Near Lyle in Klickitat County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

To Market, to Market

Barges, Boxcars and 18-Wheelers

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 14, 2020

1. To Market, to Market Marker

Captions: (bottom left) Peas, beans and lentils, or "pulses" in the shipping business, head for export through the Gorge. Woodships from the Snake River, processed at Columbia River pulp mills arrive a the port as paper products. (center right) "Containers," uniform shipping boxes loaded on barges, trains, and trucks, measure 40 feet x 8 feet x 8.5 feet and hold up to 25 tons. At potato processing plants in Hermiston, each container headed for Japan is loaded with about 6, 831,000 frozen French fries.; (bottom right) Barges have replaced steamboats as workhorses on the river. The load from over 50 grain terminals along the upper Columbia and carry millions of tons of grain annually through the Gorge.

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Columbia River Gorge is a natural passage-way between rural inland farms and western shipping docks.
Transporting crops was difficult for early homesteaders who relied on wagons and steamboats. Water still provides a route, but modern barges, boxcars and trucks are today's conveyances.
Portland is the nation's largest wheat port - forty precent of U.S. wheat is shipped through the Gorge via barge or train. Grains, hay cubes, bulk legumes, and paper products comprise the major Northwest agricultural products headed for world export, along with that all-American favorite - frozen French fries.

Erected by Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 45° 39.834′ N, 121° 2.27′ W. Marker is near Lyle, Washington, in Klickitat County. Marker is on Lewis and Clark Highway (Washington Route 14) near Avery Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lyle WA 98635, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Columbia Then & Now (a few steps from this marker); Columbia River Indians (approx. 3.1 miles away); Class P-2 Engine No. 2507 (approx. 3½ miles away); Horsethief Butte (approx. 3.6 miles away); Long Narrows Challenge (approx. 3.6 miles away); "the Great Mart" (approx. 3.6 miles away); Sheltered Homelands (approx. 3.6 miles away); Through the Short Narrows (approx. 3.6 miles away).

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 14, 2020

2. To Market, to Market Marker

This marker is on the far-left.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.