Rocks are conveyed for jetty construction.

Ilwaco, Wash. — Local historian Gary Kobes will discuss the creation of the jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River at the next Salty Talk presentation, “Building the Jetties,” 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, at the Salt Hotel & Pub (147 Howerton Ave.) in Ilwaco, Washington.

The enormous structures, which took more than 50 years to build, were constructed with the state-of-the-art technology of their time.

“Steamships and locomotives moved and placed over 3 million tons of stone to build the North Jetty alone,” according to press materials. The building of the jetties has had “a profound effect on both the people and the landscape of our region.”

Kobes, the manager of the Port of Astoria Airport, is a self-described “history addict” who graduated from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri and has more than 35 years of experience in commercial and institutional real estate, facility development and project management.

He serves on the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum board in Ilwaco and the Columbiar River Maritime Museum in Astoria, and is a founding member of the Nahcotta preservation committee.

Salty Talk presentations are located upstairs in the Salt Pub & Hotel, on the Ilwaco waterfront. The event is free.

They are the result of a partnership among the establishment; Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum; Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission; Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, with support from Friends of Columbia River Gateway, and the Port of Ilwaco.