The first major news story I can remember living through as a child was The Columbus Day Storm, October 12, 1962. The Columbus Day Storm had cyclone force winds and rain. It hit the pacific northwest from British Columbia to Northern California. Winds were clocked at 115 mph, the highest gust was 179 mph. I was 13 years old, it was a Friday and I had been invited to go home from school and spend the night at my friend Cindy’s house. She lived 3 or 4 miles outside of Toledo, Oregon on the Old Hwy 20, at the bottom of Pioneer Mountain. There were lots of trees and land with no houses around. Cindy and I were excited. When we got to Cindy’s house we went outside to play. I remember running around with the wind. It was so fun, feeling the rain and the wind. We could really feel the energy of the storm. We started hearing trees crack and fall down, so exciting. About that time Cindy’s Dad came home. He told us to get in the house and so we did. The next morning Cindy and I walked around surveying the damage. We were walking up Old Hwy 20 and the power lines were down and across the road. I was curious and reached out to pick them up. I was excited to see what they’d feel like. I’d never been able to touch them before and I thought this was my opportunity to find out. Cindy noticed what I was about to do and yelled at me not to touch the wires. Thank goodness, I hadn’t even thought about the electricity that was in them. I feel I owe my life to Cindy, probably to her Dad, too. We keep in touch. I send her our yearly Christmas letters and once in a while I hear from her. Her sister lives in Astoria and we’ve gotten together in Gearhart. She lives in Salem, Oregon.
There was lots of destruction everywhere. Lots of trees were blown over and roads and homes collapsed. Hwy 20 below, our house, sank as did the parking lot across the street and down the hill a little bit from our house. Our house was fine. I don’t remember anything about the highway being repaired, but it was a major road to the east from the coast before they put in the bypass around Toledo. I’m very glad I survived!
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 