In 1849, Astoria's U.S. Custom House was a small, austere facility in the Pacific Northwest, with a sparsely furnished interior that may have held a desk, a bookcase, wooden file cabinets, and a chair or two, while a small wood stove provided the only warmth during the town's wet winters. British sea captains came in from the shore to conduct business with customs officials, and in the 1850s some of the men living in Astoria were described by Mrs. Adair as "wild-looking specimens of frontier life." Wet clothes, muddy floors, and loud talk about the destination of goods, their value, and the taxes due on them were part of the scene. The building stood in marked contrast to the much grander custom houses in other parts of the country, and its simplicity reflected life in the Pacific Northwest at the time.