Port of Grays Harbor History
Est. 1911
Grays Harbor has played a significant role in the establishment of public ports in Washington State. It was Hoquiam businessman Frank Lamb who was one of the key leaders pushing the 1911 Washington State Legislature to adopt the Port District Act. This legislation, signed by then Governor Marion Hay on March 14, 1911, established the laws that would allow communities like Grays Harbor to form their own public port. Citizens of what was then Chehalis County (renamed Grays Harbor in 1915) voted December 12, 1911 to form a countywide port district, only months after the Port of Seattle was founded. This year both ports, along with all of Washington’s public ports, are celebrating the centennial of public ports in Washington State.
Aerial photograph of the Port of Grays Harbor’s Main Offices at Terminal No. 1 Slips. 1 and 2. The main offices of the Port of Grays Harbor were at one time located directly on the waterfront where REG Grays Harbor is today.
Bowerman Field Airport 1962. The Port of Grays Harbor acquired Bowerman Field from Grays Harbor County in 1962. Previously it was used by the United States Military as a landing strip during World War II.
Port of Grays Harbor’s electric suction dredge the “Robert Gray”. For nearly 50 years the Port of Grays Harbor owned and operated its own suction dredge to maintain depth in the Grays Harbor Navigation Channel. The Port also leased the Robert Gray to local mills to dredge the areas around their docks.
Farewell to Steam Celebration 1957. At one time the Port of Grays Harbor owned a locomotive engine to move railcars of cargo around the marine terminals.
The original locomotive was steam powered and in 1957 the Port upgraded to a brand new diesel locomotive.
October 1952 marked a significant event in the history of commerce at the Port of Grays Harbor. This date marked the first time since World War II that a Japanese vessel had called at the Port.
The Marine Terminal area looked a lot different in 1938 than it does today. In this photo Port of Grays Harbor cranes are loading logs into rail cars for shipping.
Several members of the Port of Grays Harbor staff and Commissioners gather on a vessel for a group photograph. Commissioner Ralph “Matt” Peasley is front and center and Port founder and longtime commissioner Frank Lamb is on the far right.
Rehabilitating the Grays Harbor North Jetty. The Army Corps of Engineers placed rail track on the north jetty and loaded railcars with rock for placement on the jetty to rehabilitate and strengthen it. This was the first jetty rehab since its construction in 1916.
The Port of Grays Harbor Offices at Terminal No. 1 in 1948. This photograph is wonderful in providing scale for the size and amount of logs that were shipping out of Grays Harbor during the heyday of the logging industry.
With business having been booming at the Port of Grays Harbor for several years, expansion was in order. This aerial is of the completed Terminal No. 4 in 1966 that is still in use today.
A photograph of a transit shed at the Port of Grays Harbor nearly full to capacity and awaiting a vessel to ship the contents of the shed. In this case the contents are bundles and rounds of rayon pulp.
This photograph is of the South Jetty in 1939. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains both the North and South Jetties in Grays Harbor. This photo is of refurbishing work being done to keep the jetty strong.
Westport Marina in the heyday of salmon fishing at the Marina. Several sportsmen are displaying their catch of salmon after what can only be described as a successful day on the water in 1953.
Dredging at Terminal No. 1 in 1924. 1924 was the year of the “Billionth Foot” when one billion board feet of lumber was shipped out of the Port of Grays Harbor.
Terminal No. 4 in 1990 with the Port’s loading crane in the foreground and a full log yard in the background.
The Vessel Ocelot loading logs at Terminal No. 4 in 1988.
The “Small Fry” Fishing Float at the Westport Marina in 1957. The float was set aside for little ones ages 12 years old and under.
Westport Dock 1929. The Westport Dock was the first dock constructed by the Port of Grays Harbor for what would eventually become the Westport Marina.
Westport Marina panorama from 1950. The 1950s were an incredibly busy decade for the marina attracting all sorts of people including celebrities like John Wayne and even President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby.
From the loading of the billionth foot of timber in 1924 to the growth of the commercial fishing fleet in Westhaven Fishing Base (today’s Westport Marina), to the development of Moon Island Airport into today’s modern Bowerman Airport, the Port of Grays Harbor’s history is rich in trade and economic development.
The Port of Grays Harbor has partnered with Washington Public Ports and historylink.org to compile a history on the Port. To read more about the history of Grays Harbor and other ports check out www.historylink.org.
