On October 27, 1960, port commissioners of the newly formed Port of Woodland hold their first meeting. Woodland is located in Cowlitz County on the Columbia River. The meeting follows a September 13, 1960, special election in which voters approved the Port formation 574 to 147, making the Port of Woodland the third port district in the county. William Pflueger, Eldon Robinson, and William Schultz were chosen as the first port commissioners and they begin the work of property acquisition, harbor improvements, rail and water transfer systems, and terminal facilities. In September 1961 the Port will purchase 125 acres of waterfront property at Austin Point, a deep-water location at the confluence of the Lewis and Columbia rivers. More land purchases will expand the Port in 1969 and 1970. An election will be held in 1977 to merge the Port of Woodland and the Port of Kalama, but the measure will be defeated and the two ports remain independent. The Port of Woodland district includes the small town of Woodland and the Lewis River Valley. It accommodates environmentally friendly heavy and light industry at its Schurman Way and Down River industrial parks and provides public recreational opportunities for the Woodland community.
The Port and the Town
The Port of Woodland is located on the deep-draft Columbia River channel at river mile 85. The port district encompasses the Lewis River Valley and the city of Woodland and includes about 12,000 residents. One of the earliest non-Indian settlements in the state, Woodland -- located in both Clark and Cowlitz counties -- grew around the farm built by Squire and Millie Bozarth. Woodland incorporated in 1906.
When Interstate 5 opened in the 1960s, Woodland grew as a bedroom community of Portland and is known to many as the home of the Hulda Klager (1863-1960) Lilac Gardens, which draw tourists to the town each spring. Klager was a breeder of hybrid lilacs and her house and lilac gardens are open to the public and maintained as a historic landmark by the Hulda Klager Lilac Society.
Woodland has early historic homes as well as the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. Built by George Woodham and his two sons in 1876, the mill is the only one of its kind in Washington to have maintained its original structural integrity. Neighboring farmers once brought their grain to this water-powered mill to be ground into flour and food for livestock. Severe floods caused Woodham to move in 1879, taking all the mill equipment with him. A later tenant built a flume and installed a Leffel turbine, which is still in use today.
Port Development
In the late 1950s the state began plans for Interstate 5, and the highway’s development continued through the 1960s. Woodland was perfectly placed on the I-5 route. That, plus a need for job creation and economic development, spurred interest among residents to form a port district. On September 13, 1960, voters overwhelmingly approved formation of the Port of Woodland, the third public port district in Cowlitz County. William Pflueger (District 1, a six-year term), Eldon Robinson (District 2, four year term), and William Schultz (District 3, two-year term) were chosen as the first port commissioners. They held their first meeting on October 27, 1960. and soon began plans for property acquisition and development.
On June 15, 1961, the commissioners adopted a comprehensive plan of harbor development that included filling Port property above the level of the 1948 flood in order to accommodate light and heavy industry, with spur rail tracks. In September of 1961, the Port purchased 125 acres of waterfront property known as Austin Point, a deep-water location at the confluence of the Lewis and Columbia rivers. More land purchases were made in 1969 and development plans were publicly presented in 1970.
Kalama-Woodland Merger Fails
In 1977 a proposal was submitted to voters of the Kalama and Woodland port districts that would have merged the two ports. Some thought a merger would solve a mutual need: the Port of Kalama had leased most of its property and had little room to expand; the Port of Woodland had available property and could acquire more, but lacked staff.
Boundaries for a combined district were set and a ballot of new commissioners presented to voters. Woodland voters approved the measure, 144 to 101, but Port of Kalama voters rejected it by a wide margin, 217 to 143. The measure was defeated and the two ports remain independent.
Water and Sand
Although the Port of Woodland is sometimes referred to as the southern Gateway to Mount St. Helens, it suffered no damage during the 1980 eruption. The biggest natural threat over the years has been from major floods, and the Port has met this threat with miles of diking. One of its present port commissioners, Dale Boon, is also Diking Manager for Consolidated Diking District No. 2. The Port’s dikes have protected it well.
A recent Columbia River Channel Deepening project, completed in October 2010, was a partnership project that included the Port of Woodland. Tons of clean sand dredged for the channel deepening were deposited on the Port of Woodland’s Martin's Bar property along the Columbia River, just south of the entrance to Lion's Day Park. The Port is now selling the sand.
The Port in 2011
Port of Woodland Commissioners in 2011 are Paul Cline (District 1, Lewis River Valley), Dale Boon (District 2, city of Woodland), and Jerry Peterson (District 3, Woodland Bottoms), each elected for six years.
The Port manages a deep-water site at Austin Point as well as two industrial parks. Adjacent to I-5 and served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads, Schurman Way Industrial Park accommodates heavy industry and Down River Industrial Park has been developed for light industry. Port tenants presently include Accurate Plastics, Advanced Composite Services, ARCE Nursery, Behrman Transport, Inc., DKC Enterprises, FlashCo, Liquid Concrete, Northern Energy, Pacific Seafood, PERI Formwork Systems, Inc., Quality Marine Resources, Springhill Construction, Stellar J, and Targus Fly & Feather.
The Port hopes to develop 200 acres of prime heavy industrial property located on the banks of the Columbia River. Port officials see the southern tip, Austin Point, as a potential deep-draft terminal. Farther north, the Martin’s Bar site offers excellent waterfront possibilities.
Woodland is 30 miles north of Portland International Airport and 143 miles south of Seattle-Tacoma Airport, with Kelso Airport, 20 miles north of Woodland, able to handle small jet aircraft traffic. The Port of Woodland is also close to the major shipping ports of Kalama (eight miles north), Longview (25 miles north), and Vancouver, Washington (25 miles south).
Development in Recent Hard Times
In September 2010 the Port received $2.4 million from the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments to expand the Woodland Light Industrial Park, which is expected to bring 47 jobs to the community. The grant will repair the industrial park’s arterial road, add water and sewer lines, and improve an existing access road.
Nelson Holmberg became the Port of Woodland’s Executive Director in April 2010, the year the Port of Woodland celebrated its 50th anniversary. Past Directors were: Dean Rainwater, 1979 to 1991; Lanny Cawley, 1991-1994; David Ripp, 1994-2007, and Erica Rainford, 2008-2010.
Presently (2011) the Port of Woodland has approximately 200 acres of both light and heavy industrial property immediately available for development. Its mission is to "procure family wage and environmentally responsible industry, to provide public recreational opportunities to the Woodland Community and to work cooperatively with both private and public entities acting as a positive resource in the Woodland Community" (Port of Woodland website).
