October 30th 1936 – Acclaimed port superintendent Oscar Johnson passes away. Like many of our cargoes, port personnel have come from a multitude of backgrounds and regions. In the early 1890’s, Oscar Johnson operated a horse-drawn streetcar in downtown Vancouver. During this time he befriended a man named L.B. Clough. Clough would build a prune […]
Port Executive Director Larry Paulson explains the Port District Act of 1911, the vote establishing the Port of Vancouver in 1912, and how far we’ve come in 100 years. Click below to watch the clip from the January 24th Board of Commissioners meeting.
In light of the port’s centennial year launch, let’s take a look back to its beginning, 100 years ago. Washington’s first public ports were established when the legislature, reacting against private railroad companies’ domination of the docks and harbors on which the state’s economy depended, authorized voters to create publicly owned and managed port districts […]
December, 1939 – After ten years of the Great Depression, Clark County received some very welcome economic news. The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) announced they would build their newest plant west of the port in the Vancouver Lake Lowlands. Alcoa began operations in Vancouver in 1940, providing aluminum in rod, wire, cable and other […]