[9] The 125-foot-tall (38 m) column stands atop 600-foot (180 m) Coxcomb Hill and includes an interior spiral staircase that leads to an observation deck at the top.

[3] Projected by Electus D. Litchfield and painted by Attilio Pusterla,[10] the mural shows 14 significant events in the early history of Oregon, as well as 18 scenes from the history of the region, including Captain Gray's discovery of the Columbia River in 1792 and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

[8] Built at a cost of $27,134 (equivalent to $466,990 in 2023), the tower has 164 steps to the top, where there is a replica of the State Seal of Oregon.

[8] A plaque near the column commemorates the pioneering Community Antenna Television (CATV) system built by local resident Leroy E. "Ed" Parsons, initially at the Hotel Astoria, in which twin-lead transmission wires redistributed the signal of KRSC-TV (now KING-TV) in Seattle, Washington to area homes.

[12][13] The cast-iron spiral staircase inside the column was closed for safety reasons in November 2007.