North Coastal History Timeline
North Coastal History – Oregon Coast
These notes are compiled from historians, museums, local knowledge, and internet research. As we continue to learn, more will be added.
Tsinúk or Cinúk (Chinook Native Tribe)
The Chinook Nation, a testament to the power of unity and resilience, is a confederation of five Chinook-speaking tribes residing near the mouth of the Columbia River. The Clatsop lived on the south shore of the Great River, while the Lower Chinook lived on the north coast at the river’s mouth. With the aid of the tides, they could easily canoe a few miles inland to visit their relatives—the Wahkiakum and the Cathlamet. Today, the Chinook Nation encompasses all five tribal groups, serving as a living testament to the strength and endurance of their shared heritage.
According to Chinook oral tradition, Saddle Mountain is the birthplace of their people. This was before the arrival of the Changer, a mythological figure who reshaped the world into its current form. In those ancient times, Too-Lux, “Old Man South Wind,” traveled up the coast to the Great River, Yakaitl-Wimakl, and caught a whale to ease his hunger. The whale transformed into Thunderbird, who tended a nest with five eggs. An ogress, having followed Thunderbird to his nest, pushed the five eggs down the mountainside. When they cracked open, they became the five local tribes: Clatsop, Chinook, Kathlamet, Klatskanie, and Lower Tillamook. These were the first Chinook people, and many of their descendants remain near Saddle Mountain, at the mouth of the Columbia River, to this day.
Tlatsap or Tlatsop (Clatsop Native Tribe)
The Clatsop were the original inhabitants of the region now known as Astoria, Gearhart, Seaside, and Cannon Beach. They lived along the northwestern coast of present-day Oregon, in a homeland that spanned approximately 1,100 square miles. The region’s dense forests, fertile coastal plains, and abundant wildlife reflected the Clatsop’s deep, harmonious relationship with nature.
Historical records identify fourteen Clatsop villages in the region. Artifacts and skeletal remains continue to be unearthed in and around Seaside, bearing witness to their vibrant past. The Clatsop were known as “canoe people” and traditionally buried their dead in canoes, accompanied by personal effects. They were also referred to as Clatsop Flatheads due to the cultural practice of cranial deformation—binding infants’ foreheads to achieve a distinct flattened appearance.
1787 – The U.S. government passed the Northwest Ordinance, opening lands for American settlement and development as far west as French Louisiana. (This ordinance was a foundational policy that shaped U.S. expansion and governance westward, including Oregon.)
1788 – English fur trader John Meares named the northern side of the Columbia River ‘Cape Disappointment’ after failing to find the river.
1792 – Captain Robert Gray crossed the Columbia Bar, becoming the first known European explorer to enter the river, which he named after his ship, Columbia Rediviva. (Gray’s exploration helped lay the U.S. claim to the Pacific Northwest and influenced maritime trade routes.)
1805 – Lewis and Clark arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River and founded Seaside, Oregon.
1811 – Members of the Pacific Fur Company, owned by John Jacob Astor, established Fort Astoria—the first primary and permanent settlement in the Pacific Northwest. (Fort Astoria marked the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast, critical for fur trade expansion.)
1813 – The British North West Company purchased Fort Astoria and renamed it Fort George.
1814 – Jane Barnes became the first white woman to arrive in Oregon Country at Fort George. The first domestic livestock was imported by sea from California.
1818 – The U.S. regained Astoria, though it remained under British control until 1840 when American pioneers arrived via the Oregon Trail.
1821 – Hudson’s Bay Company merged with the North West Company.
1844 – First streetlights (coal/gas) appeared; Clatsop County was created.
1845 – The City of Portland was established.
1846 – The USS Shark sank crossing the Columbia Bar. Cannon Beach got its name from a carronade found on the beach, now displayed at the Cannon Beach Museum. (The treaty significantly impacted U.S. westward expansion and laid the groundwork for Oregon’s statehood.)
1846 – The Oregon Treaty resolved the boundary dispute with Britain. The U.S. obtained lands south of the 49th parallel, including Astoria. (The treaty significantly impacted U.S. westward expansion and laid the groundwork for Oregon’s statehood.)
1847 – Astoria became home to the first U.S. post office in the American Northwest.
1848 – Astoria officially became part of the United States.
1849 – Oregon became the 33rd state admitted to the Union.
1850 – The first Northwest-built steamboat was launched in Astoria.
1851 – A federal treaty was signed with the Clatsop tribe.
1856 – The town of Astoria was incorporated.
1856 – The ship Desdemona crashed, naming the sand bar near the Astoria Megler bridge.
1865 – Astoria Pioneer Cemetery was established. Graves from the older ‘Astoria Cemetery’ were moved.
1866 – The first fish cannery was built along the Columbia River.
1869 – The Knights of Labor was created, advocating for the 8-hour workday and child labor laws.
1870 – Salmon canning industry boomed.
1870 -Seaside first resort was the Seaside house, built in the 1870s by railroad building magnate Ben Holladay.
1874 – Astoria got its first cannery.
1875 – Gill-netters formed the Columbia River Fishermen’s Beneficial Aid Society to support widows.
1877 – The Great Railroad Strike occurred.
1880 – 2,317 Chinese workers lived in Clatsop County, mostly employed in Astoria’s canneries.
1881 – Tillamook Head Lighthouse was built.
1882 – The Chinese Exclusion Act (Immigration Act) was enacted. (This act drastically reduced Chinese immigration and had lasting impacts on Oregon’s Asian communities.)
1883 – Astoria burned to the ground. The fire began in Clatsop Mill, possibly due to anti-Chinese riots.
1886 – The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed.
1886 – Flavel House was built.
1888 – Streetlights were installed in Astoria.
1889 – Russian Flu pandemic began.
1890 – Crimping and shanghaiing were common in Astoria.
1895 – Horse seining was practiced in Oregon until 1948.
1898 – The first passenger train to the coast from Portland to Seaside was in May 1898
1899 – Warrenton was incorporated.
1899 – Seaside was incorporated.
1899 – Knappton Cannery became a quarantine station.
1902 – Desdemona Lighthouse began operations until 1934.
1904 – Astoria City Hall was built, now the Heritage Museum.
1904 – Battery Russell at Fort Stevens became active.
1906 – The Peter Iredale ran aground at Fort Stevens.
1914 – World War I began (1914–1918).
1915 – Shanghaiing and crimping in Astoria ended.
1915 – The U.S. Coast Guard was established.
1920 – Astoria’s population peaked at 14,000.
1920s – Samuel Boardman acquired fifty-five thousand acres of Oregon’s most scenic landscapes to build Oregon State Parks
1921 – Klan organizers arrived in Oregon; Astoria had ~1,000 members.
1922 – Klan pushed a state initiative to ban private (Catholic) schools.
1922 – Astoria Great Fire occurred. (The fire devastated downtown Astoria, destroying over 30 blocks and reshaping the town’s architecture.)
1922 – Elk Creek was renamed Cannon Beach when they found a cannon that washed ashore
1924 – A Klan convention brought 10,000 supporters to Astoria.
1924 – Astoria Labor Temple was built.
1926 – Astoria Column was completed.
1929 – Stock market crash triggered the Great Depression.
1930 – Albacore tuna appeared, shifting the canning industry.
1931 – Coast Highway 101 was built.
1933 – Prohibition ended.
1934 – Desdemona Club opened (still operating).
1937 – Seaside Aquarium was established.
1939 – World War II began (1939–1945); Astoria became a naval hub.
1941 – The last Chinatown buildings on Bond Street were demolished.
1942 – Japanese submarine fired on Battery Russell. (The attack on Battery Russell was one of the few continental U.S. military engagements during WWII.)
1943 – Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed.
1945 – World War II ended
1957 – Cannon Beach was incorporated.
1961 – Astoria’s canneries merged under Bumble Bee Tuna.
1966 – Astoria-Megler Bridge opened.
1968 – The last glass float was made in Japan.
1971 – Oregon introduced the first bottle bill in the U.S.
1980—The last tuna cannery closed, and Timber Wars began. (As environmental protections rose, traditional industries like logging faced pushback, reshaping local economies.)
1982 – Fred Meyer and Safeway switched to plastic bags.
1985—The Goonies was filmed in Astoria. (The filming brought lasting pop culture recognition to Astoria, boosting tourism for decades.)
1986 – Short Circuit was filmed.
1987 – Benji the Hunted was filmed.
1990 – Kindergarten Cop was filmed.
1993 – Free Willy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 were filmed.
1995 – Friends of Astoria Column restored the monument.
1995 – Astoria Riverwalk trail construction began.
2000 – Michael Foster created the Underground Building (Tiny Town Underground).
2005 – The Ring Two was released.
2007 – Fort George Brewery and Public House opened in March 2007
2012 – The Garden of Surging Waves was constructed to honor Chinese contributions. (The memorial recognizes the often-overlooked contributions of Chinese immigrants to the development of Astoria.)
2022 – Astoria Nordic Heritage Park opened.
2023 – Oregon lifted its 1951 ban on self-service gas stations.