Tonquin Crossing the Bar
This 1870 ink drawing shows the Tonquin crossing the Columbia River bar on March 24, 1811.
The Tonquin had departed New York harbor for the Columbia on September 8, 1810, on the orders of its owner, John Jacob Astor, who planned to establish a trading post on the river as part of what he hoped would be a global trading empire.
The following text describes the Tonquin's crossing:
"On 22 March 1811 the Tonquin reached the Columbia River but the dangerous Columbia Bar posed a major problem. Thorn sent five men in a boat to attempt to locate the channel, but the rough surf capsized the vessel and its crew were lost. Two days later another attempt by an additional small boat was attempted but it also sank. Of the five crew members, including two Hawaiians, only an American and a Hawaiian survived. In total eight men died attempting to find a safe route past the Columbia Bar. Finally on March 24, the Tonquin crossed the bar, passing into the Columbia’s estuary and laid anchor in Baker’s Bay. The party eventually proceeded upriver fifteen miles up the river and on the south bank began laboring within present-day Astoria, Oregon. Eventually christened Fort Astoria after the PFC patron, some of the cargo was transferred to the new trading post. During this work, small transactions with curious Chinookan Clatsop people occurred."
(Wikipedia)
Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon.
Tonquin Crossing the Bar
This 1870 ink drawing shows the Tonquin crossing the Columbia River bar on March 24, 1811.
The Tonquin had departed New York harbor for the Columbia on September 8, 1810, on the orders of its owner, John Jacob Astor, who planned to establish a trading post on the river as part of what he hoped would be a global trading empire.
The following text describes the Tonquin's crossing:
"On 22 March 1811 the Tonquin reached the Columbia River but the dangerous Columbia Bar posed a major problem. Thorn sent five men in a boat to attempt to locate the channel, but the rough surf capsized the vessel and its crew were lost. Two days later another attempt by an additional small boat was attempted but it also sank. Of the five crew members, including two Hawaiians, only an American and a Hawaiian survived. In total eight men died attempting to find a safe route past the Columbia Bar. Finally on March 24, the Tonquin crossed the bar, passing into the Columbia’s estuary and laid anchor in Baker’s Bay. The party eventually proceeded upriver fifteen miles up the river and on the south bank began laboring within present-day Astoria, Oregon. Eventually christened Fort Astoria after the PFC patron, some of the cargo was transferred to the new trading post. During this work, small transactions with curious Chinookan Clatsop people occurred."
(Wikipedia)
Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon.