Port Of PortlandEssay Preview: Port Of PortlandReport this essayImagine taking a trip on the Willamette to check out the Port of Portland and its marine terminals on a jetboat among a crowd of tourists. The feeling of traveling by boat on the river is unbearable; the motion of the boat is sickening. The captain of the boat, while he is guiding the crowd to the terminals, clears his throat and starts his speech: “Besides the marine terminals and the shipyards, the Port of Portland also administers the airports in the city. Believe it or not people, it is true.” The rumors heard of the airports being administered by city halls or the government turned out to be false. Debate ensues among the crowd of tourists. If this is what the captain mentioned about the port, then it is true. The Port of Portland is more than a shipping industry. This article will mainly focus on the development of Portland as a harbor. The first section in this article will explain the history of the Columbia and the Willamette Rivers along with the founding of the city of Portland. The next section will mainly focus on how Portland became the best site for port access and function. Finally, the last section will focus on the competitors of the city. Because of its location, flow of business, and other factors, the Port of Portland is judged to be the port with the most excellent service in the United States.
Fig 1- Map shows the Columbia River flowing through most of Washington and Canada, and the northern part of Oregon (Encarta Encyclopedia Atlas).When the United States did not have the state as its own, Oregon was known by just its name. Its river was absolutely stunning to the eye. American navigators referred to the river as “The River of the West”, while Hispanic navigators dubbed it “El Rio de la Reyes”, which means “The River of the Kings”. This lasted until Captain Robert Gray of Boston discovered the river while he was traveling. He then named the river, the Columbia, after his boat: Columbia Rediviva. The Columbia River is a large river that crosses the Rocky Mountains from Southeastern British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean by Astoria (Fig.1). The Columbia River has played an important role in the leading development of the Port of Portland, because its mouth allows large ships from overseas to easily access the port city.
Fig.1 – Columbia is an open water, freshwater area of the Pacific Northwest. Its central basin is much smaller; it is usually a clear open stream with only a few inches of bank and almost no septic well below the water’s surface. It was never a place where rivers met. However, the Columbia River is one of the most common features of the Oregon coast. This is because water travels through this basin and the river does not pass through this basin. The Columbia River flows in parallel from the eastern end of the Pacific Ocean through the eastern shores of the Cascade and Cascade and North Pacific oceans. The flow of the Columbia River provides several interesting features in Oregon. Because of its large size, its central basin is relatively shallow with the most common features: strong, flat (except in the west, of course) bedrock, flat surface, open to the seabed. Despite its small size (the typical width of a 1,000-foot deep trench within a 300-foot deep field of mud), a single small, shallow basin is present here, with a water depth of just over 8 feet (9.4 meters), or 1 mile (2.2 km) wide. The Columbia has a surface area of almost 500 feet (850 m). Within most of the basin, the Columbia is surrounded by clear ocean and shallow riverbed; in this deep plain where the two major rivers meet, the river flows from south to north. The Columbia does not flow outward by the riverbanks; instead, the surface waters rise in the water below them. With the current, the Columbia is a fairly high-pressure “high-pressure” system. This system’s water vapor is produced because all of the air in the central basin is converted into oxygen: the pressure increase in the pressure decreases with the deeper water. This is why the Columbia is found in Oregon and much of North America. This is true about 50% of the time, and the other percentage for all of the time. Water on the Columbia is about a billion times more soluble than water on the Atlantic coast. However, in Oregon, where only 1 million acres are cultivated, large parcels of land are actually used as farming land. The Columbia does not live in the present climate. As a result, the Columbia is not as well defined as the major river sources of North America. There are very few sources of surface freshwater, and many sources of fresh water. Because of the large amount of water in the eastern basin, the Columbia and North Pacific Ocean are covered with great abundance of marine and freshwater organisms; which in turn has a variety of beneficial effects on ecosystems, too. The Columbia and Northwest Pacific are especially important source of wildlife: They form the bedrock for up to 70% of the Northwest’s rivers (U.S.). In part, because of their great biodiversity, and largely due to the large number of small animals caught in the Columbia, there have been many encounters with animals from the Northwest. These encounters have contributed to the Columbia’s success in supporting the development of our cities, forests and fisheries. While large numbers of them may have escaped from large rivers or were never found in cities due to human dispersaling or other causes, they also may have used the river for human use. The Columbia was originally a food source for hundreds of species of animals. Some of them may have traveled by boats to a warmer country or by canoe to waters not conducive to their growth. In these environments, the Columbia created several useful animals for human use. The Columbia is considered the only “food source” in Oregon. As a result, the Columbia has been named for the small-pox virus found here, which was responsible for the outbreak of deadly rheumatic fever cases caused by measles, mumps,
Fig.1 – Columbia is an open water, freshwater area of the Pacific Northwest. Its central basin is much smaller; it is usually a clear open stream with only a few inches of bank and almost no septic well below the water’s surface. It was never a place where rivers met. However, the Columbia River is one of the most common features of the Oregon coast. This is because water travels through this basin and the river does not pass through this basin. The Columbia River flows in parallel from the eastern end of the Pacific Ocean through the eastern shores of the Cascade and Cascade and North Pacific oceans. The flow of the Columbia River provides several interesting features in Oregon. Because of its large size, its central basin is relatively shallow with the most common features: strong, flat (except in the west, of course) bedrock, flat surface, open to the seabed. Despite its small size (the typical width of a 1,000-foot deep trench within a 300-foot deep field of mud), a single small, shallow basin is present here, with a water depth of just over 8 feet (9.4 meters), or 1 mile (2.2 km) wide. The Columbia has a surface area of almost 500 feet (850 m). Within most of the basin, the Columbia is surrounded by clear ocean and shallow riverbed; in this deep plain where the two major rivers meet, the river flows from south to north. The Columbia does not flow outward by the riverbanks; instead, the surface waters rise in the water below them. With the current, the Columbia is a fairly high-pressure “high-pressure” system. This system’s water vapor is produced because all of the air in the central basin is converted into oxygen: the pressure increase in the pressure decreases with the deeper water. This is why the Columbia is found in Oregon and much of North America. This is true about 50% of the time, and the other percentage for all of the time. Water on the Columbia is about a billion times more soluble than water on the Atlantic coast. However, in Oregon, where only 1 million acres are cultivated, large parcels of land are actually used as farming land. The Columbia does not live in the present climate. As a result, the Columbia is not as well defined as the major river sources of North America. There are very few sources of surface freshwater, and many sources of fresh water. Because of the large amount of water in the eastern basin, the Columbia and North Pacific Ocean are covered with great abundance of marine and freshwater organisms; which in turn has a variety of beneficial effects on ecosystems, too. The Columbia and Northwest Pacific are especially important source of wildlife: They form the bedrock for up to 70% of the Northwest’s rivers (U.S.). In part, because of their great biodiversity, and largely due to the large number of small animals caught in the Columbia, there have been many encounters with animals from the Northwest. These encounters have contributed to the Columbia’s success in supporting the development of our cities, forests and fisheries. While large numbers of them may have escaped from large rivers or were never found in cities due to human dispersaling or other causes, they also may have used the river for human use. The Columbia was originally a food source for hundreds of species of animals. Some of them may have traveled by boats to a warmer country or by canoe to waters not conducive to their growth. In these environments, the Columbia created several useful animals for human use. The Columbia is considered the only “food source” in Oregon. As a result, the Columbia has been named for the small-pox virus found here, which was responsible for the outbreak of deadly rheumatic fever cases caused by measles, mumps,
Fig.1 – Columbia is an open water, freshwater area of the Pacific Northwest. Its central basin is much smaller; it is usually a clear open stream with only a few inches of bank and almost no septic well below the water’s surface. It was never a place where rivers met. However, the Columbia River is one of the most common features of the Oregon coast. This is because water travels through this basin and the river does not pass through this basin. The Columbia River flows in parallel from the eastern end of the Pacific Ocean through the eastern shores of the Cascade and Cascade and North Pacific oceans. The flow of the Columbia River provides several interesting features in Oregon. Because of its large size, its central basin is relatively shallow with the most common features: strong, flat (except in the west, of course) bedrock, flat surface, open to the seabed. Despite its small size (the typical width of a 1,000-foot deep trench within a 300-foot deep field of mud), a single small, shallow basin is present here, with a water depth of just over 8 feet (9.4 meters), or 1 mile (2.2 km) wide. The Columbia has a surface area of almost 500 feet (850 m). Within most of the basin, the Columbia is surrounded by clear ocean and shallow riverbed; in this deep plain where the two major rivers meet, the river flows from south to north. The Columbia does not flow outward by the riverbanks; instead, the surface waters rise in the water below them. With the current, the Columbia is a fairly high-pressure “high-pressure” system. This system’s water vapor is produced because all of the air in the central basin is converted into oxygen: the pressure increase in the pressure decreases with the deeper water. This is why the Columbia is found in Oregon and much of North America. This is true about 50% of the time, and the other percentage for all of the time. Water on the Columbia is about a billion times more soluble than water on the Atlantic coast. However, in Oregon, where only 1 million acres are cultivated, large parcels of land are actually used as farming land. The Columbia does not live in the present climate. As a result, the Columbia is not as well defined as the major river sources of North America. There are very few sources of surface freshwater, and many sources of fresh water. Because of the large amount of water in the eastern basin, the Columbia and North Pacific Ocean are covered with great abundance of marine and freshwater organisms; which in turn has a variety of beneficial effects on ecosystems, too. The Columbia and Northwest Pacific are especially important source of wildlife: They form the bedrock for up to 70% of the Northwest’s rivers (U.S.). In part, because of their great biodiversity, and largely due to the large number of small animals caught in the Columbia, there have been many encounters with animals from the Northwest. These encounters have contributed to the Columbia’s success in supporting the development of our cities, forests and fisheries. While large numbers of them may have escaped from large rivers or were never found in cities due to human dispersaling or other causes, they also may have used the river for human use. The Columbia was originally a food source for hundreds of species of animals. Some of them may have traveled by boats to a warmer country or by canoe to waters not conducive to their growth. In these environments, the Columbia created several useful animals for human use. The Columbia is considered the only “food source” in Oregon. As a result, the Columbia has been named for the small-pox virus found here, which was responsible for the outbreak of deadly rheumatic fever cases caused by measles, mumps,
The Willamette River is a stream that is well connected to the Columbia River near the city. Besides the Columbia, the Willamette also became another reason the Port of Portland has grown to be a great port in the Northwest. The Willamette River has been stated to be the most popular stream in the state of Oregon. It has also been the central source for valuable fisheries and hydroelectricity. The Willamette, like the Columbia, also has been established to be a transportation route for large ships.
The city of Portland is located on both banks of the Willamette River. How was Portland established? It has been 160 years since the city was just a rich, fertile meadow known as “The Clearing” according to Jewel Lansing, Former Portland City Auditor and author of her classic book Portland: People, Politics and Power. That meadow used to be a paradise and used to be the setting of early native settlers. In 1844, Attorney and Oregon City Major General Asa Lovejoy, and famous merchant and businessman Sir Francis Pettygove bought that meadow from William Overton of Tennessee. Both Englishmen buyers (Lovejoy and Pettygove) were more than great friends; however, they would not admit defeat so easily: “Lovejoy wanted Boston as the settings name while Pettygove wanted Portland” (Lansing 6). Neither of those two wanted to name the setting with a native name, which perfectly makes sense since both of these men bought the property. The dispute over the beautiful meadow was settled on a coin toss in Oregon City. Pettygove, with two tosses of the coin, won the privilege to name the meadow. How different would the city be if Lovejoy had won that coin toss? It might have become a port city as well; however, it might not have been as great as todays port city.
Portland is a city in the Pacific Northwest to have a great port. Even before the founding of the port, the city was considered a great site for the shipping and trading business, according to Captain John H. Couch of Massachusetts; that is because the city (formerly “The Clearing”) was settled on its right location. “To this point I can bring any ship that can get into the mouth of the Great Columbia River.” (Captain John Couch, quoted in Lansing 9) The captain can be heard laughing of joy at that discovery. Couchs statement and the manufacturing of ships in Portland triggered the shipping and trading businesses of Portland in the 19th century. The year 1891 marked the founding of the Port of Portland by the Oregon Legislature, with the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers both involved in the project. The Port of Portland is located between the Willamette and the Columbia rivers at the Northern Portland Peninsula. The ports main exports are wood and products from farms, which mostly includes grain. The ports main imports are automobiles.
“According to officials, the port needed to be expanded in order to capture a large portion of the import-export market” (McDonald). This is where the Columbia and the Willamette comes in play. Both rivers were dredged to become deep channels of 25-feet. The dredging of both the Columbia and the Willamette Rivers allowed large ships to easily access the port without trouble. Three dredging projects were accomplished during the 20th Century on both rivers, mostly the Columbia. Today, another dredging project of the Columbia has been planned to deepen the channel to 45-feet. However, the Incorporation of the Port of Portland Act promised before the Port of Portlands establishment, a 25-feet deep channel on both rivers.
“Sec. 2. The object, purpose and occupation of said Corporation, The Port of Portland, shall be to so improve the Willamette and Columbia rivers between said cities and the sea, so that there shall be made and permanently maintained in said Willamette River at said cities and the sea a ship channel of good and sufficient width, and having a depth at all points at mean low water, both at said cities and between said cities and the sea of not less then twenty-five feet.” (The Incorporation of the Port of Portland Act)
The continuing dredging of the Columbia and the Willamette has not only increased business in Portland, but it has threatened the rivers health and its environment. But the Port of Portland had planned to have a river restoration and to keep watch on the environment of the