On the Waterfront at the Wishkah River - Aberdeen, Washington

Grays Harbor, map generated from https://graysharborwa.mapgeo.io/datasets

Geologic Setting

Aberdeen is a seaport at the east end of Grays Harbor, an estuary on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Grays Harbor is one of three major estuaries on Washington's Pacific coast. Willapa Bay, south of Grays Harbor, is the second, and the lower Columbia River is the third. Grays Harbor (with no apostrophe) was named after Captain Robert Gray, who entered the bay in 1792 during one of his  fur-trading voyages along the north Pacific coast of North America. 

An estuary is an embayment or river mouth that experiences mixing of salt and fresh water. Grays Harbor is an excellent example, because the tide enters the Pacific mouth of the bay and mixes with fresh water from the Chehalis, Wishkah, Hoquiam, and Humptulips Rivers. Sediments and flora reflect this mixing of waters. Marshes often form in brackish water.  

Puget Sound is a much larger geological feature in the Washington coast and is classified as a sound. Some of the river mouths and embayments that enter the sound, like Budd Inlet here in Olympia, can be considered small esturaries, but none of these are as extensive features as Grays Harbor, Willapa, or the Columbia River.   

Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the Columbia River were dangerous entrances during the sailing era. Hundreds of vessels floundered in the waves and the treacherous sand banks, especially in winter. This is why Puget Sound was such an amazing resource. It provided calm water that did not freeze in winter. Sailing vessels could escape from the rough Pacific Ocean into relatively sheltered water. Seattle is one of the great natural harbors of the world (along with Victoria (Hong Kong), Sydney, New York, Busan, Rio de Janeiro, Halifax, and others).   

Aberdeen 2004 (Hasselblad Xpan Panoramic camera)

Aberdeen

Aberdeen was once one of the largest timber processing and shipping ports on the Pacific coast. Timber companies floated vast amounts of lumber down the Chehalis River to numerous mills along the waterfront.  The city expanded greatly in the 1920's when lumber exports grew in response to factors like the opening of the Panama Canal and the earthquake in Tokyo, which resulted in fires that burned much of the city. 

Aberdeen had a tumultuous history of union organizing, epic labor strife, criminal syndicates, violence, murder, and Communist organizing. This is fascinating stuff, but this history well beyond the scope here.

The photograph above is a 2004 aerial view of South Aberdeen in the foreground and downtown Aberdeen in the distance. The Chehalis River flows from left to right in the foreground and then curves left and flows towards the open water of Grays Harbor. I took this with a Hasselblad XPan panoramic camera from my friend's cloth airplane. 

Wishkah River

The Wishkah River is a tributary of the Chehalis. It drains a wooded and mountainous region of Grays Harbor country north of Aberdeen. It flows south through Aberdeen, with some old bridges and interesting infrastructure. The photos below are of the downtown area along the Wishkah.

East Wishkah Street lift bridge

This is the type of bridge that pivots up. You can see the counterweights hanging from the frame on the opposite side of the river. 

Wishkah River and the old Northern Pacific Railroad swing bridge

Pilings and debris, Wishkah River

South F Street

Northern Pacific swing bridge

I could not find much information about this bridge. It is unusual for swing bridges because the pivot is at the edge of the channel. Only one side projects over the water. The electric light is on, but I do not know if the bridge can swing. Freight trains cross it regularly. A sign said no trespassing, but plenty of homeless people cross. Someone may even live in the turret under the central pivot. 

Junction where swing bridge meets fixed track

I like these complicated pieces of early 20th century industrial infrastructure. This was massive construction, but I am sure it needs a lot of maintenance now.  

A homeless tent community occupies East River Street. While I was taking pictures, a few of them walked by and were very polite. Do they live here in winter? It would be pretty grim with the long wet nights and cold wind blowing in from Grays Harbor. 

I took these photographs on Kodak Tri-X 400 film with my "Texas Leica," the Fuji GW690II camera with a 90mm ƒ/3.5 Fujinon lens. Praus Productions in Rochester, New York, developed the film in Xtol.

Ugly Industrial Remains: the Olympia Brewery (Oly 15)

Olympia Brewing Company was a major industrial employer in Olympia for over 100 years. Leopold Schmidt founded the company in 1896 at the base of the Deschutes River, at the southern end of the West Bay inlet (now upriver from Capital Lake). The company survived Prohibition by making juice. After Prohibition ended, the company expanded to a more modern factory further upriver in the town of Tumwater. 

BreweryGems offers a summery of the company's early years. 

For over half a century, Olympia Beer was a popular regional brand. It was not exactly a gourmet product, but it sold well in the pre-micro-brew era. 

Trouble came in the 1980s. Various corporate buyouts and mergers ruined the company, and, in 2003, SABMiller closed the Tumwater facility permanently. A fire damaged part of the complex in 2018. Today, these ugly warehouses and buildings sit unused and partly vandalized.

Original Olympia brewhouse with the Deschutes River in the foreground (Hasselblad 80mm lens)

The former brewery occupies two locations. The old brick buildings from the original site are just north of Tumwater Falls facing the Deschutes River (see the first photograph). The site has access via only one road, whose the gate has ominous warning signs about video surveillance and trespassing. The only view now is from the Tumwater Historical Park across the river.

The second site is south of the falls on the flat floodplain of the Deschutes River. As you approach Olympia from southern Washington on Interstate 5, ugly tan block-like industrial buildings mar the view. These are the remains of the Tumwater part of the complex. The best view is from Capital Boulevard SE, which was formerly Rte 99. The bridge crosses over railroad tracks and walkways that once connected the buildings. The following photographs are from the bridge.

Warehouses with Deschutes River in foreground (Fuji Acros film, 21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens)

Railroad tracks approached from the south to a long warehouse complex. It is unused now. 

Former power plant (21mm Biogon lens)

(Kodak T400CN film, Leica IIIC camera, 5 cm ƒ/2 Summiter lens)

August 20, 2024, Kodak Panatomic-X, Hasselblad 501CM, 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens, yellow filter  

Panatomic-X film, 250mm ƒ/5.6 Sonnar lens, YG filter

This mess of concrete, tracks, and sheds is the scene looking south from the Capital Blvd. bridge. Cross the busy roadway and look north, and you see office building and other parts of the former brewery. 

Semi-modern 1960s architecture. Capital Blvd. is to the right.

The Tumwater site is secure and locked. A security guard in a silver car drove around the day I took these photographs. You can see his car in the photo above. We waved at each other. 

Rail line that leads to the lower brew buildings and on to Olympia

One day, I would like to take some ground level photos of the site. An employee of the city of Tumwater sent me a contact, but I have not called yet. This kind of industrial setting interests me and offers photographic opportunities with graphic patterns and shapes.

Most of the photographs above are on Fuji Acros film from my Leica M2. The light was harsh, and the negatives are too contrasty. I need to remember to avoid the harsh mid-summer. My new Zeiss 21mm ƒ/4.5 Biogon lens (for Leica M mount) provides superb resolution. With a lens this wide, you need to be careful to avoid converging vertical lines. I need more practice.

   

Small Towns in Washington: Shelton

Shelton is the westernmost city in Puget Sound. It is northwest of Olympia at the western end of Oakland Bay. Travelers taking US 101 north to Port Townsend or Port Angeles at the north side of the Olympia Peninsula would pass right by Shelton. 

In the early-mid 20th century, Shelton's economy included logging, farming, dairying, ranching, and oyster cultivation. Logging was the heavy industry, and the Simpson Timber Company operated a mill complex at the waterfront of Oakland Bay. Formerly, trains carried logs out onto a man-made peninsula, where they were dumped into the bay. From there, tugboats moved log booms to other processing centers and mills, such as the huge mill in Everett. 

Frontier Antiques, S. First Street, Shelton

Bob's Tavern, S. First Street, Shelton

South First Street carries a lot of traffic, but the stores did not look too prosperous.

Rail yard off S. First Street with mill complex in the distance

Timber rail cars off S. First Street

From Google Maps, I could see the remnant of the lumber dump at the waterfront. But I could not personally get to the waterfront because it was it was part of the Sierra Pacific Industries work yard. Only employees were allowed in past security. 

Boathouse, Oakland Bay Marine

This was a rather frustrating visit because I could not reach the industrial waterfront. And the June sky was brilliantly clear but featureless (boring). But Shelton will be worth further exploring. Not far away, the High Steel Bridge over the south fork of the Skokomish River will be worth a visit. 

Dear readers, you know where this is going. What do you do after a few hours exploring and photographing? Well, that's obvious, go to the Cabin Tavern to eat Fish 'n Chips and drink cider. 

Post-photography health food at the Cabin Tavern, Shelton

Don't do it in the water

I took the black and white photographs on Kodak Panatomic-X film with my "Texas Leica," the Fuji GW690II camera. It has a superb 5-element Fujinon 90mm ƒ/3.5 lens that equals the lenses on my Rolleiflex and Hasselblad. I used medium yellow, dark yellow, and yellow-green filters to darken the sky. Praus Productions in Rochester, New York, developed the film.