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Altoona, Washington, view upstream.
Looking towards location where the old Altoona Cannery use to be.
Image taken June 16, 2004.
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Altoona ...
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Altoona, Washington, is located on the eastern side of Grays Bay, at Columbia River Mile (RM) 24, just upstream of Harrington Point. Pillar Rock is another three miles upstream. In the early 1900s Altoona became one of six fish-buying stations and canneries operating withing a six-mile stretch of the Columbia River in the Grays Bay area. Eventually before the decline of the salmon industry, 39 canneries would line the banks of the lower Columbia River.
Altoona was also a major stop for steamers traveling between Astoria and Portland.
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Columbia River as seen from Altoona, Washington.
View looking downstream from location of the old Altoona Cannery.
Image taken April 9, 2004.
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Altoona Cannery location, Altoona, Washington.
Image taken April 9, 2004.
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Columbia River as seen from Altoona, Washington.
Image taken April 9, 2004.
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Early Altoona ...
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In the 1830s the Altoona site was used by the Hudson's Bay Company as a fish receiving station and saltery.
In the early 1890s Millar Sands (the shallows offshore from Altoona) provided good salmon seining grounds. William Hume, long-time fish entepreneur (William and George Hume opened a cannery at Eagle Cliff in 1866) opened a fish-receiving station.
In 1903, Hans Peterson (originally an employee of Hume) logged 830 acres of property at the station, named the new community "Altoona" (after his home town of "Altona", Germany, a major fish-processing city on the Elbe River) and began the Altoona Mercatile and Fish Company Cannery. By 1910 the Altoona Cannery ranked fourth among the Columbia River canneries. A fleet of 25-foot sail-rigged gillnet boats operated out of Altoona fishing at night, when nets were invisible to the salmon.
In 1935 a "road" reached Altoona.
In 1947 with the decline of the Columbia River salmon industry, the Altoona Cannery closed.
In 1978, Altoona's "Columbia River Gillnet Boat" at the Altoona Cannery was added to the
National Register of Historic Places (Structure #78002783) as an important part of the fishing industry along the Columbia River between 1900 and 1924. The 26-foot-long double-ended boat was built between 1913 and 1916 and was one of the first of the gillnet boats built for a gasoline engine.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 8, 1805 ...
A Cloudy morning Some rain, we did not Set out untill 9 oClock [from their campsite near Pillar Rock], haveing Changed our Clothing- proceeded on Close under the Stard. Side, the hills high with Steep assent, Shore boald and rockey Several low Islands [islands of the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge] in a Deep bend or Bay to the Lard Side [Cathlamet Bay], river about 5 or 7 miles wide. three Indians in a Canoe overtook us, with Salmon to Sell, passed 2 old villages on the Stard. Side [passing Altoona] and at 3 miles entered a nitch [Grays Bay. Harrington Point and Pigeon Bluff are the eastern end of Grays Bay where the explorers would first spot the Bay.] of about 6 miles wide and 5 miles deep with Several Creeks [Grays River, Deep River] makeing into the Stard Hills, this nitch [Grays Bay] we found verry Shallow water and Call it the Shallow <nitch> [Grays Bay] we came too at the remains of an old village at the bottom of this nitch and dined [Miller Point], here we Saw great numbers of fowl, Sent out 2 men and they killed a Goose and two Canves back Ducks here we found great numbers of flees which we treated with the greatest caution and distance; after Diner the Indians left us and we took the advantage of a returning tide and proceeded on to the Second point [Portuguese Point, just east of Grays Point, the first point being Rocky Point] on the Std. here we found the Swells or waves So high that we thought it imprudent to proceed; we landed unloaded and drew up our Canoes. Some rain all day at intervales; we are all wet and disagreeable, as we have been for Several days past, and our present Situation a verry disagreeable one in as much; as we have not leavel land Sufficient for an encampment and for our baggage to lie Cleare of the tide, the High hills jutting in So Close and Steep that we cannot retreat back, and the water of the river too Salt to be used, added to this the waves are increasing to Such a hight that we cannot move from this place, in this Situation we are compelled to form our Camp between the hite of the Ebb and flood tides, and rase our baggage on logs- We are not certain as yet if the whites people who trade with those people or from whome they precure ther goods are Stationary at the mouth, or visit this quarter at Stated times for the purpose of trafick &c. I believe the latter to be the most probable conjucture- The Seas roled and tossed the Canoes in Such a manner this evening that Several of our party were Sea Sick.
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