| Kelso, Washington-Kelso is a
small but prosperous town, located in Cowlitz county, on the main
line of the Northern Pacific railroad, 51 miles north of Portland
and 94 miles south of Tacoma. In addition to the transportation
facilities by rail, Kelso has the benefit of a daily line of
steamers to Portland by way of Cowlitz, Columbia and Willamette
rivers, the former stream running through the center of the town and
navigable to Kelso throughout the year. The present population of Kelso is about 800. The town is located in the midst of a rich district. The principal industries followed in this section are diversified farming and lumbering. The lumber interests of Kelso are heavy, two large saw mills being operated at this point, in addition to which industries are two shingle mills whose product finds a ready sale in Portland and in the markets to the north and south of Kelso. The forests of valuable fir, cedar and hemlock surrounding Kelso are easily accessible, and the sawing of this timber will prove one of the most valuable industries of the town for many years in the future. Kelso supports two banks which are on a good financial footing, two schools are maintained here, the town has two churches of the Methodist and Presbyterian denominations respectively, and one good weekly newspaper, The Courier, is published at this point. The town was first settled in 1884, and is one of the comparatively new towns along the line of the Northern Pacific between Portland and Tacoma. The Oregonian's Handbook to the Pacific Northwest, c. 1894 ©Shauna Williams |
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KELSO Kelso, Cowlitz County, Showing the Cowlitz River Flowing Through the City. Kelso is a prosperous city of about 2,300 situated on the east and west banks of the Cowlitz River, four miles above its confluence with the Columbia. It is one of the main line of four railways, the Great Northern, Oregon-Washington Ry. & Nav. Co., the Milwaukee and the Northern Pacific. Kelso's resources are lumbering, agriculture, dairying and fisheries. In the vast forests at hand logging is carried on on an immense scale. In or near Kelso are six lumber mills and six shingle mills. The crops grown on Kelso lands include grain, hay, vegetables, fruits and berries. Poultry raising is highly profitable. The town is the center of the smelt fishing industry on the Pacific Coast, while salmon, trout and other fish are taken in season. There is a fine city water system, fire protection and electric lights. The educational facilities are complete, with a full high school course. There are six churches and fraternal organizations are well represented. In the town are a number of substantial business blocks, and the residences of the citizens are attractive and comfortable. There are two banks, good hotels and thirty-two blocks of the principal streets are now paved with bitulithic pavement. Everywhere about the town are the evidences of thrift and enterprise. Puget Sound and Western Washington, 1912 ©Shauna Williams |
