This is an area larger than all New England, the Middle States, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and richer in natural resources.[1] An area which produced in 1907 approximately 58,000,000 bushels of wheat which was shipped from Portland, was one-fourth of the amount produced in the entire United States.[2] Such possibilities in wheat production, together with the mines in Eastern Washington, Montana and Idaho, show in some degree the wealth and importance of the Columbia River Basin.
Steamboating on the Columbia seems to have started in 1850 or earlier. As early as the summer of 1850 the little steamer "Columbia" was running between Astoria and Portland.[3] The steamer "Lot Whitcomb" was then in the course of construction.[4] Captain Lot Whitcomb was the partner of Colonel Jennings in this steamboat enterprize, and J. C. Ainsworth was her first captain, with Jacob Kamm the engineer. It was the intention to run the boat between Milwaukie and Portland, though at that time the business was so limited that had it not been for towing lumber vessels, the boat could not have possibly paid expenses. In 1852 a small iron propeller called the "Jason P. Flint," was brought from the East. The Bradfords ran this above the Cascades.[5] J. C. Ainsworth, Jacob Kamm and Thomas Pope of the firm of Abernethy, Clark & Company, built the "Jennie Clark" in 1854 for the Oregon City and Portland trade.[6] In 1858 the "Carrie Ladd" was launched in Oregon City.[7] She was constructed by J. P. Thomas for the same people. She was the nearest approach to a modern river steamer that had as yet appeared. While the "Carrie Ladd" was in the course of construction, R. R. Thompson, who had been engaged upon
