Cannery Pilings - Astoria, OR

[Gary R. Smith]

Astoria, Oregon was to be the NYC of the west. Or so they thought back in the day. Much of the city was built on pilings out over the river and tons and tons of salmon was canned there. In 1922 a fire destroyed almost all of the wooden structures. The canneries are gone but their pilings remain in the river.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

Very interesting! Have you tried converting the photo to B&W?

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Have you tried converting the photo to B&W?

I hadn't thought about it but here's my attempt.

I think I prefer the green pilings.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

I hadn't thought about it but here's my attempt.
View attachment 23641
I think I prefer the green pilings.

I'm not sure. They are both interesting, in different ways.

 

[Chris Bennett]

I love the greens in the pilings!
I drove over that great bridge at Astoria on a family holiday back in 2001, Gary. I remember wondering why I had never heard of this place that seemed as though it had once been important. You have just answered that for me, so thanks! I often think we should have stopped and had a look around but we were on our way to the Olympic National Park.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

You have just answered that for me, so thanks!

You're welcome!

Despite being named after John Jacob Astor, he never visited the location. Early in the town's history there were hopes that it would eventually become the New York City of the west. Once the salmon canneries were finished, there wasn't much of importance in the town.

It is however where I was able to purchase my copy of McKeown's Guide to Camera Prices - a fantastic resource!

 

[Tony Warren]

What a story these industrial relics can tell. There is something similar in Wellington NZ that hide the story of the first intercontinental flights by flying boats. The colour version puts over the age a little more I think.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

What a story these industrial relics can tell. There is something similar in Wellington NZ that hide the story of the first intercontinental flights by flying boats. The colour version puts over the age a little more I think.

Yes, the colour version is way more interesting. Sorry for having suggested a B&W conversion.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Sorry for having suggested a B&W conversion.

No reason to be sorry Gianluca, sometimes I see things that would work in B&W. Sometimes I shoot B&W film. Sometimes I enjoy converting color to B&W just to see how the various actual colors behave in the conversion.

 

[Beth Anthony]

color for me, i love the greens. i've been to astoria, i never even dreamed that they once thought it would be comparable to nyc.