Kalama is a town of three thousand people nestled against a steep hillside on the north bank of the Columbia. To get there from I-5 you exit north for the port and drive through an industrial corridor before the road opens onto the waterfront. You are greeted by a McMenamins lodge, a newly built Mountain Timber market, a nod in its name to the logging economy that built this town, and a dock where the cruise ship ties up.
The ship is there but the waterfront is quiet. A local shop owner says the cruise is fully booked but everyone is up at Mount St. Helens for the afternoon, so it’s a chance to hear from the locals about what’s new.
Locals have contributed to and are excited about the new History Blades project, which puts Kalama’s history on interpretive signs in old downtown. Mattie Olson, External Affairs Coordinator for the Port of Kalama, wrote most of the content, which emerged from a collaboration of four local organizations: Cowlitz County Historical Museum, McMenamin’s, the Kalama Public Library, and the City of Kalama. Fifteen blades are now in place with more planned.
Do you have stories you want to see on the History Blades? Head to discoverkalama.com and use the contact form to share them with the Port of Kalama.
Identified subjects, conducted all interviews, and wrote and voiced the standup, intro, and outro. Produced end-to-end: field recording, editing, music, and publication.