Youngs River, Youngs Bay

Highway 202 ~ March 2013

Guest Blogger Kimberly Reed took this photo from Highway 202.  This is Youngs River/Bay.

Astoria, Oregon, Daily Photo is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store and Astoria Sunday Market.

Youngs Bay after the rain

This is not the Columbia River. It's Youngs Bay. This bay and the rivers that feed it are the other half of what makes Astoria a peninsula, and they come together at the point of the peninsula. I took this photo from the Astoria side just before the bay joins the Columbia River. The new Youngs Bay Bridge crosses from Astoria at the confluence of the bay and the river, and is just to the right, out of sight in this photo. The old Youngs Bay Bridge is still used and connects the two sides of the bay further upriver to the left of this photo. The Lewis and Clark River and Youngs River both feed into the bay, which becomes wide here before it enters the mighty Colombia, although it's actually much smaller than the Columbia. Youngs Bay is filled with interesting sights and provides docking for many fishing boats, which fish the bay or pass under the bridges into the Columbia and the ocean.

Young's River was named in 1792 by Lieutenant William Broughton of the Captain George Vancouver expedition, after Sir George Young of the British Royal Navy. Over the years, the apostrophe seems to have been dropped, and also the bay took on the name of the river. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived in 1805, they named this body of water Merriweather Bay after Merriweather Lewis, and they gave Youngs River a long native name. Both have been discarded, and now both the river and Bay retain the name of Young. The camp site of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the winter of 1806 is not far away. By water, you would follow the Lewis and Clark River (which opens into the bay's far side) a short distance to the picturesque location.

Rain, River, Replica and Rituals on a Watery Outdoor Wednesday

Today I thought we'd look down the other side of Coxcomb Hill toward Youngs River, which hems the south side of Astoria. (See yesterday's post for the view from the Columbia River side of the hill.) Youngs River flows from left to right, entering the Columbia at the new Youngs Bay Bridge. Located only a few yards from the Astoria Column, the canoe is a 1961 cement replica of a Chinook Indian burial canoe. The people who placed it here certainly chose a lovely and reflective setting for it. The two decorated posts on this side are clearly visible. Directly behind them are two posts with plaques on the insides. One plaque says, "Indian Burial Canoe. Symbolic memorial dedicated by Comcomly's descendants April 12, 1961 Astoria's 150th anniversary. Honored guest was Lord Astor of England, descendant and namesake of the city's founder." The second plaque says, "Comcomly, c. 1765-1830. Great chief of the Chinook Nation, known to Lewis and Clark, respected by the founding Astorians, the Northwesters, and the Hudson's Bay fur traders." Although the honored chief is usually referred to as Comcomly, it seems he is more correctly named Chief Coboway.

In her 2008 book, Astoria: An Oregon History, local author Karen L. Leedom notes, "The [North Coast] Indians were superb canoe builders, creating 40-foot vessels hollowed out of single logs that they expertly maneuvered through the tricky waters of the Columbia." She also tells us, "When a high-ranking Chinook Indian died, his slaves were put to death and buried under the posts of his raised burial canoe."

It seems history always gives us something to think about, doesn't it? Today I walked up to the Heritage Museum and met Liisa, the museum's historian. I wanted to introduce myself, because I figure I'll be using their resources fairly often from here on out. The more I translate what I'm seeing into words, the more I want to know. And after talking with Liisa today, I have a hugely-expanded sense of what that could be like.

. ABC Wednesday ("R" is for . . . )
. Watery Wednesday
. Outdoor Wednesday