In 1901, Portland, Oregon was a thriving town of 90,000 people, already known as the Boston of the West for its cultural sophistication. As a natural port via the Columbia River, Portland was the hub of commerce for the inland industries: logging, mining and agriculture. The demand for cast steel products spurred immediate growth for the first steel foundry in the Northwest. Columbia Steel was established sometime early in 1901. Products of the time included manganese steel railroad track switches and crossing frogs; parts for ships, such as stern frames, rudders and anchors; parts for gold dredges and industrial machinery components.
THE TEENS: YEARS OF WORLD WAR I
The Northwest’s growth continued through the early ’teens in a decade marked by revolution in transportation. Aviation was born and soon became commercially viable. The horseless carriage was beginning to catch on, creating an interest in better roads — and a growing demand for crushed aggregate. Early stamp mills and Blake-type jaw crushers gave way to the Gates gyratory breaker and overhead eccentric jaw crushers. The development of the steam shovel around the turn of the century allowed loading of larger feed material, and by 1910, gyratory crusher feed sizes had grown from 18” to 48”. The boom which followed the Portland Lewis and Clark Exposition ended in 1913, and in 1914 World War I began.
THE TWENTIES: COLUMBIA PRODUCTS OF THE TIME
The Roaring ’20s were a tumultuous time in the Pacific Northwest. The housing construction boom of the early ’20s was good for the lumber industry. The automobile became more affordable and created the need for more highways and bridges. In 1923 the first three-phase electric arc steel melting furnace west of the Mississippi River was installed at Columbia Steel. In those days, Columbia made manganese steel by the “duplexing” method by melting ferromanganese in a cupola and mixing it in a ladle with steel from the arc furnace.
THE THIRTIES: SURVIVING THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
The worldwide economy staggered after the Wall Street crash of 1929. With few housing starts, sawmills lay idle. Logging equipment had been an important business, but sales were slow. Many of the equipment manufacturers that relied on Columbia Steel to cast their products were weakened or bankrupted. Fortunately, the company had established a strong reputation in the gold dredging industry. Soon, dredge part orders were coming in, and this market made up about eighty percent of Columbia’s business during the ’30s, ensuring the company’s survival.
THE FORTIES: WARTIME CASTINGS
FOR SHIPS
The war years of the early 1940s were a time of remarkable, almost instant, growth of industry for America’s defense. Immediately after the country’s entry into World War II, a major ship building industry was rapidly established along the banks of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Columbia Steel’s East Side Plant, also known as the Halsey Street Plant, had a remarkable capacity for the times. This plant was a principal source of the large steel castings for ship construction. Columbia’s performance in this production effort was acknowledged by the award of the Navy “E” flag for excellence in achievement.
THE FIFTIES: NEW DIRECTIONS
During the late ’40s and early ’50s, Columbia searched for new markets. One early pursuit was to make products for logging and sawmills. After a time, this endeavor was abandoned in favor of our more traditional production of replacement parts for sand and gravel plants and metallic mines. Many new copper mines were being opened in the Southwest, and this was good news for Columbia, thanks to our ability to produce replacement parts for metallic mining equipment, including shovels, crushers and grinding mills. Increased demand for crushed aggregate increased Columbia’s crusher parts business and allowed us to expand our dealer network throughout the United States.
The old plant was struck by fire on Labor Day of 1957. Somehow in the quiet early evening of the Monday holiday, a fire started in the wooden locker room building, and spread rapidly. The next six weeks were a time of hectic activity during which the reconstruction was completed.
THE SIXTIES: BEGINNING OF DRAMATIC GROWTH
As Columbia Steel found its new markets and products, the 1960s were devoted to upgrading our facilities to produce those parts. There were new problems to be solved: producing larger parts, thicker sections, complex configurations, higher production demands, tighter tolerances, new alloys and meeting the need for greater quality assurance procedures. The move to Columbia’s new North Bloss plant was the key.
THE SEVENTIES: NEW PRODUCTS & NEW TECHNOLOGY
With growth had come the continued desire for more diversification in hopes of minimizing the volatility of cyclical markets such as construction and mining. Columbia product engineers traveled throughout the Western hemisphere studying the needs of new markets. It became clear that manganese steels were not suited to every application. In the early ’70s Columbia began its research and testing of high strength martensitic steels, which were to open a broad range of new products in the decades to come. Shredders for metals recycling appeared to offer opportunities for both diversification and stability. America’s demand for energy caused surface coal mining to grow, and Columbia foresaw increased need for improved parts for mining shovels and large draglines. Also during this period, Columbia was a leader in improving the workplace environment and has a long history of being proactive about environmental affairs. In 1975, Governor Bob Straub presented Columbia Steel with a state award for environmental leadership.
THE EIGHTIES: REACHING A BROADER MARKETPLACE
The economic downturn which began in 1981 made it clear that our survival would require even more innovation in product design and alloy formulation. Columbia product engineers and metallurgists responded with new and revised products that provided more cost-effective performance for the customer. In 1986, Columbia introduced its premium manganese steel, tradenamed Xtralloy®, which has proven highly successful in aggregate and mining crushers. To create new products for the cement manufacturing, coal fired utilities and brick plants, Columbia developed its J-Series of fully heat treated alloy irons. Late in the ’80s there was also a resurgence of interest in one of Columbia’s earliest product areas - placer dredges for gold mining.
THE NINETIES: MEETING NEW CHALLENGES
By 1990, Columbia Steel was one of the larger domestic manufacturers of replacement parts for industry, employing over 400 people. Economic expansion allowed Columbia Steel to continue to grow and diversify, while at the same time, the population of the Northwest grew dramatically. Always a leader in health and safety matters, during the 1990s Columbia responded to the many natural resource issues which face all American industries, but especially those in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
TODAY’S COLUMBIA STEEL
Columbia Steel will thrive in the future because everybody pulls together to make the best product, in the minimum time, in the most efficient way. Quality assurance is not just a department, it’s the whole company.
In 1901, Portland, Oregon was a thriving town of 90,000 people, already known as the Boston of the West for its cultural sophistication. As a natural port via the Columbia River, Portland was the hub of commerce for the inland industries: logging, mining and agriculture. The demand for cast steel products spurred immediate growth for the first steel foundry in the Northwest. Columbia Steel was established sometime early in 1901. Products of the time included manganese steel railroad track switches and crossing frogs; parts for ships, such as stern frames, rudders and anchors; parts for gold dredges and industrial machinery components.
The war years of the early 1940s were a time of remarkable, almost instant, growth of industry for America’s defense. Immediately after the country’s entry into World War II, a major ship building industry was rapidly established along the banks of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Columbia Steel’s East Side Plant, also known as the Halsey Street Plant, had a remarkable capacity for the times. This plant was a principal source of the large steel castings for ship construction. Columbia’s performance in this production effort was acknowledged by the award of the Navy “E” flag for excellence in achievement.
The old plant was struck by fire on Labor Day of 1957. Somehow in the quiet early evening of the Monday holiday, a fire started in the wooden locker room building, and spread rapidly. The next six weeks were a time of hectic activity during which the reconstruction was completed.
With growth had come the continued desire for more diversification in hopes of minimizing the volatility of cyclical markets such as construction and mining. Columbia product engineers traveled throughout the Western hemisphere studying the needs of new markets. It became clear that manganese steels were not suited to every application. In the early ’70s Columbia began its research and testing of high strength martensitic steels, which were to open a broad range of new products in the decades to come. Shredders for metals recycling appeared to offer opportunities for both diversification and stability. America’s demand for energy caused surface coal mining to grow, and Columbia foresaw increased need for improved parts for mining shovels and large draglines. Also during this period, Columbia was a leader in improving the workplace environment and has a long history of being proactive about environmental affairs. In 1975, Governor Bob Straub presented Columbia Steel with a state award for environmental leadership.
By 1990, Columbia Steel was one of the larger domestic manufacturers of replacement parts for industry, employing over 400 people. Economic expansion allowed Columbia Steel to continue to grow and diversify, while at the same time, the population of the Northwest grew dramatically. Always a leader in health and safety matters, during the 1990s Columbia responded to the many natural resource issues which face all American industries, but especially those in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.