History
A rich history, a unique location.
The Port of Kalama enjoys a rich history that weaves through time along waterways, railways and roadways to drive home why transportation continues to be the community’s mainstay today.
The Columbia River attracted a steady stream of settlers, like namesake Hawaiian John Kalama, who arrived in the 1830’s to act as a middleman between local tribes and the Hudson Bay Company. In 1870, Irish and Chinese settlers worked on the railroad. Scandinavians interested in fishing and logging also settled in Kalama.
Kalama’s particular landscape–at the confluence of river, rail and road–gave birth to a booming transportation system impacting the area both culturally and economically—ultimately transforming the area into its position today as an internationally-connected community.
Check out the Interpretive Center.
Much of what made Kalama replete and thriving in the past still holds true today. Kalama remains an ideal place to do business, just 30 minutes from Portland International Airport.
For more on the history of the Port of Kalama, visit History of the Port of Kalama at www.historylink.org.
Discover & Celebrate History!
Quite the Renaissance man, Kalama resident Hite Imus not only led the move to create the Port of Kalama
Here in Kalama, we’re the heirs of visionaries, who a century ago formed the Port of Kalama—in a beautiful
If you build it, they will come. And come they did. Grains. Down the river, through Kalama and out
The USS Oregon—of her many heroic feats, pulling Kalama out from the Great Depression is a local triumph. After
The post Depression era found Kalama in a great position to prosper, due to the planning of its leaders
Look how far you’ve grown, Port of Kalama! The 1990s exploded with infrastructure improvements that continue to attract new
Dredging—the process keeps Kalama’s deep draft port navigable and has provided clean recreational beaches. It all began in 1914,
Timber was king in the early days of Kalama. The railroad needed wood for fuel and track ties. And
Something fishy happened where the Port of Kalama sits today. The Doty Fish Company was hatched in 1895. Built
One auspicious visitor to arrive at the site of the Port of Kalama by train in 1903 immediately saw
