Astoria-Megler Ferry
Tourist II
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| Waterway | Columbia River |
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| Route | Astoria, Oregon – Megler, Washington |
| Authority | Private (1922–1946); Oregon Highway Dept. (1946–1966). |
| Began operation | 1921 |
| Ended operation | 1966 |
| Successor | Astoria–Megler Bridge |
| System length | 4 miles |
| Travel time | 30 minutes in good weather |
| Connections at Astoria | |
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 U.S. Route 101
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| Connections at Megler | |
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U.S. Route 101
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The Astoria–Megler ferry, also called the Astoria–McGowan ferry and the Astoria–North Beach ferry, ran across the Columbia River between Astoria, Oregon and two ferry docks near the present small community of Megler, Washington, from 1921 to 1966.
Until 1920, the Long Beach Peninsula in Pacific County, Washington, also known as the North Beach, was an isolated portion of the state because of the lack of roads. It was practically impossible to reach except by water transport, generally a steamboat. The two most important steamboat landings on the peninsula were on the Columbia River, at Ilwaco and, 15 miles (24 km) to the north, on Willapa Bay (then known as Shoalwater Bay), at Nachotta. In 1889, a narrow gauge railway, the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, connected the two points, running out on the docks at each terminus. During the summers, always the busiest season, steamers such as the sidewheeler T. J. Potter brought vacation crowds from Portland, Oregon down the Columbia River to the landing at Ilwaco, and after 1908 to a much larger dock further upriver at Megler. The railroad and steamers, both under the control of the Union Pacific Railroad, reached their highest point of profitability in the summer of 1913.
In 1916, construction was completed on a paved highway running from Portland to Astoria. Demand for steamer travel fell off. The last steamer to make the Portland to Astoria run was the sternwheeler Harvest Queen, on February 18, 1921. The steamer Nahcotta made runs from Astoria to Megler, but could not compete with the auto ferries that were coming on the route.
Ferry service across the Columbia River from Astoria, Oregon to Megler, Washington began in the summer of 1920 when Capt. Fritz S. Elfving set up a scow as an improvised ferry and transported over 700 vehicles during that summer. In April 1921, Elfving incorporated as the Astoria-McGowan Ferry Company. With the company capitalized at $30,000, Elfving was also able to secure a subsidy of $400 per year from Pacific County, Washington. The county also built a road from the town of Chinook to McGowan, Washington, where the company had arranged to build a ferry slip at the end of a dock owned by a cannery, P.J. McGowan & Co. Elving also persuaded the Astoria City Council to use municipal funds to construct a ferry dock on the Oregon side of the river.
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Wikipedia