History and Hops: Ranald MacDonald 200th Birthday presented by Jim Mockford.  Ranald MacDonald, the son of Hudson’s Bay Company Trader Archibald MacDonald and Raven or Princess Sunday, the daughter of Chief Comcomly of the Chinook Tribe was the first Oregonian to visit Japan. His story is told in the book “Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan.” (Frederik Schodt, Stonebridge Press 2003). Friends of MacDonald (FOM) was founded in 1988 as a sub-committee of the Clatsop County Historical Society, promotes the story of his life, and is celebrating his 200th birthday in 2024.

Jim will present some photos of his recent trip to Nagasaki, Japan where Ranald MacDonald taught English in 1848-1849 and talk about the adventures of Clatsop County’s native son who is remembered at the Ranald MacDonald Birthplace Monument in Astoria and the Ranald MacDonald Grave State Park at Toroda, Washington and at Rishiri Island, Hokkaido and Nagasaki, Japan. Jim commissioned the creation of a Ranald MacDonald Rokkaku Kite by Oregon kite maker Ron Bohart in 2017. The kite has flown over historical sites where MacDonald traveled during his life including Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Japan.

Preserving Seaside’s History since 1974, the Seaside Museum and Historical Society is a non-profit educational institution with the mission to collect, preserve and interpret materials illustrative of the history of Seaside and the surrounding area.
The museum is located at 570 Necanicum Drive, Seaside and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 11AM – 4PM.
For further information, please contact Emily Halverson at 503-738-7065 during museum hours or send an email to seasidemuseum@gmail.com
You can also visit us at https://www.seasideoregonmuseum.com/