The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-08-10
Months Celebration Starts at
Astoria, Oregon. Novel Feat
ureS Are Arranged for
the Program
GAVE U. 5. OREGON TERRITORY
Had John Jacob Astor's Expedition
Been Delayed But a Few Months,
British Would Have Had
Prior Claims.

Astoria, Ore, Aug. 1O-In comment
Grafton of the Tooth anniversary of the
Iarrival ON the Pacific coast of the ex-
peditiOn sent from New York by John
Jacob AstOr the United states Army
and Navy, the State of oregon and the
lcity of Astoria Joined today i'm the for
Imal Inauguration OF what promises TO
be one of the biggest celebrations of
IT'S kind ever held in this part of the
eountry. The celebration will continue
IAN entire month.
Soldiers and sailors. business men,
school children, Indians, public OH
leials and other representatives of all
THE states embraced i'm what was for
merly known as the "Oregon country"
will participate I'm fetes, pageants. de-
lmonstrations on land and water, his
torical parades. memorial exercises and
monument unvellings-all i'm CONNER
oration of the transformation within
n century Of IAN undiscovered coun-
try" peopled only by a few hundred
rowing Indians. into prosperous states
with millions of white inhabitants. the
i
towns and cities; the development of
complex and highly differentiated in
dustries, the conversion OF vast areas
Iof unproductive plains into gardens.
orchards and grain fields; the creation
of hundreds of millions of wealth.
Many Novel Features.
The various shows, and there is
different one scheduled for every day
lof the celebration. will be held i'm the
open forest among the hills which lie
back of Astoria. one OF the features
viii be reproduction OF the old fort
and settlement founded by the men of
the original Astor expedition. Indians
of the Northwest viii take part i'm
historical pageant and i'm other festiv- |
tiles.
one Of the features of the celebration |
will be the holding of the big meet of |
the Pacific Coast Amateur Athletic |
Association. which will take place on
August 25 and 26. A rowing regatta |
Will be another Of the attractions. A |
convention of the Oregon Development /
League is expected TO attract hundreds
of visitors. a band tournament will
bring together brass bands from all
over the Northwest. in addition TO an
Indian band made up of members of
the tribes which inhabit the reaches
of the Columbia River. August 2S
will be known as Astor Day. on which
occasion n statue OF John Jacob Astor
will be unveiled with appropriate ex-
ercises.
First Permanent Settlement.
The settlement of Astoria by the AS
tor expedition, which the celebration Is
to commemorate was the first perma-
nent settlement IN the far Northwest
and gave the United States its strong
est claim to the Oregon country l.
Though the British took possession of
the Astoria fort i'm the war of 1912 and
renamed the place Fort George. the
place was restored to the United States
after the treaty of peace with Ameri-
can claims of settlement unimpaired.
John Jacob Astor was the driving
force I'm the exploration and settlement
Of the new country and the man who
did more than any one else to save the ,
Union the territory now embraced in
the States of oregon, Washington and ;
Idaho. Measured by the conditions of
n century ago and those of today, the
project Of Astor far surpasses those OF /,
any latter day captain of trade, trans
portation or finance He planned
real winning of the West. peaceful
of great nation to which /,
the nations title was doubtful. the es-
adjustment of a long chain of trading f,
stations that would blaze the way for
civilized men and open the door of
for countless millions. and
beyond the West itself he reached out
10 give America the trade of China and
the control of the Pacific
Story Of Expedition.
a fine ship. the Tonquin, was equipp-
I'd for the Astor expedition for the ,
'ar Northwest. and on Sept. s. 1910 ,
she sailed from New York After I
many perilous adventures i'm the haz- ,
lrdous voyage around Cape Horn and !
ip the Pacific coast the ship arrived :
,ff the mouth of the Columbia River ,
'n March %. ISL The weather was q
and eight days elapsed
before an entrance was gained 10 the
mouth of the river. At last. after
much delay and trouble. the Tonuuin
got inside. and on April 12 a site was e
selected on a small bay for the estab- 4
ishing of the station which was TO be
he company's headquarters on the Pa
life. h
a fortified post was built the Stars v
Ind Stripes were raised and the settle q
nent was named Astoria. Had the O
americans made their settlement but b
/ few months later, the British, who o