SS Columbia departs on her maiden voyage around Cape Horn to Portland, Oregon
- When
- 1880
- Where
- Portland, Oregon
- Episodes
- 1
The SS Columbia, constructed by John Roach & Sons for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, completed its maiden voyage in 1880. After sea trials, the ship sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco carrying 13 locomotives and 200 railcars. It subsequently arrived safely in Portland, Oregon, on August 24, 1880, completing the journey without incident.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. SS Columbia was a cargo and passenger steamship owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. Constructed in 1880 by John Roach & Sons in Chester, Pennsylvania, the ship was ordered in July 1879 and launched in February 1880. It was notable for being the first ship to carry a dynamo powering electric lights, a feature installed in New York City in May 1880.
Voyage to Portland. Following sea trials, Columbia sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco, California, loaded with 13 locomotives, 200 railroad cars, and other railroad supplies. The ship then proceeded to Portland, Oregon, arriving safely on August 24, 1880. Portland, located at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, was a major port in the Pacific Northwest during this period.
People involved
- SS Columbia · Cargo and passenger steamship
- John Roach & Sons · Shipyard constructor
- Oregon Railway and Navigation Company · Original owner
Sources
- SS Columbia (1880) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
- Portland, Oregon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.