WARRENTON, Ore. — Fort Stevens State Park is made for the good times, with over 4,000 acres to spread across, plus miles of beach to explore. There’s 9 miles of paved trail, plus another 7 miles of nature trail. There’s plenty to do and plenty of elbow room to stretch out and play.
But if you want to find the fort at Fort Stevens, follow your ranger guide through a locked gate and into the darkness for a stroll underground.
The guided tour of “Battery Mishler” is chilly, damp and dimly lit, but it is a place where you can see and touch Oregon’s military past.
According to park historian and a member of the Friends of Old Fort Stevens, David Lindstrom, Battery Mishler was built in the 1890s to protect the mouth of the Columbia River.
“In the late 19th century, America was emerging as a world power, and we had many potential enemies who looked at the Pacific Northwest with envy," Lindstrom said. "Some strategists said that if our enemies traveled up the Columbia River and reached Portland, they had a straight shot to Seattle and they could go south if they wanted to – it was viewed as a hub by the enemy.”
A century ago, Battery Mishler was a part of the Columbia River Harbor Defenses that included multiple gun batteries located on both sides of the Columbia River.
Fort Stevens is one of three forts built at the mouth of the Columbia River and it boasted eight concrete batteries – including mortars and long and short-range rifled guns. Fort Canby and Fort Columbia were on the Washington state side.
At Fort Stevens, Battery Mishler was the only underground battery and it housed two 10” guns that were open to the sky.
Each gun was mounted on a disappearing carriage, which hid the guns behind concrete and earthen walls when not being fired.
Each gun was operated by teams of 35 men who worked efficiently as one unit to fire each massive gun.
“It was choreographed,” said Lindstrom. “You had to be at your station for a task at a specific time and nobody else could be there but you. All of that was figured out and choreographed and practiced.”
The guns could fire 617-pound shells a distance of 9 miles.
“The concussion from each firing was amazing!” added Lindstrom. “When the mortar battery fired, the concussion would rip your pant leg seam. The men didn’t wear ear plugs either. You could feel the pressure of the blast across your entire body.”
The tour takes you past hallways and rooms and interesting features including a massive underground gun pit. The huge gun was mounted atop a large, thick concrete pillar.
“You get a feel for the grit of the work and what the environment was like for the soldiers down here," noted park ranger John Koch. "You can’t duplicate this anywhere else — you can only get it at Fort Stevens. You’re not going to see this anywhere in the United States — only here in Oregon.”
In the late 1800s, Fort Stevens was a significant statement to the world that the United States was a force to be reckoned with.
“What we see here is a manifestation of a nation’s effort to become a world power,” said Lindstrom. “We were an emerging world power, and this shows how the U.S. developed that position.”
Koch offered that a tour of Fort Stevens' defenses rounds out a fascinating and rewarding visit to the state park.
“You may be here for a camping weekend or for enjoying the clamming tides or just to walk the wonderful beach we have here," said Koch. "But then, you can step over here and explore a bit of Oregon history. You get the best of everything that state parks can offer.”
The underground Battery Mishler guided tours occur on weekends and a ticket reservation is required, along with a daily parking permit. Call 503-861-2000, and for group tours, email foofs@teleport.com. Year-round parking permits are also available from Oregon State Parks.
Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. on KGW.
For something different, you can follow my Oregon adventures via the Grant’s Getaways Podcast. Each segment is a story-telling session where I relate behind the scenes stories from four decades of travel and television reporting.
You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including:
- "Grants Getaways I," Photography by Steve Terrill
- "Grant's Getaways II," Photography by Steve Terrill
- “Grant’s Getaways: 101 Oregon Adventures,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Oregon Adventures with the Kids,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.
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