Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

If it’s good views you’re after, it’s hard to beat the vista visible from atop the Astoria Column.

Offering a view of the Pacific Ocean, the mouth of the Columbia River and several Cascade Mountain peaks, the 125-foot-tall Astoria Column is one of the most notable landmarks in Oregon, having lorded over the coast for nearly 100 years.



The column was erected atop Astoria’s Coxcomb Hill in 1926, depicting a spiraling history of white settlement in the area. The frieze starts with the primeval rainforest (notably absent of American Indian inhabitants, who lived in the area for at least 10,000 years), running through the arrival of European explorers and settlers, and ending with the arrival of the railroad.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Italian artist Astillo Pusterla painted the column using a technique known as sgraffito, modeling it after Trajan's Column in Rome which tells the tale of an epic military victory.



Ralph Budd, president of Great Northern Railroad, was the man who dreamed up the idea in the first place. The original plan envisioned a dozen historical markers from Minnesota to Oregon, commemorating the explorers who helped expand the United States’ reach west to the Pacific coast.

In 2015, local nonprofit Friends of Astoria Column raised more than $1 million to restore the structure, touching up the artwork, upgrading the foundation and adding LED lights. Organization founder Jordan Schnitzer said the group had a "greater obligation" to take care of the column, which while not as old as other historic landmarks, is venerated by many Oregonians.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Tourists can visit the column daily from dawn to dusk, either by driving or hiking to the top of Coxcomb Hill. Entrance to the park is technically free, though drivers need to pay a $5 parking fee.



Once there, visitors can climb to the top of the column using the 164-step spiral staircase inside. A small landing surrounds the top of the tower, where you can soak in the incredible view.

The Astoria Column is open dawn to dusk, daily, located at 1 Coxcomb Drive in Astoria; find more information at astoriacolumn.org or call 503-325-2963.

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--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian