columbia Genealogical Society Public Zoom meetings 2nd Thurs. 6pm welcome to visitors, instructions, announcements. Program with guest speaker 7pm. For a Zoom link: lcgsgen@yahoo.com.
Community Yoga In-person M-W-F, 7:45–9am, St. Stephen’s Church,1428 22nd Ave, Longview, Wash. (enter via alley). Led by volunteers. Suggested donation $2 per session; donated to the church. More info: Ruth, 360-430-0420.
Pretty in Pink Father-Daughter Ball Feb. 24-26, four sessions Fri pm to Sun afternoon to choose from, McClelland Center, Longview. Preregistration required $16 per person. Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness; sponsored by Longview Parks and Rec. Register at register.capturepoint.com/reg/ cat_program_class_detail.cfm
Stella Historical Society Museum is officially CLOSED for the season, to reopen the weekend after July 4, 2023. Hours will be 11–4. Watch for news about annual “Kid’s Day” celebration. Located at 8530 Ocean Beach Highway (10 miles west of Longview), the museum is free; donations always welcome. For museum tours in the off season, call 360-4233860 or 360-423-8663. Also available for Scouting tours, Eagle Scout projects and high school “community service” hours. For more info check Facebook.
Annual Antique Sale March 10,11,& 12. Fri- Sat10-4, Sun 12-4. Friends of Skamokawa River Life Interpretive Center. Vendors: Please contact us for more information. You need not be present to sell. All proceeds help maintain the property and provide programs and community services. Contact Lori Cagle, office manager, with any questions, Tues or Thur. 10–2, 360-795-3007 or email fos1894@gmail.com. Info: www. friendsofskamokawa.org
Car Seat Clinics are back for 2023! The first one will be on Saturday, January 21, 10am – 12pm at Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, 701 Vine St in Kelso. Limited space available. Info: 360.575.6280 or www. facebook.com/safekidslc.
Call leader to join outing or for more info. Non-members welcome.
(E) - Easier: Usually on relatively flat ground (up to 5 miles and/or less than 500 ft. e.g.)
(M) - Moderate: Longer and more elevation gain (over 5 miles and/or over 500 ft. e.g.)
(S) - Strenuous: Long hikes and/or elevation gain (over 8 miles and/or over 1200 ft. e.g.)
Jan 18 - Wed • Camp Wilkerson (E)
Drive 40 miles RT. Hike a 3.6 mile loop with 720’ e.g. on the Liahona Trail. A quiet hike through large trees and meadows. Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256 Jan 21 - Sat
South Coldwater Ridge Snowshoe (M) (SS)
Drive 120 miles RT. Snowshoe in and out 7 miles with 1200’ e.g. in mostly open terrain; great views of Mt. St. Helens crater and abandoned logging equipment. Leader: Pat R. 360-5609554
Jan 25 - Wed
Washougal Waterfront (E) Drive 114 miles RT. Hike 5+ miles along the Columbia River on a level path.
Leader: John 360-431-1122
Jan 28 - Sat • Frenchman’s Bar (E) Drive 80 miles RT. Walk 5 miles on paved bike path from Vancouver Lake to Frenchman’s Bar recreation area on the Columbia River.
Leader: Bruce (-360-425-0256
Above: watercolorized sketch by the late Deena Martinson
Feb 1 - Wed • Lake Sacajawea (E) Walk 4 miles around the whole lake or walk half the lake 1.5+ miles.
Leaders: Chere 360-200-3715 Linda 360-431-3321
Feb 4 - Sat • Elk Rock Snowshoe (M) (SS) Drive 90 miles RT. Snowshoe in and out 6 miles with 1000’ e.g. in open terrain overlooking Toutle River Valley.
Leader: George W. 360-430-4157
Feb 8 - Wed • Kelso Dike (E) Hike 3+ miles on gravel and paved path no e.g.
Leader: Barbara 360-431-1131
Feb 15 - Wed • Rainier High School (E) Drive 15 miles RT. Hike a 3.5 loop with 50’ e.g. through large trees and wetlands, including a walk around Hudson Park Campground.
Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256
Feb 18 - Sat • Forest Park (M)
Drive 95 miles RT. Hike a 6.5 mile loop with 800’ e.g. on Ridge Trail through forested hillsides. Lunch at Skyline Pub after hike.
Leader: Bruce 360-425-0256
THE MINTHORN COLLECTION OF CHINESE ART
1418 Commerce Avenue, Longview Mon thru Sat, 11–4. Visit the Gallery to see new work. For event updates check our website: the-broadwaygallery.com, at Broadway Gallery on Facebook, and broadway gallery longview on Instagram.
Guest Artists: January: Kory & Rachel Dollar, Marvelous Mosaics (mosaics & stained glass)
Don’t miss JANUARY CLEARANCE SALE Jan 10-21
for New Classes in MARCH !
Find a unique gift! We have beautiful artisan cards, jewelry, books by local authors, wearable art, original paintings, pottery, sculpture, photographs and so much more
The Wardens Sat, Feb. 18, 3pm.
Performances at Birkenfeld Theatre, 75 S Nehalem St, Clatskanie, Ore. More info: clatskaniearts.org
Peking Acrobats Fri., Jan. 20th, 7:30po
Kathruyn Rose Sat., Feb. 11, 7:30pm (Stage Door Concert)
Naturally 7 Thurs, Feb. 16th, 7:30pm
For tickets or more information contact the Columbia Theatre Box Office at 360-575-8499, 1231 Vandercook Way, Longview, Wash. Online, visit www. columbiatheatre.com. See ad, this page.
Calendar Girls Jan. 20–Feb. 5 Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2pm. Tickets online, stageworksnorthwest.com or at box office W-F 3–6pm and 1 hour prior to showtime. 1433 Commerce Ave., Longview. Wash. 360-636-4488
a
I will wear them, regardless. But I feel bad knowing he has likely been scammed. I don’t want to tell him, but at the same time, I hate to see him waste so much money on something he was fooled into believing was genuine. Should I stay silent?
GENTLE READER: Have you never heard the adage, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? Yes, you could have the jewelry appraised, find out how much the gentleman paid for it, and, if there is a great disparity, tell him that he was made a fool of.
Miss Manners fails to see what this would accomplish, aside from discouraging him from trying again to please you with presents.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Our babysitter’s mother picks her up in the evening. I always keep cold drinks in the fridge for guests. When the sitter and her mother leave, they help
themselves, taking five or six cans of soda. How can I let them know that one each is acceptable?
GENTLE READER: Leave them only two. •••
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
The holidays are in the rearview mirror, and spring is just a warm hope on the horizon. Do you need a mid-winter “green” fix? An indoor herb garden may be just the thing—I’ve always loved having fresh herbs to cook with. Sometimes I’ll look up new recipes based on the herbs I’m planning to harvest—I’ve discovered some fabulous new dishes that way.
Setting up your growing space is easy. Typical indoor temps of 65°-70° and a bit cooler at night are perfect for most herbs. For me, the biggest challenges are providing enough light for my indoor herbs, and patience as they grow!
Herbs need at least five to six hours of direct sunlight, and our overcast winter days don’t provide that. Providing 8-10 hours of artificial light will be essential for good growth. You can use fluorescent bulbs placed at six to 12 inches from the tops of the plants. Another option is LED grow lights that fit into a flexible goose-neck lamp you have around the house. LEDs are quite variable, and the package information will tell you how far the lights need to be from the plants for optimal growth.
Getting started: Use purchased potting soil, and choose pots with drainage holes at the bottom. Don’t put stones at the bottom of the pot-contrary to popular opinion; rocks actually impede drainage! If your potting mix doesn’t contain fertilizers, feed your herbs with liquid seaweed extract or one-fourth the recommended amount of liquid houseplant fertilizer every two weeks. Don’t overdo it!
Watering is easy if you remember that more plants are killed by overwatering than underwatering. Give them a good drink only if the soil is dry at one inch below the surface. Discard any water in the bottom of the saucer so the roots don’t drown in sitting water.
Grow something you’ll use — basil, sage, chives, parsley, mint, thyme, rosemary, and lemon verbena are good choices. Look for something intriguing like pineapple sage or lime basil to tempt your taste buds.
It’s easy to grow many herbs from seed — just follow the directions on the label. Some take longer to germinate, so be patient.
If you want to jump start your indoor herb garden, you can buy one of the herb pots in the produce section of the grocery store. Check carefully, though, to ensure it’s healthy with no evidence of pests, such as those pesky fungus gnats in the soil. Some of the packaged loose herb cuttings from the produce section can be rooted in water or in purchased seed starting mix. Try it with mint or basil.
Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic. Call 360-577-3014, ext. 1, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@gmail. com.
Caring for them as they grow Herbs may do better in our dry winter indoor humidity by placing the pots on a pebble-filled tray and filling it with water. However, make certain that the bottom of the plant container is on top of the pebbles, not in the water.
Don’t let your herbs like cilantro and basil get “leggy.” Long spindly stems can be coaxed into becoming compact, bushy herbs—don’t be afraid to prune them by pinching them back. Get the kids involved!
OSU Extension Columbia County 503-397-3462
Online Workshops: Registration is required. extension.oregonstate.edu/county/ columbia/events
WSU Extension Cowlitz County 304 Cowlitz Way, Kelso, WA 98626
For connection info or registration for in-person classes: cowlitzcomg.com/publicevents)
Online Workshops. Tues., noon: Jan. 17 Sharpening Tools
Jan. 24 Caring for Fruit Trees
Jan. 31 Fruit Tree Pruning
Feb. 7 Planning Your Seed Starting Schedule
Feb. 14 Seed Starting at Home
In-person
Feb. 4 (10-noon) Fruit tree care and pruning workshop Feb. 9 (6-7 pm) Tips for Constructing a Greenhouse
You will gain an appreciation for how pruning works on all plants and trees. When your new plant has four or five pair of healthy new leaves, pinch off or cut the stem at the base of a set of leaves so you’ll be leaving two or three sets of leaves. Within a few days, you’ll see two new pair of baby leaves starting to grow, and soon you’ll have two new branches. Prune back the woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano by about one-third of the new soft green stem growth. Pinching will also prevent flowering, which makes the herbs bitter.
You’ll enjoy having fresh herbs in your kitchen. Add chopped herbs to perk up salads and cooked dishes. And don’t forget to brew some fresh mint tea to keep you warm until spring arrives! •••
CAP volunteer drivers provide crucial transportation for individuals to out-of-town medical appointments. Volunteer drivers receive tax-exempt mileage reimbursement, currently $.625 per mile, and paid trainings.
If you’re interested and have a reliable vehicle and clean driving record, please call: 360- 261-6236 or 360-200-4911
My briefcase is full of baby herb plants for my windowsill.
Enjoy driving and being with people? YOU can help!
The staff at LOA takes great pride in providing the very finest orthopedic services to patients in the local community and throughout the region. Our surgeons — Bill Turner, Jon Kretzler, Peter Kung, A.J. Lauder, Jake McLeod, and Tony Lin — are experienced, well-trained, and completely focused on helping you improve your quality of life. For the best care from fingers to toes, call LOA today to schedule an appointment.
Portugal bound, Sue and I boarded an early flight from Portland on Thanksgiving Day on our way to visit son Perry, who now makes Lisbon his home. Perry was attracted to world travel from his youth and, after extensive research decided to relocate to Portugal, between Spain and the Atlantic Ocean
As we learned on our visit, Lisbon is an architecturally beautiful city, with a European flair and tropical accents. Fortunately it escaped the WWII bombings that destroyed so many European cities.
Perry’s apartment overlooks the Praca da Figueira (Fig Tree Square). From his window one sees the imposing statue of King Joao I, on a horse. The streets off the square feature block after block of shops and popular cafes with outdoor seating and a variety of menus.
The sidewalks are all cobblestone, many with black and white stones laid in creative designs.
Perry had arranged a chauffeured Tesla tour of the city. Our driver spoke English. He drove us to a number of tourist attractions, including a monastery; a popular pastry shop, Casa Pasteis de Belem; and the Cristo Rei (statue of Christ similar to the one in Rio). Lisbon is a city of hills, with many spots for spectacular views of the city.
Perry has lived in the city long enough to know of some must-see places. One was a restaurant featuring the traditional Portuguese music called Fado. We were seated next to the musicians. A guitarist, a stand-up bass player and a man playing a mandolin. The singers — a woman and a man — performed mournful, lyrical songs with great passion. It was a night to remember.
One thing Perry discovered is a small ceramic workshop up one of the hills, owned by a 65-year-old American “ex-pat” (an individual who have settled in a foreign country) named Sean, from California. He handed each
of us a blob of clay. We went to work shaping them into small bowls. Sue’s effort — in the colors of the Portuguese flag — was far superior to mine. The next week, we glazed them and Sean fired them in a kiln. We went back in a week to pick them up. What fun creating our own “Portuguese pottery souvenirs!”
Since the hills were difficult for me to climb, we took a lot of taxis. The surprise came when we paid the fare — just three or four Euros (€1 is roughly equivalent to $1 U.S.) for a ride that would have several times that amount in an American city.
Through social media, multi-interest group meet-ups and the ceramics workshop, Perry has become friends with several ex-pats his own age. Perry invited a group of them over for dinner, cooked by Sue. The other guests came from Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Germany, Russia, and the Ukraine. All of these friends speak good English, love board games, seem very happy to be living in Portugal and they seem to like Perry, which makes his parents happy.
Storm season is upon us. To assist us in restoring your power as quickly as possible, we ask that customers please report outages through SmartHub by clicking the orange “Report an Outage/Inquiry” button in SmartHub.
Reporting an outage through SmartHub is easy and will instantly report your outage in our system, whether it’s a widespread storm event or just your power.
Don’t have SmartHub?
Click QR Code to download.
Bad weather in the fall and winter brings a greater chance of power outages — normally caused by high winds and falling trees and limbs.
Even though bad weather in the fall and winter months is the primary cause of power outages, your power can go out anytime of the year and for any number of reasons. Typically, a power outage will last 2-4 hours, but in severe weather conditions can last all day or more. If you’re prepared for an outage it is much easier to endure.
Plan ahead and make sure you have the following items on hand:
• A 2-3 day supply of canned/packaged food and fresh water (bottled)
• Blankets
• Flashlight and radio, with fresh batteries.
• Make sure you know where they are to make it easy to find them in the dark!
• Make sure to have a “corded” telephone available and a phone jack to plug it into.
• Cordless phones do not work when the power is off.
• Know how to operate your garage door manually.
• Electric garage doors will not work when the power is off.
• Teach your kids to never touch a downed line and to tell an adult if they see one.
For more tips, visit our outage page at: cowlitzpud.org/outages/what-to-do-during-an-outage/
Alice Dietz is Cowlitz PUD’s Communications/Public Relations Manager. Reach her at adietz@cowlitzpud.org, or 360-501-9146.
Longview resident Ned Piper coordinates advertising and distribution of CRR, and enjoys the opportunities to meet and greet friends, both old and new.
Guidelines, page 36.
“Tidewater
-- Cate Gable, “Coast Chronicles,” Chinook Observer, Long Beach, Wash.
Also available at:
• Columbia Gorge Interpretive Museum Stevenson
• Vintage Books 6613 E. Mill Plain, Vancouver
• Broadway Gallery Longview
• Cowlitz County Historical Museum Shop Kelso
• Vault Books & Brew Castle Rock
• Morgan Arts Center Toledo
• Mount St. Helens Gift Shop Castle Rock, I-5 Exit 49
• Tsuga Gallery Cathlamet
• Wahkiakum Eagle Cathlamet
• Redmen Hall Skamokawa
• Skamokawa Store Skamokawa
• Appelo Archives Naselle
• Time Enough Books Ilwaco
• Beach Books Seaside, Ore.
• Fort Clatsop Astoria, Ore.
• Godfathers Books Astoria, Ore.
• RiverSea Gallery Astoria,Ore.
• Columbia River Maritime Museum Store Astoria, Ore.
• Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
& Museum The Dalles, Ore.
