Port Pioneer: Oscar Johnson

October 30^th 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 packing plant in downtown Vancouver at First and “B” (now Washington) Streets in 1901. The railroad construction and expansion along the waterfront during 1901 was the reason Clough sought this location, as it would provide an opportunity for easy rail shipping for his prunes. Clough later appointed Johnson as manager of the rail dock, which was then part of the city’s municipal dock.

For years Johnson kept track of the river levels and the weather in Vancouver from his vantage point on the waterfront.  He called the Customs House in Portland daily at 8 a.m. with his report, which were later sent to the public in the form of meteorological maps.

After the Port of Vancouver was granted oversight of the municipal dock, expanded the area, and named it “Terminal One,” Johnson was appointed its Superintendent, a position he served at until his death in 1936.

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