PlacesPages: Kelso

Showing posts with label Kelso. Show all posts

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Kelso Airport Fly-In in July 2005

United States Air Force 1955 North American T-28B Trojan at Kelso, Washington in July 2005

United States Air Force 1955 North American T-28B Trojan
Photo by Cliff West

In July 2005, Mothers of Military Support organized a 3-day Fly-In at Molt Taylor Field at the Kelso-Longview Regional Airport in Kelso, Washington, featuring two dozen vintage military aircraft from the Cascade Warbirds chapter of the EAA Warbirds of America, a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association attended, along with three dozen members of the Puget Sound Military Vehicles Collectors Club and a POW/MIA Honoring Field. My dad, Cliff West, didn’t hear about the event until it was almost over and when he got there only a few planes remained for him to take pictures of: two 1955 North American T-28B Trojans and a FM-2 Wildcat.

United States Air Force 1955 North American T-28B Trojan
Photo by Cliff West

The T-28 served as an advanced trainer for the Air Force and the Navy as well as a first line fighter in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The cockpits were designed and arranged to be as much like fighter cockpits as practical. The T-28B came equipped with a nine-cylinder radial air-cooled Wright Cyclone R-1820 engine producing 1,425 horsepower with a Hamilton Standard 3-bladed propeller and a belly-mounted speed brake. 489 “B” models were built and used from the middle ‘50s to the middle ‘80s. North American Aviation also produced the legendary P-51 Mustang and the B-25. The U.S. Navy retired the T-28 in 1984.

United States Navy 1955 North American T-28B Trojan at Kelso, Washington in July 2005

United States Navy 1955 North American T-28B Trojan
Photo by Cliff West

With a length of 32 feet 6 inches and a wingspan of 40 feet, the T-28B has a normal gross weight of 8,600 pounds and has a cruising speed of 230 miles per hour and a maximum speed of 346 miles per hour. With a fuel capacity of 177 gallons it has a range of 1,060 miles, consuming 50 gallons per hour. It has a take off run of 800 feet, an initial rate of climb of 800 feet per minute, and a service ceiling of 37,000 feet. They were armed with machine guns and bombs or rockets carried externally under each wing panel.

United States Navy FM-2 Wildcat at Kelso, Washington in July 2005

United States Navy FM-2 Wildcat
Photo by Cliff West

The FM-2 Wildcat was a variant of the Grumman F4F, which was developed at the beginning of World War II and was first purchased by the British Royal Navy as the Martlet in 1940 before being purchased by the United States Navy as the Wildcat in 1941. Wildcats were also built under license by the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors, even after Grumman began producing the more powerful F6F Hellcat in 1943. With a length of 28 feet 9 inches and a wingspan of 38 feet, the F4F was powered by a 1,200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine with a 3-bladed constant speed propeller. It had a maximum speed of 331 miles per hour, a range of 845 miles, a service ceiling of 39,500 feet and a rate of climb of 2,300 feet per minute. They were armed with four or six .50” Browning machine guns and could also carry 2 100-pound bombs or 2 58-gallon drop tanks. The FM-2 variant was optimized for small-carrier operation, with a 1,350-horsepower Wright R-1820-56 radial engine and armed with four .50” Browning machine guns and wing racks to carry 2 250-pound bombs or six 5” rockets. Out of a total of 7,885 Wildcats built, 5,280 were FM variants built by the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors. By the time the war ended in 1945, they were considered obsolete and were retired.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Kelso #6: Kelso City Hall

203 South Pacific Avenue

Kelso City Hall on September 5, 2005.

The construction of the new Allen Street Bridge in 2000 required the demolition of Kelso's City Hall, among other buildings. This brand new City Hall was built alongside the new Allen Street Bridge as a replacement.

This concludes the original content about Kelso on my Kelso-Longview PLACES page. To see any additional blog entries about Kelso, click on the Kelso label, or...

Continue to History of Longview…

Kelso #5: Cowlitz County Hall of Justice

312 SW First Avenue

Cowlitz County Hall of Justice on December 17, 2005.

Construction for the $5.3 million Cowlitz County Hall of Justice was approved in 1971. There was some debate about whether the building would be built in Kelso, the county seat, or Longview, the county’s largest city. In 1974, it was decided to build along the border of the two cities. It was completed in 1975 and contains virtually all Cowlitz County offices.

Cowlitz County Hall of Justice on November 27, 2008.

Cowlitz County Hall of Justice, November 29, 2008.

Continue to 6: Kelso City Hall…

Kelso #4: Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge

Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge on December 17, 2005.

The four-lane Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge was completed in 1952 to relieve some of the traffic congestion on the nearby Allen Street Bridge. Unlike the Allen Street Bridge, this bridge was designed to clear the traffic on the Cowlitz River without being a drawbridge. As a result, it also passed above the Northern Pacific (now Burlington Northern-Santa Fe) mainline. The bridge's name is a result of Longview and Kelso being unable to agree.

Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge on November 27, 2008.

Continue to 5: Cowlitz County Hall of Justice…

Kelso #3: Allen Street Bridge

Allen Street Bridge on September 5, 2005.

The first Allen Street Bridge washed out in a flood in 1906. It was replaced that same year with a 600-foot bascule bridge of entirely wood construction. The bridge was renovated in 1915, but by 1920 was generally known to be dangerous. In 1922, construction began on a new steel Allen Street Bridge alongside the old bridge.

Historical Photo:
Fishermen on the Cowlitz with 2nd Allen Street Bridge in the background (University of Washington Library)

On the evening of January 3, 1923, the middle span of the old bridge collapsed under the weight of heavy traffic. Although nearby boats in the Cowlitz River rescued people, at least 35 people were killed. To this day, the Allen Street Bridge collapse is Washington's worst bridge disaster.

The 700-foot steel Allen Street drawbridge opened March 19, 1923, but with only two lanes it was found to be inadequate as traffic increased. Construction of the four-lane Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge in 1952 only bought time.

Amtrak Cascades train at the Kelso Station, with the old Allen Street Bridge in the background, on January 11, 1999.

The above picture shows the first run of Amtrak's Cascades service, with the steel Allen Street bridge in the background, on January 11, 1999.

Mural showing the old Allen Street Bridge on September 5, 2005.

The old Allen Street bridge is also depicted in its early days in the background of a mural on a building at the west end of the current bridge.

Allen Street Bridge on December 17, 2005.

In 2000, a new four-lane concrete Allen Street Bridge was built and the old bridge demolished. The new bridge also crossed over the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad line, eliminating a railroad crossing, and required demolition of many old buildings in downtown Kelso.

Allen Street Bridge on November 27, 2008.

Beginning in 2001, the Kelso Bridge Market was held beneath the bridge on Sundays in the summer for local farmers and craft merchants. The market relocated to West Kelso in 2010, and again to Longview as the Downtown Bridge Market in 2012.

Allen Street Bridge on November 29, 2008.

The eastern approach to the old 1922 Allen Street Bridge, including an original plaque and concrete guardrails, survives today as Rotary Landing, a small scenic overlook built by the Kelso Rotary Club.

Rotary Landing on November 27, 2008.

Plaque from the old Allen Street Bridge at Rotary Landing on November 27, 2008.

Rotary Landing Plaque on November 27, 2008.

Continue to 4: Peter Crawford-Cowlitz Way Bridge…

Kelso #2: Kelso Station

501 South First Street

Kelso Station on September 5, 2005.

Rail service first came to Kelso in 1872, when the Northern Pacific Railway built north from a river connection at Kalama, Washington toward Seattle.

Kelso Station on December 17, 2005.

This brick depot opened on February 12, 1912, replacing an earlier wood-frame depot built in the 1800s on land donated by the Crawford family in November 1886. A ramp extended across the tracks to a dock on the Cowlitz River for the transfer of fish and other freight from boats to trains.

Kelso Station on November 27, 2008.

In 1948, nearly 40 feet was added to the south end of the building to provide a separate, dedicated space for the Railway Express Agency, and free up space in the baggage room.

Kelso Station on November 27, 2008.

The Northern Pacific became part of Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, and Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971.

Kelso Station on November 27, 2008.

On June 1, 1973, Burlington Northern closed its freight depot and turned over passenger ticket operations to Amtrak.

Kelso Station on November 29, 2008.

By the early 1990s, the depot was locked up. Amtrak trains still stopped at the station, but there were no personnel at the station and passengers had to wait outside. Tickets had to be purchased in advance, either from a travel agent, or from another station with Amtrak personnel.

Kelso Station on November 29, 2008.

Historical Photos:
Kelso Depot, 1920s (Washington State Railroads Historical Society)
Passenger Train at Kelso, 8/21/72 (RRPictureArchives.net)
Freight Train passing Kelso, 8/21/72 (RRPIctureArchives.net)

Plaque for the Renovation of the depot on February 11, 2012.

In September 1994, after years of neglect, a major renovation and restoration of the depot was started to turn the depot into a multimodal transportation hub for Cowlitz County.

Kelso Station Clock Tower on September 5, 2005.

The $3.3 million renovation included the addition of a clock tower and putting a full basement under the depot, which had never had one before, to be used for retail space.

Interior of the Kelso Station during its 100th Anniversary on February 11, 2012.

The renovation was completed and the depot was dedicated as the "Kelso Intermodal Facility" at 2:30 PM on September 23, 1995.

Interior of the Kelso Station during its 100th Anniversary on February 11, 2012.

In accordance with the multimodal plans, Greyhound and CUBS used the depot as a bus station until 2005, but the basement has never had a tenant and while Amtrak trains continue to stop here, no Amtrak personnel are assigned to the station. For a time it was possible to buy a Greyhound ticket but not an Amtrak ticket, but an automated Amtrak ticket machine has since been installed.

Interior of the Kelso Station during its 100th Anniversary on February 11, 2012.

In August 2009, the Kelso-Longview Train Depot Volunteers began having volunteers staff the depot 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. NOTE: The clock tower does not have a permanent pointed spire on top of it; in the photos that show it, it is a temporary holiday decoration (though I think it makes the clock tower look better).

Model of the Kelso Station displayed at its 100th Anniversary on February 11, 2012.

The renderings below were used for the invitations to the Grand Opening of the Kelso Intermodal Facility and the "Keeping Kids on Track" festival on Saturday, September 23, 1995.

There are a number of differences between these renderings and the finished project, including the covered platform and the design of the clock tower and its base.

Continue to 3: Allen Street Bridge…

Kelso #1: Kelso Commons Park

Southeast corner of Oak Street & South Pacific Avenue

This small park is located on the site of the first donation land claim in the area. Peter W. Crawford took the land claim on December 18, 1847. Crawford would become one of the signers of the petition to make Washington a state at the Monticello Convention in 1852.

Bust of Peter W. Crawford at the nearby Cowlitz County Historical Museum on May 1, 2012.

Crawford was born in Kelso, Scotland, in 1818 and was university-educated as a surveyor. He immigrated to the United States in 1843, and came west by wagon train in 1847. Crawford was the surveyor for the city of Vancouver as well as Clark and Cowlitz counties. He platted the city of Kelso in 1881. He also served as Justice of the Peace and was active in business ventures. He died in 1889.

Eventually a bank was built on this corner, and it became a branch of the Seattle-First National Bank. The land was donated by the bank to the city of Kelso on August 28, 1972 for use as a park. Kelso Commons Park was dedicated on September 17, 1975.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial on September 5, 2005.

In 1993, Kelso Post #3017 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars installed a memorial to soldiers lost in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Continue to 2: Kelso Station…

Early History of Kelso and Cowlitz County

Americans settled in Cowlitz County even before settling in Seattle. The first local settler was a Scotsman named Peter W. Crawford, a surveyor by trade, who took a land claim on the east bank of the Cowlitz River in 1847. Early settlers met at a settlement called Monticello, near what is now Longview, to draft a petition to Congress to create the Washington Territory out of the Oregon Territory, at the Monticello Convention of 1852. The convention was held in the home of Harry Darby Huntington. Local settlers who attended the convention included Peter Crawford and Seth Catlin. The convention was a success; Congress drafted a bill establishing Washington Territory, which President Millard Fillmore signed into law on March 2, 1853. This marked the beginning of the state of Washington. Washington became a state on November 11, 1889.

Monticello became the first county seat of Cowlitz County on April 21, 1854. The county seat moved to a town called Freeport, just upriver from Monticello near today's West Kelso, in 1865. The settlement of Monticello was wiped out in a flood in 1867. In 1872, with an influx of Northern Pacific Railway workers, the county seat moved to Kalama.

Historical Photo:
Freeport in 1873 (University of Washington Library)

In 1884, Peter Crawford platted a city on his land claim and named it Kelso, after his hometown in Scotland. After decades of trying, Kelso became the county seat in 1923. In January of that year, Freeport was wiped out by flood, clearing the way for a lumber baron to start a new city.

Continue to 1: Kelso Commons Park…

Kelso & Longview, Washington

I originally posted the Kelso-Longview PLACES page on my website on February 7, 2006, and last updated it on May 16, 2010. I have added some new information and a few new pictures. I originally placed Kelso and Longview on the same page, numbering the locations in the same series with the Kelso locations first. I will be differentiating between Kelso and Longview locations in the future, but in order to use the same maps, Longview locations will begin with #7.