14th Street Ferry Slip: Capt. Fritz Elfving and the Astoria-North Beach Ferry Co.

Capt. Fritz Elfving and the Astoria-North Beach Ferry Co..

In 1921, responding to increasing popularity of travel by automobile, Captain Fritz Elfving formed the Astoria-North Beach Ferry Company to transport passengers and cars across the Columbia River. His ferry slip on the Oregon side of the river was located here at the foot of 14th Street in Astoria.

In 1927, a competing ferry line was established nearby, operating the Union Pacific ferry North Beach between Astoria and Megler, Washington, directly across the river from here. In 1932 the owners of the rival ferry service attempted to run Capt. Elfving out of business by driving pilings in front of his 14th St. landing. Capt. Elfving responded by ramming apart the pilings with the new and stoutly built Tourist No. 3, the flagship of his line. Drifting pieces of broken timbers later disabled the North Beach for several days. Capt. Elfving finally bought out his competitors in 1934, ending the local “ferry wars.”

The State of Oregon took over Capt. Elfving’s ferry service in 1946, adding the new steel ferry M.R. Chessman in 1947. Increasing auto traffic in the 1950s brought frequent traffic pile-ups during the summer season. Finally, the present 3.7 mile-long bridge spanning the Columbia River from Astoria to Pt. Ellice, Washington was begun in 1962 and completed four years later. The last regularly scheduled run of the Astoria ferry was July 28, 1966. . This historical marker was erected by City of Astoria. It is in Astoria in Clatsop County Oregon