Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 10:00 am
SCOTT McCLAINE of Clatsop Coin asked the Ear why there were GREEN STRIPES on the street on 15TH STREET at Exchange and Duane streets. The Ear, who was buffaloed, and clearly unobservant, had never noticed them.
The Ear emailed SHERRI WILLIAMS at the city of Astoria, who saved the day: They are the outlines of the old original fort in Astoria. More than one member of the Astoria Public Works Department suggested the Ear contact local historian JOHN GOODENBERGER for the history of the stripes.
“The green stripes were repainted on the street during Astoria’s Bicentennial,” John said. He guesses they were originally put there around the time of Astoria’s 150th birthday.
“In 1958, the Clatsop County Historical Society turned to architect JOHN WICKS to provide construction drawings to build a memorial to Astor’s trading post,” he explained. “Wolmanized logs, left over from the reconstruction of the Fort Clatsop memorial, were used to construct the bastion seen today.”
“Local sign maker ARVID WUONOLA provided context by painting a mural on the wall behind the monument,” he continued. “The mural was repainted several times, most recently by ROGER McKAY and SALLY LACKAFF in 2002.
“A site map of the old trading post is carved on the back side of the large wood sign adjacent to the bastion ... It is either based on a diary entry or, more likely, a military survey of the property.”
“But we will soon have the answers to these and more questions,” John added. “Clatsop Community College students will have the opportunity to work with Portland State University and Washington State University students on a` National Park Service guided archeological dig of the site this summer.” Stay tuned.
— Elleda Wilson
Reprinted with the permission of The Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon
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