The Bid to Open the Puyallup River to Deep-Water Shipping
Tacoma business leaders testify before the U.S. Engineer, arguing that dredging the river is the key to transforming the city into a manufacturing powerhouse.
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Tacoma men met with Major Kutz, the chief United States engineer for the district, at a Chamber of Commerce hearing to discuss the potential for dredging the Puyallup River. A.M. Ingersoll, vice president of the Milwaukee railway, stated that the city is 'deluged with applications for sites for manufacturing' that require water and rail access, and that the river improvement is the necessary solution. John L. Roberts, president of the Puget Sound Iron & Steel Works, claimed his company would invest up to a half-million dollars in a new plant if the river were made navigable for shipping. Others noted that Pennsylvania interests are currently waiting on the project to finalize a deal for a new iron works. Major Kutz plans to survey the land to determine the feasibility of extending the channel.
“We are deluged with applications for sites for manufacturing having water and rail transportation. We cannot supply them, but if the Puyallup improvement is made it will solve the problem.”
This reflects the early 20th-century obsession with 'boosterism' and industrial infrastructure as the primary driver of city growth. Modern Tacoma still contends with the industrial legacy of the Puyallup River, though the conversation has shifted from purely maximizing manufacturing capacity to environmental remediation and port sustainability.
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