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.