THE OFFICIAL WEBPAGE
OF ROBERT D. WEST
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Though I wasn't born in Rainier, Oregon, my parents moved there when I was two years old, so I will always consider it my hometown. And because of that, I just had to do a page on it. It took me a while to get around to it, and it took my moving to Salem to really focus on getting it done. I was surprised to find that a lot of Rainier's history had been documented and was readily available. Most of the information on this page that didn't come from my own recollections or on the buildings themselves comes either from archives of the Clatskanie Chief, the Columbia County Historian, or The Story of Rainier 1805-1925 by Anna Zerzyke. I have also taken information from a History of Rainier by Mrs. Grace Reid, written around 1914 and republished in the 2008 Rainier Days in the Park program. Another good reference is Michael Clark's Written History, Historical Images & Memorabilia of Rainier, Oregon website.
Early History
The town of Rainier was founded by Charles E. Fox, who came to the area in 1850. Fox opened the first Post Office in Rainier (though there would not be an established government Post Office until many years later) in 1851. He originally called the town Eminence, but officially changed the name to Rainier on January 6, 1852. The town takes its name from Mt. Rainier in Washington. The mountain was named in 1792 by George Vancouver for Rear-Admiral Peter Rainier of the British Royal Navy. Rainier was incorporated as a town in 1885.
Charles Fox is said to have donated 24 acres in 1852 for a townsite, which he platted in 1855. Rainier's street layout originated with Fox's plat. Starting at the river were Water Street, Commercial Street and Union Street, now known as A, B and C Streets. They were intersected by Quincy Street, New Bedford Street, Virginia Street, Cowlitz Street and Washington Street, now known as East Second through East Sixth Streets.
Fox left Rainier in 1863, by which time the town had very nearly died off. But at the same time, a man named Dean Blanchard arrived. Blanchard had first visited Rainier in April 14, 1854 on his way to Portland. On November 6, 1863, he came to stay and began building business interests, including a mill, a store and an established government Post Office (before 1863, Rainier was just a place to drop mail off from the boats on the river), upon which the city would build.
Blanchard replatted the city in 1888. The layout was much the same as Fox's plat, though Blanchard's had wider streets, and added Harrison Street (now First Street), Alder Street (now D Street) and Ash Street (now E Street). Blanchard's plat would officially replace Fox's in 1907.
Related Links:
Biography of Dean Blanchard, from Michael Clark's website
On December 24, 1892, George Moeck added Cleveland, Carlisle, Columbia and California Streets (now West Third through Sixth Streets) and extended Water, Commercial and Union Streets through them. West of this point was an area originally known as Cedar Landing in 1850 that later become known as Kentucky Flats. In 1903, Kentucky Flats was platted by Blanchard. In this addition, the streets in line with Water, Commercial and Union Streets were instead called First, Second and Third Streets. The cross streets were Market, Blanchard, Watts, Plue, Harris and Nordby (now West Seventh through Twelfth Streets). At the time, Kentucky Flats wasn't really considered part of Rainier, and wouldn't be until another addition platted in 1912 west of Kentucky Flats became known as West Rainier. In 1907, Moeck platted the land between Cleveland and Carlisle (now West Third and Fourth), adding Oak, Pine and Maple Streets (now F, G and H Streets, though H Street has never actually existed).
Related Links:
Biography of George F. Moeck, from Michael Clark's website
Another addition made in 1913, and not shown on my maps, is the area known as Roxy Park, south of the east part of town. Quincy and Virginia Streets (now East Second and Fourth Streets) stretched into Roxy Park.
In 1923 or 1924, the streets in Rainier were renamed to their current naming system of lettered and numbered streets. Interestingly enough, the streets in Roxy Park kept their old names, except for East Second Street. In Roxy Park, East Fourth Street becomes Virginia Street. There is also a New Bedford Street in Roxy Park, approximately in line with East Third Street, though it is not actually connected.
Recent History
Today, Rainier is best known for something that is actually six miles from the city limits. Oregon's only nuclear power plant was the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is actually closer to the very small town of Goble, Oregon, but Rainier is the closest town of significance and is where most of the plant's employees lived. Trojan opened in 1976, on a 634 acre site that was once the home of a dynamite factory called the Trojan Powder Works. The plant shut down in 1993, due to minor problems that Portland General Electric decided weren't economical to correct since, at 17 years, the plant was over halfway through its operational life anyway. In 1995, the steam generators and pressurizer were removed, and the reactor was removed in August 1999. The plant's spent fuel rods were originally kept in the ponds on the site, but by 2004 all had been removed from the ponds and encased in concrete casks, which will remain on the site until the U.S. Government opens the nuclear waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The facility is not scheduled to begin receiving Trojan's material until 2013, meaning the Trojan site will not be cleared of all nuclear material until 2018 to 2024. The plant's buildings, including the tall cooling tower, were expected to remain until that time, however demolition of the power plant buildings began in March of 2006. The cooling tower was demolished by implosion at 7:00 AM on the morning of May 21, 2006. Trojan's grounds have been maintained as a public park called Trojan Park by Portland General Electric since the plant opened, and continue to remain as such.
For more information on the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, see Trojan in Twilight.
Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, is an Oregonian, and it is widely believed that the nuclear power plant that Homer Simpson works at in Springfield was inspired by Trojan. Also, a minor character on The Simpsons, the Schwarzenegger-esque movie star who plays the character of "McBain," is named Rainier Wolfcastle.
Rainier's other claim to fame is the 2000 motion picture Men of Honor, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Robert De Niro. The scenes on the Navy base in the movie were filmed near Dibblee Beach on the Columbia River just west of Rainier. The buildings of the base were just sets built for the movie and were demolished after filming.
Now that the basic history is covered, we can start the tour.
1. Dibblee House
313 B Street East
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This is the oldest house in Rainier. It was built in 1851 as an overnight rest stop for travelers on the Columbia River. John Dibblee and his family moved to Rainier in 1869 and lived in this house. John Dibblee died July 12, 1910, but his wife Sarah was still living in the house in 1925. In her History of Rainier, written around 1914, Mrs. Grace Reid notes that the original builder and owner of the house would no longer recognize it, due to the alterations to the house and street improvements. Its depiction on the "Rainier - The River Town" mural shows it looking largely as it does today, but painted white. The house is owned by Marie Oberg, but is currently for sale. The house's 3024 square feet includes 3 apartments and, until recently, Twin Gables Antiques.
2. George Moeck House
713 B Street West
This house is known by most people as the 1888 House,
and it even has the words "1888 House" on it, and an "1888 House" sign
in front of it, but officially it is the Moeck House. It was built in 1888, naturally,
as the home of George F. Moeck. Moeck once owned most of West Rainier,
the area known as Kentucky Flats. Moeck was a founding member of the
Rainier Masonic Lodge and was postmaster of the Rainier post office from
1892-1897. The Moeck House was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places on April 14, 1978.
3. Masonic Lodge
220 C Street East
Rainier Masonic Lodge #24 A.F. & A.M. (A.F. &
A.M. stands for Ancient Free and Accepted Masons) received its
charter on July 16, 1858. George F. Moeck was a founding member. The
lodge building was built in 1894. Until recently, it was also the home
of the Rainier Senior Center. (Note: The website of the
Oregon Free
Masons lists the address of the Rainier Lodge as 22 East C Street, but
this address is wrong. There are no 2 digit addresses on the lettered
streets in Rainer. The lodge is in the 200 block of C Street East. I
didn't notice an address on the lodge building, but considering the
lodge's location, 220 has to be close.)
4. 102 A Street East
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This building is one of the oldest buildings in Rainier. It is probably best remembered as the old Rainier Pharmacy with a lunch counter and soda fountain. It is currently a restaurant called the Cornerstone.
Historical Photos:
The building has been threatened by fire at least twice. Once by the fire of June 28, 1924, that destroyed most of the business district across A Street. The other fire occurred in the apartments upstairs in the late 1990s. The fire spread quickly in the old wood building, but fortunately the Rainier Fire Department was practicing just down the street and were able to respond almost immediately. Still, only one original upstairs window survived the fire: the main window of the bay-window. Some smoke damage from the fire can also still be seen at the top of the front fascia.
Notice the railroad tracks running down the middle of the street. Rainier's railroad depot, built in 1899 and expanded several times, used to be next door to this building. Passenger service ended in 1952, and the railroad demolished the depot when it had no further use for it. The St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union's branch is on the site now.
Historical Photos:
Rainier railroad depot, from Michael Clark's website
Passenger
service briefly returned for the summers of 2003-2005 in honor of the
Lewis & Clark Expedition. Here are some
pictures of the
Lewis & Clark Explorer running down A Street
near the end of the final season in 2005.
5. 102 A Street West
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This large building was actually built in two parts. The part from the street corner to the entry to the second floor (next to the soda machine) is the oldest part. I believe the original building was built shortly after the turn of the century, while the addition to the west was built about two decades later. The store was a Variety Store and Furniture Store for many years and that is how most remember it. Rainier True Value Hardware moved into the building in the summer of 2002, after rebuilding the storefronts and opening up the first floor between the two "buildings." The original hardwood floors remain though.
6. United Methodist Church
101 C Street East
The oldest
church in Rainier, the
United Methodist Church was built in 1905 and was
dedicated March 11, 1906. It has been expanded a little since then. A
house behind the church (not visible) is also owned by the church and
used as a parsonage.
Historical Photos:
Methodist Church, from Michael Clark's website
7. Bank of America
203 A Street East
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There's something about banks that makes them hide the age of their buildings. This bank opened as the State Bank of Rainier in 1906. John Dibblee was one of the original directors. The building has been remodeled twice. In 1961 it was enlarged and given a modern appearance. In the 1980s some of the west side of the building was removed to make room for a drive through window. The bank has changed its name several times. In 1970 the State Bank of Rainier merged into the Oregon Bank. In 1988 it became Security Pacific Bank. Bank of America took over in 1992. The branch nearly closed in 2005, but a massive letter-writing campaign by Rainier residents convinced Bank of America to keep the branch open.
8. Luigi's Pizza
119 First Street
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This building was built around 1908. It has a basement underneath, and there were once glass blocks in the adjacent sidewalk on B Street to let light in. I don't know the building's original use, but it was a hardware store during the 1950s. It has since become a pizza place. Before becoming Luigi's Pizza years ago, it was called Busy Bee's Pizza, and had a glass box inside acting as a honeybee hive. A pipe through the wall let the bees get outside.
9. Catholic Church
211 East Second Street
The Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church was built in 1909 and dedicated
in 1910. Its timeless architecture hasn't been changed much since then.
10. 107 First Street
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This is another old commercial building. I think it dates from sometime after 1910. It is currently the home of More Power Computer Upgrades and the Rainier Barber Shop. There are old vending machines for soda and candy in the alcove on the left that have been abandoned and forgotten for many years.
11. Rainier Elementary School
305 West Third Street
The first
school was built on this site in 1895. It was expanded by 1907. At that
time the school was a large wood-frame building. The town was rapidly
outgrowing the school, and the city began searching for a site for a new
high school. No suitable site could be found, and the high school ended
up being built on the back of the existing school building. The new high
school was a large modern concrete 4-story building, but it wasn't
enough. Rainier would end up taking in high-school age students from the
small schools outside of town, and in October 1924, the new Rainier
Union High School opened. The 1915-built high school became a part of
the adjacent elementary school.
Historical Photos:
Wood Rainier Elementary School, from Michael Clark's website
1915 Rainier High School, from Michael Clark's website
On April 13, 1949, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Olympia, Washington. The earthquake caused $1.5 million in damage, including significant damage to Rainier Elementary School. The school had to be almost completely rebuilt, in rambling 1950's style, and today it bears almost no resemblance to the impressive and unusual structure it replaced. Almost.
On the east
side of the building, the remains of the 1915 High School are in plain
sight. The concrete walls with the large blanked windows were originally
the bottom two floors of the 1915 High School. Originally two more tall
floors towered over above those two lower floors which are cut into the
hill as a foundation. The earthquake caused most of the school to
collapse, and when the school was rebuilt, a gymnasium was built inside
the old high school walls. As a gymnasium (which, incidentally, is too small to be used
for any actual games), there is no second floor, except in the southeast
corner. Behind the unblanked windows on the second floor is one
classroom (beneath it is the boys' locker room) that seems to be left over
from the original school. A staircase in the gym leads up to a door,
that looks like a closet door. Behind that door is the room. Another
door on the room's west wall has a tilting glass transom and leads to
what seems to be a closet. But, that was the room's main door, and I
think the "closet" used to be part of the corridor. At one
point the room was used as a band room, but in 2004 the chalkboard still
had arithmetic problems on it from when it was last used.
In 2004, the Rainier School District sold the building to the Riverside Community Church. The church rents out most of the classrooms to others, including the Rainier School District's charter school North Columbia Academy. As for that one classroom from 1915, it is currently the home of the Longview, Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club.
12. 103 C Street West
I really don't
know much about this building. All I really remember about it is that it
was a chiropractor's office a few years ago. The second floor was once
used as a roller rink. It had to be built in the
1910s or 1920s. Its size suggests it may have originally been a lodge.
Possibilities include the Knights of Pythias Hall that replaced an
earlier one that burned in 1916, or the Odd Fellows Hall built in 1920.
13. 100 Block A Street East
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These buildings were built to replace those destroyed in the fire of June 28, 1924. The two story building in the foreground is best known as the former home of Rainier Coast-to-Coast Hardware. The hardware store started in the one-story building next door and grew to include the two story building as well. Coast-to-Coast merged with True Value in 1997, but this building kept
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Coast-to-Coast signs for some time after. In 2002, Rainier Hardware moved down the street to 102 A Street West. Except for a brief stint as an auction house, the storefront remained vacant until becoming the Rainier Marina Market, which opened on April 26, 2008. The second one-story building has been the home of Fred Bell Studios for several years.
14. Hotel Rainier
109 A Street East
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The Hotel Rainier was built after the fire of June 28, 1924 destroyed the old Hotel Rainier that was in the same place. The storefronts on the first floor include the Ol' Pastime Tavern, and the old Rainier Theatre. The building and tavern were purchased in 2008 by Sloan and Jennifer Nelson.
The second floor originally had a balcony
overlooking the street. The original balcony was removed in the mid-1990s, but
the door and the beams that supported it remained in place. After
purchasing the building in 2008, the Nelsons built a new balcony in
place of the original.
The
entrance leading to the stairs to the hotel rooms above has been
restored. The original home of the Rainier Theatre, which had been
Rainier Appliance for many years until that business moved into the
former Elam's space on the highway, is now home to Noni's Necessities.
The ground floor also houses the offices of the Nelsons' Hometown
Property Management.
Related Links:
In the 1990s, a
mural was painted on the Hotel's west wall. The mural, titled "Rainier -
The River Town," loosely depicts Rainier in the early 1900s, and was painted by Rainier Elementary School students under the
direction of
artist Lynn Takata. The mural was
sponsored by the Rainier School District, the Oregon Arts Commission,
Artists in Education, the Rainier Elementary PTO and the Rainier
Kiwanis, with special thanks to Marie Oberg (who was Rainier Elementary's
Librarian at the time) & Esther & Larry Gates.
The mural included several scenes of riverboats and industries that were prevalent in Rainier at the turn of the century including agriculture and a sawmill.
One
of the more interesting items included in the mural is this depiction of
Rainier's fort, which has been described as actually being more of a
stockade, consisting of logs stood on end to form a wall 40-50 feet
high, topped with a sentinel platform, and without a blockhouse as
depicted here. It was built around 1858 to serve as a storehouse
and to offer protection and defense from Native Americans, though they
never posed much of a threat to the residents of Rainier. Rainier was
never attacked by Native Americans, and only once early in its history
were the town's women and children gathered inside due to concern about
an attack that never occurred. The fort was eventually abandoned and all
trace of it disappeared in the late 1800s.
The mural also included depictions of several of the historic buildings covered on this page:
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| Dibblee House | Catholic Church | Methodist Church | 102 A Street East | Moeck House |
This mural has since been painted over and was replaced in 2009 with a smaller mural depicting the hotel as it appeared in 1953. This mural is shown below.
15. Rainier Union High School
604 E Street East
Rainier
Union High School opened in October, 1924, to take in high-school age
students from the small schools around Rainier as well as the students
within the city limits. It sits on over 12 acres of land. With
the construction of Hudson Park Elementary and a new High School at the
Briarcliff campus in 1978, the
Rainier School District
consolidated all students
in the area, and the Union High School building became Rainier Middle
School, housing 7th and 8th grade students. A district restructuring in
2001 added 6th grade students. In 2003 the district consolidated all
students into Briarcliff, and the building was put up for sale. In 2004
it was purchased by the Church of Truth of Vancouver, Washington.
Pictured
at left are the cornerstone and dedication plaque for the new Rainier
High School at the Briarcliff campus. They are not located at the old
high school in town (pictured above) that the new high school replaced,
but I am including them here because I don't have anywhere else for
them.
16. City Hall
106 B Street West
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Rainier's City Hall was built by 1925. It includes the Rainier Police Department and the Rainier City Library. Originally, a tower behind the southeast corner contained a siren to alert the fire department volunteers in the event of a fire before radio and telephone's became widespread. There were also cannons in front originally, though at that time the street was not as wide, so there was more room for them.
Historical Photos:
City Hall in the 1920s, from Michael Clark's website
The Library has been confined to its original home in the northeast corner of the main floor since the building was built. An elevator is due to be installed to make the top floor ADA Accessible, and then the Library will be able to move upstairs where it will have more space.
17. 100 Block B Street East
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The building on the corner was once a grocery store. Until 2007, it had been the home of Elam's Home Furnishings, which had expanded down the block over the years to take up almost the entire block, which wasn't easy, as the floor of each storefront is at a different elevation. The corner is now home to Rainier Appliance, with various small local businesses in the other storefronts.
This building in the 100 block of East B Street was part of Elam's Home Furnishings until 2007. Note that it is a completely separate building; Elam's built a small structure between the buildings and cut through the exterior walls to connect them. The storefronts are now available to local small businesses.
18. 202 A Street East
On this corner
once stood the Grand Hotel, a large 4-story wood frame building that was
built in 1899 and destroyed by fire in July 1924. This building used to
be the U.S. Post Office in Rainier. Today it is home to Tri-City
Insurance.
19. United States Post Office
207 A Street West
This is the
current U.S. Post Office in Rainier. It was built in the 1990s. When it
was built, A Street had to be extended slightly. The street originally
ended at the intersection with West Second Street. Though Charles
Fox started a Post Office in 1851, Rainier's first
government Post Office opened in 1863 and was located in a store building at the
corner of East 5th Street and A Street East. The Rainier
Post Office has never been in a building owned by the U.S. Postal
Service. Even the current building is only leased.
20. United States Gypsum
29073 Dike Road
This
United
States Gypsum facility manufactures gypsum wallboard. It opened in 2000.
Rainier had been without a major employer for several years when this
plant was built, and USG received a lot of incentives to build here.
Since this is a USG plant, it can officially be called a SHEETROCK®
plant. SHEETROCK®
is a registered trademark of USG. The material is properly called gypsum
wallboard.
21. Veterans Memorial
Intersection of West Sixth Street and B Street West
This concrete
obelisk was erected in 2000. According to the City of Rainier's website,
it is a Veterans Memorial, however, there is no plaque or sign or list
of names or even a flag: nothing that indicates to a visitor that it
actually is a veterans memorial. I am all in
favor of a veterans memorial, but I think it should have something that
actually says that it's a veterans memorial. Otherwise, it could be a
monument to the concrete industry, for all anyone knows.
(Before I knew this was supposed to be a veterans memorial, I referred to it as a Monument to Stupidity, because I thought putting up a concrete obelisk for no apparent reason was, well, stupid. Now that I know what it is supposed to be, calling it that seems inappropriate. But, I wonder if it was actually meant to be a veterans memorial when it was put up, or if it was declared a veterans memorial after it was built, because people thought a random pile of concrete was stupid.)
22. Rainier Riverfront Park
Rainier Riverfront Park was built in the early 1980s
on dredge spoils from the Columbia River after the eruption of Mt. St.
Helens. The park was dedicated "in honor of Mayor Betty Vilhauer for her
dedication and untiring effort for the community of Rainier" on June 26,
1982.
Riverfront Park was extensively rebuilt in the early 2000s, with the replacement of all playground equipment, new basketball and tennis courts, a skateboard park and more completed by December 2002, and the above Little League field completed in 2006.
While the City
of Rainier rebuilt Riverfront Park, this rock was installed with a
plaque in memory of the events of September 11, 2001. I think the rock
is made of debris from the World Trade Center. Not to diminish
what happened on September 11, but we don't have monuments to Pearl
Harbor in towns all over
the country; we have one memorial at
Pearl Harbor, where it happened. In the case of 9-11, there should be a
memorial of some kind at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and
the field in Pennsylvania, but why do we need one in Rainier, Oregon?
Maybe the fact that it was donated by a nationwide funeral home
operator, and has their logo on it no less, has something to do with it.
An identical plaque is located outside a funeral home in
Milwaukie, OR.
This Blue Star
Memorial in honor of those who have served or are serving in the Armed
Forces was dedicated on May 29, 2006. It was sponsored by the
Rainier Garden Club & Pioneer District, with additional support by
the Oregon
State Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., the
City of Rainier,
the Oregon Roadside Council,
REDCO
& the VFW Columbia
River Post & Aux. 1909.
23. Rainier Senior Center
48 West Seventh Street
For years, the
Rainier Senior Center operated out of the Masonic Lodge. In 2004, the
Senior Center finally got a home of its own, this brand new building on
the Columbia River, adjacent to new senior housing and near Riverfront
Park.
24. Phone Booth
In front of 215 B Street West
This phone
booth is in the parking lot of J&R Sales Grocery Liquidators. What is so
special about a phone booth, you may ask. Well, you may have noticed
that they are starting to disappear. But Rainier still has several. So
why do I have a picture of this one? Look closely. It still has a
sliding bi-fold door. It is the only phone booth in Rainier that has a
door, and since I noticed that, I've been looking around for another and
have yet to find one. So this phone booth, while not unique, is still
rare.
Now, anyone who's ever been to Rainier will know that no respectable webpage about Rainier can fail to mention THE BRIDGE. So, without further ado...
25. A Street West Bridge
In 2004, A
Street West was extended across Fox Creek and past Riverfront Park. This
is the bridge that was built to cross Fox Creek. At least it has a
little style. Fox Creek is
named after Charles E. Fox, Rainier's founder. It is Rainier's main
water supply.
What, that's not the bridge you were expecting? Well, then how about this one...
26. Fox Creek Footbridge
Fox Creek was
once emptied directly from a metal culvert into the Columbia River. This
stretch of culvert was removed in 2001. In 2002, a footbridge was
installed over Fox Creek to allow pedestrian access to Riverfront Park
from downtown. The bridge was innovative, in that its deck is made out
of a synthetic material intended to take the place of lumber. In 2004
the bridge was removed to make way for the extension of A Street West.
Now it sits on the beach at Riverfront Park, awaiting its fate, whatever
that may be. There is talk of it being put back across the creek near
the shore for a riverfront trail.
Oh, you want an old bridge? Well, here you go then...
27. Railroad Bridge 46.0
Railroad
bridges are generally named by their location. This bridge over Fox
Creek is located at railroad milepost 46.0. This wooden bridge probably
dates from the railroad's original construction in 1897-98. The first
train came through Rainier from Astoria to Portland on the morning of
May 16, 1898. The railroad was originally called the Astoria & Columbia
River Railroad. On February 24, 1911 the Spokane, Portland & Seattle
took over. The SP&S became part of the Burlington Northern on May 1,
1970. Today, the line to Astoria is owned by the
Portland & Western
Railroad.
You were looking for something bigger? I think I know what you're looking for...
28. Nice Creek Viaduct
This concrete
viaduct that carries C Street over Nice Creek is simply called the C
Street Bridge by most people. However, it is officially called the Nice
Creek Viaduct; and unlike the Moeck House, there's no excuse to not call
the viaduct by its correct name, as the name is cast right into the
concrete at each end. Granted, its hard to read when you're driving by
in your car.
The Nice Creek Viaduct was built in 1911 for Columbia County by the LeDoux Ehrman Company. That information is also cast into the concrete at each end. Though it was probably thought to be plenty wide enough in 1911, it is very narrow by today's standards and is only considered to have one lane, though you can drive either way on it. Fortunately, C Street isn't very busy. The chain link is a recent addition, for the safety of people daring enough to walk across the viaduct. Because it is so narrow, it is unnerving to have cars pass you while walking on it. It's hard to believe that at one time this was the highway.
All right, all right. I do know what you're waiting for, so here we go...
29. Lewis & Clark Bridge
Before the
bridge, the only way to get between Longview and
Rainier was by boat. A small ferry carried automobiles and passengers
between the two cities; however, this was slow, and as
Longview grew, so did the demand for a bridge.
Historical Photos:
Photograph of the ferry between Longview and Rainier, courtesy of Michael Clark's website.
Originally called simply the Longview Bridge, this impressive structure was designed by Joseph B. Strauss. Strauss is noted for designing over 100 bridges, including many of Chicago's lift bridges over the Chicago River, as well as the operating mechanism for Portland's Burnside Bridge. He is also known for another bridge you may have heard of: San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. But before he built the Golden Gate, Strauss built this one. The first pilings were driven April 15, 1929, and the bridge was dedicated and opened March 29, 1930. The bridge is 8,289 feet long and has 210 feet of clearance over the river. Its center span is 1200 feet long, and its highest point is 340 feet above the river, making it the longest and tallest cantilever span in North America at the time. Total cost was $5.8 million. Plaques at each end of the bridge read as follows:
COLUMBIA RIVER
LONGVIEW BRIDGE
COMPLETED 1930
BUILT BY
WILLIAM D. COMER
AND
WESLEY VANDERCOOK
TOTAL LENGTH OF SPAN - INCLUDING APPROACHES - 1 1/2 MILES
LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN 1200 FEET
MAXIMUM VERTICAL CLEARANCE 196 FEET
HEIGHT OF TOWERS ABOVE WATER 330 FEET
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY
SUBCONTRACTORS
WALLACE BRIDGE & STRUCTURAL STEEL CO. STEEL FABRICATOR
BETHLEHEM STEEL CO. STEEL FABRICATOR
J. H. POMEROY & CO. STEEL ERECTOR
PACIFIC BRIDGE CO. FOUNDATIONS
LINDSTROM & FEIGENSEN APPROACHES
ENGINEERS
STRAUSS ENGINEERING CORPORATION
Related Links:
Within a year of its opening, the bridge had its first suicide jumper. And it was someone from Portland! That's right, in 1931 someone drove all the way from Portland to Rainier to kill himself.
The bridge was originally a private venture, and had wood approaches. The state of Washington bought the bridge in 1947 and replaced the original approaches with concrete and steel. The bridge had a toll, which interestingly enough decreased over the years, until October 19, 1965, when the tolls paid off the cost of construction 12 years early. In 1980 it was rededicated and renamed the Lewis & Clark Bridge. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1982.
Age and increasing traffic levels required that the bridge be redecked from January 2003 to August 2004 at a cost of $29.8 million.
When adjusted for inflation, the bridge's original construction cost equals about $60 million in 2004 dollars. So, just redecking the bridge cost half of what the entire bridge cost. And it took longer.
Related Links:
Longview Bridge spanning the Columbia River opens March 29, 1930, from HistoryLink.org
Longview-Rainier Bridge Chronology from the Columbia County Historian
Rainier Links:
The Story of Rainier 1805-1925 by Anna Zerzyke
Michael Clark's Written History, Historical Images & Memorabilia of Rainier, Oregon
Rainier, Oregon at Lewis & Clark's Columbia River
Longview, Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club
Also See:
History of Rainier by Mrs. Grace Reid
PLACES - Kelso-Longview, Washington
PLACES - Antique Powerland, Brooks, Oregon
PLACES - Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon
PLACES - San Francisco, California
PORTLAND PLACES - Willamette River Bridges
PORTLAND PLACES - Brooklyn Roundhouse
PORTLAND PLACES - Council Crest Park
PORTLAND PLACES - Golf Junction
PORTLAND PLACES - Hoyt Street Yard & Lovejoy Columns
PORTLAND PLACES - Oaks Amusement Park
PORTLAND PLACES - South Waterfront & Aerial Tram
PORTLAND PLACES - Union Station
PORTLAND PLACES - Historic Belmont Firehouse
PORTLAND PLACES - Ankeny Square & Skidmore Fountain
PORTLAND PLACES - Tom McCall Waterfront Park
PORTLAND PLACES - Pioneer Courthouse Square
PORTLAND PLACES - Willamette Shore Trolley
PORTLAND PLACES - Oregon Convention Center
Motorcar Club Toots Through Rainier
A New Train is Rollin' Through Town
Model Train Club Keeps Local Rail Fans On Track
2007 LK&R Train Show & Swap Meet
2006 LK&R Train Show & Swap Meet
All website content, including graphics and pictures are © Robert D. West unless otherwise noted. Content is not to be used out of the context of this webpage without expressed permission. Any opinions expressed herein are mine and are not necessarily shared by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, or anyone else.
Questions? Comments? Critiques? Corrections? Concerns? Email me at westr@msoe.edu.