Living on what was then remote Olympic Peninsula, only a quarter of a mile from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where some of my earliest memories included the wispy fog that rolled gently and silently through the stands of second growth fir and alder, drifting across the cleared fields below the house. I would…
Category: Jim’s blog
A RETURN TO THE SEA
Six long years have gone by since the sound of the wind through the rigging, and the rain song playing on the cabin’s top, have met the ears of the old sailor and his first mate. Years that saw the sale of their beloved “Autumn Daze”, the Beneteau 423 they bought new in 2004, and…
The Wreck of the Steamboat Gazelle at the Willamette Falls
By Jim Farrell I have an inquisitive and adventurous nature about me that sometimes–well, a lot of the time–gets me into trouble. But sometimes I stumble upon a good story! Such was the case when I began to dig around old newspapers looking for information about the Canemah shipyards that were just above the Willamette…
Chief Seattle’s 1854 reply to President Franklin Pierce
In 1854, President Franklin Pierce, made an offer for a large area of Indian land and promised a “reservation” for the Indian people. Chief Seattle’s reply has been described as the most beautiful and profound statement of the environment ever made. How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The…
Astor’s Ship, Tonquin and the Columbia River Bar
By Jim Farrell Editor: And now the first of the story. The Columbia River Bar is reputed to be the most dangerous bar crossing in the world. After crossing, it more times than I care to count, I definitely agree. Even with the now well-marked channel, GPS, and a Coast Guard station right there, it…