ASTORIA, Ore. — I never tire of traveling Oregon’s backroads and byways, especially when there’s a chance to learn something new about the state.

In Oregon’s oldest townsite, Astoria, there is one particular waterfront building that provides a tie with the state’s riverfront past.

Astoria’s early days come alive when you step aboard “Old 300” and the Astoria Trolley. For just a buck, you can enjoy a three mile out and back ride along the town’s waterfront.

It’s the sort of trip that puts you in touch with history.

A century ago, the old brick building between 3rd and 4th avenues made history when a gigantic fire tore through Oregon’s oldest city. It was nicknamed “The Big Fire” of 1922.

“It got under the waterfront docks and burned fast and spread like any wildfire in the woods that

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