Steamboats of the Cowlitz River

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Joseph Kellogg

The Cowlitz River flows into the Columbia River at a point 68 miles from the Columbia's mouth,^[1] in southwestern Washington, United States.

The head of navigation, Cowlitz Landing, was about 35 east of the meeting of the Clackamas with the Columbia. Early steamboat operations on the Cowlitz were haphazard from 1858 to 1864. By the later date, the monopoly Oregon Steam Navigation Company had taken over, driving competitors out with a price war. Once O.S.N. had crushed all its competitors, the quality of service fell off. Residents of the area brought in Captain Joseph Kellogg, his brother and two sons to organize a new service on the Cowlitz. Kellogg did so with the Toledo. The Kelloggs established a new town at Cowlitz Landing, and named it Toledo after their sternwheeler.

Other boats eventually placed on the Cowlitz run were Joseph Kellogg, Northwest, and Chester. Chester in particular, launched in 1897, was described as "the ultimate in shallow-draft steamboating.^[2] She worked upstream from Kelso, where she connected with larger river boats, and could run in water only a foot deep. There wasn't a need for docks, customers just drove their wagons into the river to load or unload. The design was widely copied for use in Alaska and the Yukon for shallow-draft boats in the gold rush.^[3]

Railroad and highway competition ended steamboat service on the Cowlitz in 1918.^[4]

1 See also
2 References
3 External links
- 3.1 Photographs from Salem Public Library

[edit] See also

Steamboats of the Columbia River

[edit] References

^ Timmen, Fritz, Blow for the Landing, at page 228, Caxton Publishers, Caldwell, ID (1973).
^ Newell, Gordon R., ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, at page 19, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966)
^ McCurdy, p19-20
^ Timmen, p84-86

[edit] External links

[edit] Photographs from Salem Public Library

v • d • e Steamboats of the Columbia River and tributaries

Steamboat articles by routes	Columbia River (lower) • Willamette River • Cowlitz River • Columbia River (Wenatchee Reach) • Colville River • Arrow Lakes • Slocan Lake • Lake Chelan • Lake Okanagan • Skaha Lake • Kootenay Lake & Lower Kootenai River • Columbia Lake & Upper Kootenai River

Particular vessels	Alaskan (sidewheeler) • Altona • Athlon • Bailey Gatzert • Beaver • Colonel Wright • Eliza Anderson • Fleetwood • Georgia E. Starr • Georgiana • Hassalo (1880) • Idaho • Lot Whitcomb • Lurline • Nez Perce Chief • Olympian (sidewheeler) • T.J. Potter • Virginia V • Wide West • Willamette Chief (1874) • Wilson G. Hunt

Portages, locks, and canals	Cascade Locks and Canal • Celilo Canal • Willamette Locks • Columbia Canal

Steamboat Lines	Harkins Transportation Co. • Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Co. • Okanogan Steamboat Co. • Oregon Railway and Navigation Co. • Oregon Steam Navigation Co. • Shaver Transportation Co. • Bonner's Ferry and Kaslo Transportation Company • Alberta and British Columbia Exploration Company

Geographic Features	Columbia Gorge • Cascades Rapids • Celilo Falls • Dalles des Morts • Arrow Lakes • Columbia Lake

Steamboat owners and captains	John C. Ainsworth • John Bonser • James W. Troup • Henry Villard

Builders and shipyards	Jacob Kamm • John J. Holland

Shipwrecks	Shipwrecks of the inland Columbia River • Steamboat Inspection Service

Lists of vessels	Steamboats on the Columbia

Modern ferry routes	Wahkiakum County Ferry

Steamboats in other areas	Oregon Coast • Yaquina Bay and river • Coquille River • Puget Sound • Lake Washington • Grays Harbor • Chehalis River • Hoquiam River • Willapa Bay • Lake Crescent • Nechako, Stuart & Upper Fraser Rivers • Skeena River • Stikine River • Yukon River • Lakes Route • Inside Passage • Thompson-Shuswap • Peace & Finlay Rivers • Lower Fraser River & Harrison Lake