The Marshall J. Kinney Cannery, located in Uniontown,

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...

, United States, between Fifth and Seventh streets, was constructed in 1879 and became one of the city's longest-running salmon canneries. Run by the Astoria Packing Company, of which Marshall J. Kinney was president, the complex quickly became the "largest and most extensive salmon-packing establishment on the Pacific Coast". In 1894, the cannery was completely rebuilt after being burned to the ground. Five years later Kinney became part of the

Columbia River Packers Association Columbia most often refers to: * Columbia (personification), the historical personification of the United States * Columbia University, a private university in New York City * Columbia Pictures, an American film studio owned by Sony Pictures * Co ...

, joining several other canneries and packing companies. By 1904, the complex supported three production lines; Kinney continued cannery operations until the 1920s when it was primarily used as a central machine shop and warehouse for the Columbia River Packers Association. In 1954, a cargo ship ran into the complex, part of which was lost. Intact portions were used for storage until 1980 and today house shops and small businesses. The cannery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on June 30, 1989, but was delisted on September 8, 1997.

History

Kinney Cannery, located in Uniontown between Fifth and Seventh streets, was constructed in 1879. The

cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...

was run by the Astoria Packing Company, of which Marshall J. Kinney, son of Robert C. Kinney, was president. During 1881 the complex, then referred to as the "largest and most extensive salmon-packing establishment on the Pacific Coast", reportedly packed 26,000 cases of salmon. According to the Chief of Engineers of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, as printed in the ''Annual Report of the Secretary of War'' (1890), the cannery packed 7,500 cases of salmon worth nearly $40,000 during the season of 1887. In 1894, the complex burned to the ground and was completely rebuilt. In 1899, the cannery became part of the Columbia River Packers Association, joining the

Samuel Elmore Cannery Samuel Elmore Cannery was a U.S. National Historic Landmark in Astoria, Oregon that was designated in 1966 but was delisted in 1993.. The home of "Bumble Bee" brand tuna, it was the longest continuously-operated salmon cannery in the United Stat ...

, Fisherman's Packing Co., J.O. Hanthorn & Co., J.W. Seaborg and Scandinavian Packing Co., among others. Note: Thesis presented to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Historic Preservation and the Graduate School of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

. Kinney buildings at the river end were used for warehouse space; the older ones along the shore continued cannery operations. Former Location of Kinney Cannery

By 1904, the Kinney complex supported three production lines. It was divided into two sections separated by a "planked extension" of Sixth Street. On the west side stood a 200' x 170' wood frame warehouse which, after 1910, housed the machine shop and stored cannery equipment, cans and labels, and marine engines. This section later housed offices for Alaskan production. On the east side of Sixth Street stood an 80' x 150' "two-story, semi-mill constructed" can factory building. The complex continued cannery operations until the 1920s when it was primarily used as a central machine shop and warehouse for the Columbia River Packers Association. Former Location of the Cannery Cafe

By the 1940s, the Kinney complex had expanded "significantly". In 1954, an outbound cargo ship carrying 8,000 tons of grain ran into the complex, part of which was lost. Remaining buildings were used for storage until 1980 and have since been converted to shops. Part of the complex was restored and a lookout was built on its wharf to encourage business; however, other parts of the Kinney complex remained in ruins. The cannery was added to the

on June 30, 1989. However, the complex was delisted from the Register on September 8, 1997. It housed Gunderson's Cannery Café and other small businesses until a fire destroyed the buildings in December 2010. Discussions of condominium development have taken place, including Riverpark Suites for the "ruined half" of the complex.

References

{{Coord, 46.19147, N, 123.83664, W, type:landmark_region:US-OR, display=title 1879 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Astoria, Oregon Seafood canneries Demolished buildings and structures in Oregon Former National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Industrial buildings completed in 1879 National Register of Historic Places in Astoria, Oregon

History

See also

References