Oregon

Preserving the Pacific Northwest

The Columbia River Maritime Museum was founded on the dream of forming a world-class museum to interpret and protect the incredible history of the Pacific Northwest. It was this passion for the area and its history that was the driving force behind the museum’s founder Rolf Klep and a small group of naval veterans and fishing industry executives who all shared a fascination for preserving Pacific Northwest maritime history.

This group developed a bold and visionary plan for a maritime museum in Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia River. In 1962, the idea came to fruition that today has become one of the nation’s finest institutions of maritime history, boasting the largest collection of Pacific Northwest maritime artifacts in the country.The collection has grown to more than 20,000 objects and 30,000 photographs.

Today you can climb aboard a floating lightouse, see Coast Guard rescues, and learn why the Columbia River is called the “Graveyard of the Pacific.”

For centuries, the Columbia River has served as the defining element of the Pacific Northwest, for it has oriented the culture, shaped the industries, and enriched the lives of this region. It is a source of rich and diverse maritime history, from a central thoroughfare for the various trade routes of the native inhabitants of the region, to its exploration by Captain Robert Gray in 1792. Salmon fishing became popular in the area in the 1880s.

The newst exhibit at the Columbia River Maritime Museum addresses the Twin Palaces of the Pacific - theS.S. Great Northern & S.S. Northern Pacific. Considered the fastest and most luxurious twin ships in the Pacific now providing a new route between San Francisco and Portland via Astoria” are marketed to showcase speed and luxury of travel.

Admission is $16 for adults and $5 for ages 6-17. Under age five is free. Active duty military are also admitted free. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.crmm.org/