Hopefully we’ll get there again someday
Once upon a time…
My family and I were in Oregon. This is something that happened quite frequently growing up. My paternal grandmother’s family mostly lives in Oregon, around the Portland area, and for a good chunk of my childhood my aunt lived in Vancouver, which killed two birds with one stone. We would see my aunt, we would see great-aunts and great-uncles and until I was nine, my great-grandmother who only spoke Japanese.
However, this particular visit to Oregon took us to Astoria. I have been thinking about it ever since this happened. I wasn’t any older than ten or so when we visited Fort Clatsop. It really sparked the imagination, to think that Lewis and Clark had been there once. So it was extremely sad for me to hear that it had burned down. Even sadder to think that it might have been arson. And even worse to hear that some idiot 911 dispatcher initially dismissed the fire as just fog and rain. We’re told that it wouldn’t have made any difference in saving the fort from being a total loss. But we’ll never know.
What really frosts me is that this dispatcher (a woman, if you hear the audio of the 911 call) hasn’t been fired for incompetence. Instead, the city manager of Astoria thinks that everyone needs more training. Yes, that’s just what we need. Don’t hold anyone accountable. Just show them the error of their ways and let’s move on.
No! Fire this dispatcher. Rebuild the fort so that more kids can come and see the replica of history that previously stood there. The fort that just burned down was built in the 1950’s, and it should be built again. And if it was arson, find the perps and punish them.
I want to take my kids there someday, too.
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