Newport Was Building a Fleet on the Pend d'Oreille
Twenty men rushed the steamer Ione while Captain Lanneau's Ruth took shape and ship carpenters arrived from Portland. Newport, the paper boasted, had more shipbuilding underway than any other town in eastern Washington.
Twenty men are now employed in rushing the work on the steamer Ione. Her hull has been painted and her lower cabin about completed. The boiler has arrived from Portland, and the men who will place the machinery in the boat are also here.
The keel of the Ruth, Capt. Lanneau's new boat, has been laid and part of the framework is completed. Two cars of lumber have arrived from Portland and the builders do not expect any further delays on account of the shortage of material. About 10 ship carpenters from Portland are working on the craft and it will be completed as quickly as possible. It is hoped that the boat will be finished by the time that the water begins to fall.
E. W. Stevens is contemplating building a new launch to be placed on the river for hire by excursion parties. The new boat will have a capacity for carrying about a dozen persons.
There is more ship building being done in Newport than at any other point in eastern Washington.
“There is more ship building being done in Newport than at any other point in eastern Washington.”
In 1908 Newport's riverfront was a working boatyard, with carpenters and boilers arriving from Portland to put steamers into service on the Pend d'Oreille. Today the same river carries more kayaks and pleasure boats than freight, but the town's identity is still tied to the water. The story is a reminder that Newport's economy was built on river traffic long before recreation took over.
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