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Cape Disappointment State Park, formerly Fort Canby State Park.
Image taken April 9, 2004.
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Fort Canby ...
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In 1862, Cape Disappointment was armed with smoothbore cannons to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from enemies. Three years later, in 1865, Fort Stevens, complete with a moat and drawbridge, was established across the Columbia on the Oregon side of the Columbia.
In 1875 Fort Canby came into existence to improve the defense of the Columbia. In 1896 Fort Columbia was built and in 1897 Fort Stevens was improved. The mouth of the Columbia River was now protected with three forts.
Fort Canby was named after General Edward Canby, who was killed in the Modoc Indian War. Gun batteries still remain in the park.
From Larry J. Weathers in The Sou'wester (1989, Pacific County Historical Society and Museum):
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"... FORT CANBY: A deactivated military fort on Cape Disappointment overlooking Baker Bay / Columbia River. An Executive Order, dated February 26, 1852, reserved Cape Disappointment for military purposes. Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was placed in operation October 15, 1856, but construction of a post and fortifications were delayed until August 1863. The fort was not activated until April 15, 1864. For a number of years after its establishment the fort was generally known as "Fort Cape Disappointment". Finally, on February 13, 1875, the government designated the post "Fort Canby" in honor of Brevet Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby, who had been killed by the Modoc Indians, April 11, 1873. A post office was established June 30, 1890 and continued until January 31, 1923, when it was closed. Fort Canby was deactivated on March 28, 1947.
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Cape Disappointment State Park ...
Fort Canby State Park ...
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Cape Disappointment State Park
-- formerly Fort Canby State Park -- is a
1,882-acre camping park, offering
27 miles of ocean beach, two
lighthouses, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center,
and many hiking trails.
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"The Golden Age of Postcards" ...
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The early 1900s was the "Golden Age of Postcards", with the "Penny Postcard" being a popular way to send greetings to family and friends.
Today the Penny Postcard has become a snapshot of history.
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Penny Postcard: Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, ca.1908.
Penny Postcard, Postmarked 1908, "Fort Canby Light House, Ore."
Note the cannons of Fort Canby.
Card #12, O.W. Whitman, Astoria, Oregon, "hand-colored".
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Penny Postcard: Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, ca.1912.
Penny Postcard, Postmarked 1912, "Fort Canby Lighthouse, Mouth of Columbia River, near Seaside, Oregon."
Note the cannons of Fort Canby.
Published by Pacific Novelty Co., San Francisco. Card #5222. Card is postmarked September 5, 1912. In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 18, 1805
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A little cloudy this morning I Set out [from their camp at Station Camp] with 10 men and my man York to the Ocian by land. i. e. Serjt. Ordway & Pryor, Jos. & Ru. Fields, Go. Shannon, W. Brattin, J. Colter, P. Wiser, W. Labieche & P. Shabono one of our interpreters & York. [according to Moulton, Clark gave the other men's names in two inconsistent lists --- those named included Clark, Ordway, Charbonneau, Pryor, the Field brothers, Shannon, Colter, Weiser, Labiche, Bratton, and York.]
I Set out at Day light and proceeded on a Sandy beech
N. 80° W. 1 Mile to a point of rocks about 40 feet high [Chinook Point, now the location of Fort Columbia], from the top
of which the hill Side is open and assend with a Steep assent [Scarboro Hill]
to the tops of the Mountains, a Deep nitch and two Small
Streams above this point, then my course was
N. W. 7 Mile to the enterance of a creek [Chinook River] at a lodge or cabin of Chinnooks passing on a wide Sand bar the bay to my left [Baker Bay] and Several Small ponds Containing great numbers of water fowls to my right; with a narrow bottom of alder & Small balsam
between the Ponds and the Mountn.
...
This Creek appears to be
nothing more than the conveyance of Several Small dreans
from the high hills and the ponds on each Side near its mouth.
here we were Set across all in one Canoe by 2 Squars to each I
gav a Small hook
S. 79° W. 5 Miles to the mouth of Chin nook river, [today's Wallacut River]
passed a low bluff of a
small hite at 2 miles below which is the remains of huts near
which place is also the remains of a whale on the Sand, the
countrey low open and Slashey, with elivated lands interspersed covered with pine & thick under groth
This river [Wallacut River] is 40 yards wide at low tide- here we made a
fire and dined on 4 brant and 48 Pliver which was killed by
Labiech on the coast as we came on.
...
after dineing
we crossed the river in an old canoe which I found on the
Sand near Som old houses & proceeded on-
S. 20° W. 4 Miles to a Small rock island in a deep nitch
passed a nitch at 2 miles in which there is a dreen from Some ponds back, the
land low opposite this nitch a bluff of yellow Clay and Soft Stone from the river to the Comencement of this nitch
below the Country rises to high hills of about 80 or 90 feet above
the water- at 3 miles passed a nitch- this rock Island is
Small and at the South of a deep bend [near Illwaco, Washington]
in which the nativs inform us the Ships anchor,
and from whence they receive their
goods in return for their peltries and Elk Skins &c. this appears to be a very good harber for large Ships.
here I found
Capt Lewis name on a tree. I also engraved my name & by land
the day of the month and year, as also Several of the men.
S. 46° E. 2 Miles to the inner extremity of Cape Disapointment passing a
nitch
[location of Fort Canby]
in which there is a Small rock island,
a Small Stream falls into this nitch from a pond [today O'Neil Lake lies between Fort Canby and McKenzie Head]
which is imediately on the Sea
Coast passing through a low isthmus.
this Cape is an ellivated <Situat> Circlier point [location Cape Disappointment Lighthouse] Covered with thick timber on the iner Side and open grassey exposur next to the Sea and rises
with a Steep assent to the hight of about 150 or 160 feet above
the leavel of the water <from the last mentioned nitch-> this
cape [Cape Disappointment] as also the Shore both on the Bay & Sea coast is a dark brown rock [basalt]. I crossed the neck of Land low and ½ of a mile wide to the main Ocian [today Waikiki Beach is located on the ocean side of this isthmus], at the foot of a high open hill projecting into the ocian, and about one mile in Sicumfrance. I assended this hill [McKenzie Head] which is covered with high corse grass. decended to the N. of it and camped. I picked up a flounder
on the beech this evening.-
from Cape Disapointment to a high point of a Mountn. which we shall call [the Nicholas Biddle version has Clarke's Point of View inserted here. "Clarke's Point of View" is today's Tillamook Head, a name received when Clark visited and climbed the formation in Janaury 1806.] beares S. 20° W. about <40> [WC?: 25] miles, point adams is verry low and is Situated within the direction between those two high points of land, the water appears verry Shole from off the mouth of the river for a great distance, and I cannot assertain the direction of the deepst Chanel, the Indians point nearest the opposit Side. the waves appear to brake with tremendious force in every direction quite across a large Sand bar lies within the mouth nearest to point Adams [Point Adams] which is nearly covered at high tide. I suped on brant this evening with a little pounded fish. Some rain in the after part of the night. men appear much Satisfied with their trip beholding with estonishment the high waves dashing against the rocks & this emence ocian.
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