History and Hops: The History and Restoration of the Tourist 2 Ferry will be presented by Steve and Kathleen Gleaves.

Long before the Astoria Megler bridge opened in 1966, a feisty riverboat captain faced off against the mighty railroad barons to open up transportation between Oregon and Washington. Owning a small fleet of ferries, he provided travelers the opportunity to cross the great Columbia River, beginning in 1924. The hero of this story is the Tourist 2, a spunky little boat with a fascinating past and ‘lives’ as a ferry, a minelayer, a dinner cruise boat and back again. Tourist 2 has now been returned to its home base in Astoria with the hopes it can be refurbished and once again carry tourists on the Columbia.

Having both a Washington State PE license and an Alaska PE license, Steve was the Electrical Design Supervisor for Washington State Ferries for 9 years, designing many of their ferries. He also designed ferries for many other places, including San Francisco, New York, Alaska and Texas When he and Kathy moved to Seaside three years ago, he decided to offer his assistance to the Ferry Committee and continues as a consultant to the group hoping to breathe new life into the Tourist 2.

History & Hops is a series of local history discussions hosted by the Seaside Museum on the last Thursday of each month, September through May, at Seaside Brewing Co., 851 Broadway.

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 Monday through Saturday from 10A to 3PM. More information can be found at www.seasideoregonmuseum.com