Sam Hill Memorial Bridge

 

Photo by Cliff West

The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Highway 97 over the Columbia River between Maryhill, Washington, and Biggs Junction, Oregon. The steel truss bridge is 2,567 feet long with a 341-foot main truss span and a vertical clearance of 75 feet above the river. Construction began on October 3, 1960 and it was built at a cost of $2.4 million. During its opening ceremonies on November 1, 1962, it was dedicated to Sam Hill, early bridge proponent and builder of the Maryhill Museum of Art. Initially the Washington State Bridge Toll Authority charged a toll of $1 per car, until the toll was removed in February 1975.

Tugboat Dauby on the Columbia River near Maryhill, Washington, in Fall 2003

Photo by Cliff West

This is the tugboat Dauby pushing barges on the Columbia River near Maryhill, Washington, in the fall of 2003. These pictures were taken by my dad, Cliff West.

Photo by Cliff West

The 86-foot Dauby is owned by the SDS Lumber Company and was launched in 1984. It is named after Frank Daubenspeck, one of the founding partners of the company. 

Ship on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in Fall 2003

 

Photo by Cliff West

Here are some pictures of a ship on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in the fall of 2003. They were taken by my dad, Cliff West. I can't make out the name of the ship.

Photo by Cliff West

Photo by Cliff West

High Bridge Generating Plant

This is the Northern States Power Company's High Bridge Generating Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, as seen from Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder on September 6, 2003. This coal-fired power plant at 501 Shepard Road was completed in 1941.

Great Northern P-2 4-8-2 #2507 in Wishram, Washington on September 4, 2003

While riding the Portland section of Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder through Wishram, Washington, on September 4, 2003, I took this picture of former Great Northern Railway steam locomotive #2507 in a small park near the depot. This locomotive was one of 28 Class P-2 4-8-2 Mountain-type locomotives delivered to Great Northern by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. These locomotives were originally assigned to passenger service and were the initial power for the Empire Builder when it was inaugurated in June, 1929, but were replaced in Empire Builder service in 1930 by 14 new Baldwin Class S-2 4-8-4 Northern-type locomotives that pulled the Empire Builder until it was streamlined and dieselized in 1947. The Class P-2 Mountains were then assigned to freight service until their retirement in 1955. After its retirement, #2507 was put into storage in Minnesota instead of being immediately scrapped. Meanwhile, the Spokane, Portland & Seattle promised a steam locomotive to Klickitat County for display at Maryhill, only to end up having no steam locomotives left; #700 had been given to the city of Portland, #539 to the city of Vancouver, and the rest sold for scrap. To save face, the SP&S purchased #2507 from parent Great Northern, repainted it with SP&S lettering, and donated it to Klickitat County in 1962. For 30 years, #2507 sat on display in Maryhill in SP&S paint. An attempted restoration saw #2507 painted back to GN in 1992, and in 1994 it was moved from Maryhill to Pasco to be restored to operation. No restoration ever occurred, and eventually Klickitat County decided to put the locomotive back on permanent display. Track realignments had made a return to Maryhill impractical, so a new site in Wishram was chosen. The locomotive was given a complete cosmetic restoration and a structure was built to protect the locomotive from the elements. BNSF donated the locomotive's move from Pasco to Wishram.

2003 Rainier Days in the Park Parade

Here are pictures of the Rainier Days in the Park Parade on July 12, 2003. These pictures were taken on A Street, this was the first year for the parade to go west on A Street from the marina to the park.

1965 Ford Mustang Convertible carrying Grand Marshal Tom McCaskey

Ford Model T Roadster

1964 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Rainier Days in the Park Royalty Court float

Preteen Miss Oregon Sweetheart Annamarie

Rainier High School Band

Rainier Boosters Float

Ford Pickup carrying court

1928-1936 John Deere GP Tractor

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-Door Sedan

Red Hat Ladies

Girl Scouts

1957 Ford Thunderbird

Rainier Softball

Peterbilt Log Truck

1930 Ford Model A Coupe

AM General M1025 HMMWV

Clatskanie Fire Department 1942 Ford Fire Engine

Columbia County Fair Court

1960 Oldsmobile Holiday Scenicoupe Hardtop Coupe

Ford Falcon Convertible Coupe

1941 Dodge Luxury Liner Coupe

1951-1953 Cadillac 4-Door Sedan

1953 Ford Crestline Fordor Sedan

1955 Oldsmobile 4-Door Sedan

1965 Ford Mustang Coupe

Go-Carts

1965 Ford Galaxie Convertible carrying State Representative Betsy Johnson

Ol’ Pastime Tavern Float

Gazebo Raffle Float

Rainier Fire Department 1936 Chevrolet-Howe Fire Engine

British Ferret Armoured Car

Great Northern NW3 #181 in Whitefish, Montana

Displayed at the Amtrak depot in Whitefish, Montana is Great Northern NW3 #181. Built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1942 as Great Northern #5406, this 1,000-horsepower diesel locomotive was the last of the only seven NW3s built, all for the Great Northern. It was renumbered to #181 in 1943. 

On August 30, 1965, the Great Northern sold #181 to Anaconda Aluminum in Columbia Falls, Montana, where it became their #900. When no longer needed, Anaconda Aluminum donated the locomotive to the Stumptown Historical Society in Whitefish, Montana. It was restored to Great Northern colors and placed on permanent static display next to the Whitefish depot on November 19, 1990.

Travel Alberta Visitors Information Centre

The Travel Alberta Visitors Information Centre on Going-to-the-Sun Road in West Glacier, Montana, features visitor information and interpretive displays promoting the Canadian province of Alberta, along with restrooms, telephones, and picnic areas.

Izaak Walton Inn

Adjacent to the railroad yard Essex, Montana, is the Izaak Walton Inn. Named after English writer Izaak Walton, for whom the Walton Ranger Station in Glacier National Park is also named, the Izaak Walton Inn was built on railroad property in 1939 in three months at a cost of $40,000 by the Addison Miller Company, which also operated it under contract for the Great Northern Railway as lodging for railway workers. Measuring 36 feet by 114 feet, the Tudor Revival inn featured 29 guest rooms, 10 bathrooms, a lobby, dining room, kitchen with a two-ton stove, drying room, store room and general store. 

Located at the south end of Glacier National Park 27 miles from West Glacier and 30 miles from East Glacier, it was anticipated that Essex would become a southern gateway to Glacier National Park, however World War II prevented that development. With the inn never living up to its tourism potential, the Addison Miller Company sold it to Harry Stowell in 1965 for $5,000. George A. Walker purchased it in 1968. Sid and Millie Goodrich bought it in 1973. Larry and Linda Vielleux acquired it in 1982. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1985, and was renovated in 1995 with bathrooms added to every guestroom.

R/V Sonne at Rainier, Oregon, in Summer 2002

Photo by Cliff West

The RV Sonne was a German geoscience research vessel originally built by Rickmers Werft in Bremerhaven, laid down in August 1968 and completed in 1969 for Hochseefischeri Nordstern AG as a fishing trawler and was used in the North Atlantic. It was converted to a scientific research vessel by Schichau Unterweser AG in 1977 and Rickmers Werft 1978. It was lengthened and modernized by Schichau-Seebeck-Werft in 1991.

Photo by Cliff West

Operated by RF Forschungsschiffahrt GmbH, it carried a crew of 25 plus 25 scientists. It is 320 feet, 2 inches long and 46 feet, 7 inches wide, with a draft of 22 feet, 4 inches and a displacement of 4,952 metric tons. It is powered by three 1,600-kilowatt diesel-generators and two 1,150-kilowatt electric engines and can reach a speed of 12 knots. It is shown here on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon, in the summer of 2002.

Tyco Resolute at Rainier, Oregon, in Summer 2002

Photo by Cliff West

The Tyco Resolute is a cable laying ship that was built by Keppel Hitachi Zosen in Singapore in 2002 for Tyco Telecommunications as the third of six ships in the Reliance class. It was preceded by the Tyco Reliance and Tyco Responder in 2001 and followed by the Tyco Dependable later in 2002 and the Tyco Decisive and Tyco Durable in 2003. It is 139.1 meters long and 21 meters wide with a draft of 7.8 meters. It has a gross tonnage of 12,184 metric tons and dead weight tonnage of 9,200 metric tons. Powered by five main diesel engines, it features 360-degree maneuverability and a total of 9,800 kilowatts of thruster power from 2 fixed bow thrusters, 1 drop-down bow thruster, and two azimuthing stern thrusters. It can lay and repair underwater cable to a depth of three meters beneath the ocean floor and has a cable laying capacity of around 5,465.5 metric tons. It can cover a distance of over 25,000 nautical miles in 60 days of active operation. Along with the plows that allow the ship to carry out its cable laying operations, it also features a state-of-the-art duplex dynamic positioning system, a very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) for marine wideband communication satellites, and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to aid in accurate cable laying operations. It is shown here on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in the summer of 2002.

Queen of the West sternwheeler at Rainier, Oregon, in Summer 2002

Photo by Cliff West

The Queen of the West was built in 1995 by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland, Washington for the American West Steamboat Company for overnight river cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers. It was the first overnight passenger sternwheeler to be built and operated in the West in 80 years. 

Photo by Cliff West

It is 232 feet long and 50 feet wide with draft of 7 feet. With two 1,750-horsepower MTU 12V396 diesel engines and two 500-kiliowatt auxiliary engines driving its 26-foot, three-story paddlewheel through a hydraulic propulsion system using biodegradable hydraulic oil, it has a average speed of 12 knots. It had four decks and could carry up to 167 passengers. A 45-foot bow ramp allows passenger to go ashore anywhere along the river. It is shown here on two different trips on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in the summer of 2002.

Spirit of '98 at Rainier, Oregon in Summer 2002

Photo by Cliff West

The Spirit of ’98 was operated by Cruise West on cruises from Seattle to Juneau and Skagway and on the Columbia and Snake rivers. It was designed by marine architect John W. Gilbert and was originally built in 1985 by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair in Mobile, Alabama. It is 192 feet long and with 49 cabins can carry 96 passengers. With twin Caterpillar diesel engines it has a top speed of 15 knots, and its Victorian interiors came from Interior Design International of Seattle, Washington. It was launched in May 1985 as the Pilgrim Belle and was operated by Coastwise Cruise Lines based out of Hyannis on Cape Cod. After running aground a few months later, it was sold to Exploration Cruise Lines of Seattle to allow the company to expand to the East Coast, and was renamed Colonial Explorer. After Exploration Cruise Lines went bankrupt in November 1988, it was sold to St. Lawrence Cruise Lines and moved to Ontario, Canada to operate as the Victorian Empress. In 1993, it was purchased by Cruise West and became the Spirit of ’98, named in honor of the Klondike gold rush in the Yukon Territory. It is shown here on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in the summer of 2002.

Tugboat Stacey Foss at Rainier, Oregon in Summer 2002

Photo by Cliff West

The Stacey Foss is an ocean-going tugboat belonging to the Foss Maritime Company. It was built by the Fairhaven Shipyard in Massachusetts and was delivered on July 31, 1976. It is 111 feet, 6 inches long and 35 feet, 6 inches wide with a draft of 13 feet, 6 inches. It is powered by two General Motors Electro-Motive Division 8-cylinder 645-E7 diesel engines producing a combined 2,900 horsepower, with twin Kort nozzles with 98” diameter 4-bladed fixed pitch propellers. It can produce 46 tons of bollard pull and has a fuel capacity of 85,000 gallons. It is shown here on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon in the summer of 2002.

Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler in September 2001

Photo by Cliff West

The Columbia Gorge sternwheeler operates out of Marine Park in Cascade Locks, Oregon, offering riverboat cruises in the Columbia River Gorge. It was built by Nichols Boat Works in Hood River, Oregon, and was launched in 1983. The triple-deck sternwheeler is 119,9 feet long with a draft of 5 feet and a gross weight of 92 tons. With two Cummins diesel electric engines, it has a cruising speed of 9 knots. Its historic-looking interior and exterior features seating for 232 passengers for plated meals, and onboard galley, and two full-service bars. It is licensed to carry up to 599 people. It is shown here at its dock in Cascade Locks in September 2001.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is the captain of the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler visiting with passengers.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is a closeup of the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler's paddlewheel.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is the interior of the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler's dining room.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is a fishing boat viewed from the Columbia River sternwheeler.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is another view of fishing boats from the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is a view from the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler of one of the fishing boats making a catch.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is a view of the Bridge of the Gods from the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler.

M/V Kennicott at Rainier, Oregon in October 1998

 
Photo by Cliff West

The M/V Kennicott is an ocean-going ferry of the Alaska Marine Highway System that was designed by the Halter Marine Group of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Glosten Associates of Seattle, Washington, and was built by the Halter Marine Group in Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1998, and was delivered that summer, making a monthly voyage across the Gulf of Alaska from Juneau to Kodiak. It was the first ocean-going passenger vessel in the United States in over 20 years. It is named after Kennicott Glacier in the Wrangell Mountains of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve near McCarthy, Alaska, and the historic ghost town of Kennecott, Alaska. The Kennicott is 382 feet long and 85 feet wide, with a draft of 18 feet. With a 12,350-horsepower diesel propulsion system, it can reach a top speed of 16.75 knots. It has nine decks, a hot-food cafeteria-style restaurant, a covered heated solarium, several observation lounges including a cocktail lounge and a movie lounge, a play area for children, a gift shop, showers, coin-operated lockers, 51 four-berth cabins and 58 two-berth cabins It also features an external vehicle elevator built into the superstructure, capable of loading and unloading at ports without roll-on ramps using ordinary docks, regardless of tide levels. Only one other ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet, the Tustumena, has such an elevator. The Kennicott can carry up to 748 passengers and up to 80 vehicles. It can also act as a mobile command and logistics center for emergency teams responding to oil spills or natural disasters. 

Photo by Cliff West

After its first summer season, the Kennicott was sent to Cascade General, Inc. in Portland, Oregon, for warranty work. Over five weeks in September and October, it was drydocked for hull inspection and repairs to the Gyro Fin Stabilizers and both tailshafts. It is pictured here on the Columbia River at Rainier, Oregon, in October 2002 on its way back to Alaska.

House on Highway 30 in Rainier, Oregon in September 2002

Photo by Cliff West

This house was moved down Highway 30 through Rainier, Oregon in early September 2002. My dad and I took pictures as it passed by.

Photo by Cliff West

Photo by Cliff West

Part of the roof had been removed from the house to provide clearance and was carried on a second truck.

Photo by Cliff West