Fort Columbia

Fort Columbia (1896-1947) - Fort Columbia was built as an Endicott Period coastal defense fort to complete the triangle of protection of the Columbia River mouth. Gun battery construction began in 1896 and was completed four years later in 1900. The fort is named after the Columbia River.

Fort Columbia Entrance	1937 Aerial Shot

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

Part of the Harbor Defense of the Columbia.

Fort Columbia is a small fort but at a very strategic location, being built on top of a hill. Because of the location the batteries commanded an excellent vantage point over the Columbia River at various elevations. However it was also very limited in space, resulting in the batteries being built relatively close together. There was enough land however to build garrison housing, another artillery battery during World War II, and a mine casemate building when it took over mining operations of the Columbia river mouth from Fort Stevens in 1937.

The fort operated like a small town due to its remote location. It had a hospital, firehouse, theater, jail, and a generator plant. The men stationed there were more than just soldiers. They were also bakers, barbers, gardeners, and musicians. During the world wars the population of Fort Columbia exceeded that of the neighboring communities of Chinook, McGowen, Megler, and Knappton.

The fort relied on regular shipments of Army issue food. These large deliveries required a dock and storehouses. The soldier's meals were supplemented with food produced locally such as milk (the fort had their own dairy cow), butter, eggs, and fresh vegetables.

Although the soldier's lives were highly regimented, they still had some time for fun. Soldiers enjoyed many of the same activities in small towns today. The baseball team played neighboring towns and the other two forts on the Columbia River mouth. When dances were held, local women were invited and trucked to the fort. Occasionally, the troops were entertained by famous actresses and comedians.

After serving in three wars and 51 years of continuous active military service, Fort Columbia was declared surplus in 1947 and was transferred to the custody of the state of Washington 12 May 1950.

Fort Columbia Endicott Period Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Ord	3	8"	Disappearing	1896-1898-1898-1917	$ 137,299
Battery Murphy (1)	2	6"	Disappearing	1899-1900-1900-1945	$58,624
Battery Crenshaw	3	3"	Masking Parapet	1899-1900-1900-1920	$ 15,462
Source: CDSG

World War II (1941-1945)

Fort Columbia World War II Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery 246	2	6"	Shielded Barbette (SBC)	1942-NC-1945-1947	$ 220,169	Transferred but not completed guns not mounted
Source: CDSG

Current Status

Now Fort Columbia Historic State Park with 12 historic wood-frame buildings still standing and numerous gun emplacements. Fort Columbia is one of the few intact coastal defense sites left in the United States. Battery 246 has period guns and carriages mounted although they are not the originals. All other fort batteries have no period guns or carriages in place

---

{"selectable":false,"width":"500"}

Location: Located two miles west of the Astoria Bridge on Hwy. 101 in Chinook, Pacific County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 46.252546 Long: -123.92047 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1020

Sources:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 182
• Hanft, Marshall, The Cape Forts: Guardians of the Columbia, Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland OR, 1973, 2nd reprint, 2003, ISBN 0-87595-044-2
• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 884-885
• Various information displays throughout the park

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Columbia
• Fort Columbia State Park
• Fort Description
• YouTube - Fort Columbia Guardian of the great river Part 1
• YouTube - Fort Columbia Guardian of the great river Part 2
• CDSG

Visited: 22 Mar 2008, 15 June 2008, 27 Aug 2005

Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!

• 
  Fort Columbia Gun Emplacement
• 
  Fort Columbia Buildings
• 
  Administration building (Front)
• 
  Administration building (Back)
• 
  Barracks (Front)
• 
  Barracks (Back)
• 
  Commanding Officer's House (Front)
• 
  Commanding Officer's House (Back)
• 
  Concrete bunker
• 
  Fire House
• 
  Guard House
• 
  Hospital (Front-Left)
• 
  Hospital (Front-Right)
• 
  Hospital (Back)
• 
  Lieutenants' Quarters
• 
  NCO Quarters 1 (Front)
• 
  NCO Quarters 1 (Right)
• 
  NCO Quarters 2 (Back)
• 
  Ordiance Storehouse (Front)
• 
  Ordinance Storehouse (Right Side)
• 
  Ordinance Storehouse (Back)
• 
  Quartermaster Storehouse
• 
  Steward's House
• 
  Power Plant
• 
  50 KW Gas Generator
• 
  50 KW Gas Generator (Front View)
• 
  50 KW Gas Generator (Side View)
• 
  Power Plant (Inside)
• 
  Power Plant (Inside)
• 
  Power Plant (Inside)
• 
  Searchlight Powerhouse
• 
  Searchlight Powerhouse and New Mine Casemate buildings
• 
  Telephone Switchboard Room