Shaver Transportation Company
Encyclopedia
The Shaver Transportation Company is an inland water freight transportation company based in Portland
, Oregon
, United States. The company was founded in 1880, and played a major role in the development of freight transport in the Portland area and along the Columbia.
, Harry L. Shaver is the chair of the company's board, and the company employs about 90 workers.
In the 1860s and 1870s, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company
(OSN) had obtained monopoly power over riverboat navigation on the Columbia River
system. This was before the extensive construction of railroads in Oregon
and what was then the Washington Territory, so the only way that goods could be shipped to market was by way of the rivers. Many companies arose to compete with the OSN, and one of the few survivors was the Shaver Transportation Company. Founders of the company included steamboat captains James W. Shaver and George M. Shaver.
Shaver Transportation was begun by James W. Shaver whose family were pioneers in Portland, Oregon. They owned a woodyard business which supplied firewood for trains, powered then by steam locomotives. They also supplied wood from a dock for steamboats. In 1880, James W. Shaver went into the steamboat business with two partners, Henry Corbett and A.S. Foster, both prominent members of the early business establishment in Portland, Oregon. They bought out Captain Edward Bureau and began doing business as the People's Freighting Company. Their first vessel was the steamboat Manzanilla, which they put on the route down the Willamette and Columbia rivers from Portland to Clatskanie, Oregon
.
(named after the mother of company founder James W. Shaver) and G.W. Shaver, named after George Washington Shaver, the father of James W. Shaver. The Sarah Dixon had a reputation as a luxury boat, and in the early 1890s, she was placed on the profitable run on the lower Columbia River from Portland to Astoria, Oregon
. On that run she competed with the T. J. Potter
, another luxury boat owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (ORNC). This competition was resolved in about 1896, when Shaver Transportation took its boats off the Portland/Astoria run in return for a monthly subsidy from ORNC.
In 1897, Shaver Transportation bought their fourth boat, the No Wonder, which had been built in 1877 by another founder of Portland, by George Washington Weidler, for log-towing purposes, and named the Wonder. (Weidler rebuilt Wonder in 1889 and named her No Wonder, hence her name.) Shaver Transportation used No Wonder for log-towing and as a training school for pilots until 1933, when No Wonder was dismantled. 56 years of use was an exceptional length of time for a wooden-hulled boat.
In 1908, the company built the sternwheelers Shaver and a new Dixon as replacements for the old G.W. Shaver and Sarah Dixon. Typical for steamboats built in those days, the Shaver included previously-used mechanical components from other steamboats. In the Shavers case, these included steam valves that had served in at least two prior steamboats going back to 1857. Once built, Shaver was used as a tow and work boat.
Another long-lived Shaver boat was the Henderson, which was launched in 1901, sunk and rebuilt in 1912, rebuilt and re-engined in 1929, and sunk and raised again in 1950. Henderson was used in important towing work such as when for example, in the 1940s she was dispatched with four other towing vessels to pull the Standard Oil tanker "F.S. Follis" off from where the tanker had grounded near the mouth of the Willamette River
. The end only came for the wooden-hulled Henderson in 1956 near Astoria, when she was damaged beyond her economic value in a collision with her tow.
. They did not require fixed docks for landings, and they were more powerful and easier to steer than sidewheelers. Traditionally, most steamboats on the Columbia River system were sternwheelers. Shaver Transportation broke away from this pattern in 1926 when Shaver was rebuilt as a twin-screw diesel boat. Shaver served in this configuration for about twenty years. One notable tow job was of the when that vessel was taken on tour to the West Coast, including Portland, in 1934.
Another important tow job engaged in by Shaver and four other vessels was pulling the Standard Oil Tanker "F.S. Follis" off where the tanker had grounded near the mouth of the Willamette River. The plans for the rebuilt Shaver were later used by the Marietta Iron Works (in Marietta, Ohio
) to build a vessel which became the pattern for later towboats on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Shaver itself is another example, it is named for George Washington Shaver. Both Shaver and Hassalo streets are located in the wealthy area on the east side of Portland known as Irvington
, which in turn was named after steamboat captain William Irving
, who as it turns out was married to Elizabeth Dixon, the sister of Sarah Dixon and wife of G.W. Shaver.
. In this film, Henderson re-enacted a steamboat race with one of the few remaining steamers left on the Columbia River, the steel-hulled sternwheeler Portland, built in 1946.
45.558235°N 122.730439°W
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. The company was founded in 1880, and played a major role in the development of freight transport in the Portland area and along the Columbia.
, Harry L. Shaver is the chair of the company's board, and the company employs about 90 workers.
Early history and founders
Oregon Steam Navigation Company
The Oregon Steam Navigation Company was an American company incorporated in 1860 in Washington with partners J. S. Ruckle, Henry Olmstead, and J. O. Van Bergen...
(OSN) had obtained monopoly power over riverboat navigation on the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
system. This was before the extensive construction of railroads in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and what was then the Washington Territory, so the only way that goods could be shipped to market was by way of the rivers. Many companies arose to compete with the OSN, and one of the few survivors was the Shaver Transportation Company. Founders of the company included steamboat captains James W. Shaver and George M. Shaver.
Shaver Transportation was begun by James W. Shaver whose family were pioneers in Portland, Oregon. They owned a woodyard business which supplied firewood for trains, powered then by steam locomotives. They also supplied wood from a dock for steamboats. In 1880, James W. Shaver went into the steamboat business with two partners, Henry Corbett and A.S. Foster, both prominent members of the early business establishment in Portland, Oregon. They bought out Captain Edward Bureau and began doing business as the People's Freighting Company. Their first vessel was the steamboat Manzanilla, which they put on the route down the Willamette and Columbia rivers from Portland to Clatskanie, Oregon
Clatskanie, Oregon
Clatskanie is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the Clatskanie River, which empties into the Columbia River within the city limits. The population was 1,528 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 1,710 residents.-History:...
.
Early steamboat operations
The next two steamboats owned by the company after the Manzanilla were the Sarah DixonSarah Dixon (sternwheeler)
Sarah Dixon was a wooden sternwheel-driven steamboat operated by the Shaver Transportation Company on the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers from 1892 to 1926. Originally Sarah Dixon was built as a mixed use passenger and freight vessel, and was considered a prestige vessel for the time. Later,...
(named after the mother of company founder James W. Shaver) and G.W. Shaver, named after George Washington Shaver, the father of James W. Shaver. The Sarah Dixon had a reputation as a luxury boat, and in the early 1890s, she was placed on the profitable run on the lower Columbia River from Portland to Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. On that run she competed with the T. J. Potter
T. J. Potter
The T.J. Potter was a steamboat that operated in the Northwestern United States. The boat was launched in 1888. Her upper cabins came from the steamboat Wide West. This required some modification, because the T.J. Potter was a side-wheeler, whereas the Wide West had been a stern-wheeler...
, another luxury boat owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (ORNC). This competition was resolved in about 1896, when Shaver Transportation took its boats off the Portland/Astoria run in return for a monthly subsidy from ORNC.
In 1897, Shaver Transportation bought their fourth boat, the No Wonder, which had been built in 1877 by another founder of Portland, by George Washington Weidler, for log-towing purposes, and named the Wonder. (Weidler rebuilt Wonder in 1889 and named her No Wonder, hence her name.) Shaver Transportation used No Wonder for log-towing and as a training school for pilots until 1933, when No Wonder was dismantled. 56 years of use was an exceptional length of time for a wooden-hulled boat.
In 1908, the company built the sternwheelers Shaver and a new Dixon as replacements for the old G.W. Shaver and Sarah Dixon. Typical for steamboats built in those days, the Shaver included previously-used mechanical components from other steamboats. In the Shavers case, these included steam valves that had served in at least two prior steamboats going back to 1857. Once built, Shaver was used as a tow and work boat.
Another long-lived Shaver boat was the Henderson, which was launched in 1901, sunk and rebuilt in 1912, rebuilt and re-engined in 1929, and sunk and raised again in 1950. Henderson was used in important towing work such as when for example, in the 1940s she was dispatched with four other towing vessels to pull the Standard Oil tanker "F.S. Follis" off from where the tanker had grounded near the mouth of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. The end only came for the wooden-hulled Henderson in 1956 near Astoria, when she was damaged beyond her economic value in a collision with her tow.
Design innovations
Shaver steamboats were all sternwheelers, which gave advantages on the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. They did not require fixed docks for landings, and they were more powerful and easier to steer than sidewheelers. Traditionally, most steamboats on the Columbia River system were sternwheelers. Shaver Transportation broke away from this pattern in 1926 when Shaver was rebuilt as a twin-screw diesel boat. Shaver served in this configuration for about twenty years. One notable tow job was of the when that vessel was taken on tour to the West Coast, including Portland, in 1934.
Another important tow job engaged in by Shaver and four other vessels was pulling the Standard Oil Tanker "F.S. Follis" off where the tanker had grounded near the mouth of the Willamette River. The plans for the rebuilt Shaver were later used by the Marietta Iron Works (in Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
) to build a vessel which became the pattern for later towboats on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Reflection of influence in Portland street names
Many streets in Portland were named after steamboats, steamboat captains or company owners. One example is Hassalo street, named after a famous sternwheeler. Another is Corbett, named after one of the first partners in the Shaver Transportation Company.Shaver itself is another example, it is named for George Washington Shaver. Both Shaver and Hassalo streets are located in the wealthy area on the east side of Portland known as Irvington
Irvington, Portland, Oregon
Irvington is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Portland, Oregon. According to the city's Office of Neighborhood Involvement, it consists of a rectanglar area extending east to west from NE 7th Ave. to NE 26th Ave., and north to south from NE Fremont St. to NE Broadway...
, which in turn was named after steamboat captain William Irving
William Irving
William Irving may refer to:* William Irving , British Labour Co-operative MP 1945–1955* William Irving , steamship captain from Scotland, active in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia...
, who as it turns out was married to Elizabeth Dixon, the sister of Sarah Dixon and wife of G.W. Shaver.
Role in film production
Henderson also was used in the film Bend in the River in 1952, which was filmed in Oregon and on the Columbia River, and starred James StewartJames Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
. In this film, Henderson re-enacted a steamboat race with one of the few remaining steamers left on the Columbia River, the steel-hulled sternwheeler Portland, built in 1946.
External links
- From Steam to Diesel Fuel, Shaver Braves NW Rivers
- Aerial view of modern company docks in Portland, Oregon
45.558235°N 122.730439°W