strewn and tumultuous currents. Their solution was to relocate propulsion to the stern as a way to increase power, responsiveness, and maneuverability. To increase visibility of constantly changing river conditions, forward stacks were swapped with the pilothouse, placing a single stack aft. The result was a very different design than what was typically seen, even on eastern rivers. When it was finished, Ainsworth and Kamm’s second steamboat (christened Jennie Clark after the daughter of one of the project’s investors) secured two places in history as the West Coast’s first sternwheeler and the first of a long line of vessels whose design would dominate inland waterway marine engineering for the next 70 years. With Ainsworth once again behind the wheel and Kamm in the engine room, the Jennie made daily trips between Portland and Oregon City. The sternwheeler design proved effective immediately as she plowed through the rapids below Willamette Falls, making the upriver trip in a fraction of the time of her contemporaries. Word spread that the Jennie was the fastest and most reliable means of travel on the Willamette, which increased passenger and freight counts and helped Ainsworth secure a mail contract. By 1858, Ainsworth and Kamm were ready for another project. Ainsworth invested heavily in making his next steamboat a marked improvement on the Jennie. He
and Kamm drew up plans for another sternwheeler, this time with a larger hull, engine, and boiler than that of the Jennie, and sprang for cabin comforts such as a dining hall, bunkrooms, salons, skylights, and even ornamental molding for bulkheads. Ainsworth sought financing in Portland and found a banker who agreed to cover a portion of the construction expenses. To demonstrate their appreciation, Ainsworth and Kamm named their new steamer after the daughter of the banker, Carrie Ladd. When launched, the Carrie Ladd proved even more handsome and powerful than the Jennie Clark. On her trial run, with Ainsworth at the helm and Kamm at the throttle, as usual, the Carrie broke the speed records set by their two previous steamers on the route from Portland to Fort Vancouver. Thrilled, Ainsworth then took the Carrie forty miles further up the Columbia River to test her strength against the Cascades rapids, where she not only broke the speed record for that route, but also climbed further up the rapids than any other steamboat had ventured before. After his trip to the Cascades, Ainsworth realized that the Carrie’s performance had much more value than mere novelty. Control of the most powerful vessel on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers granted Ainsworth control over trade, as shippers and travelers would be quick to learn that the Carrie was the fastest and most reliable mode of transportation into
oregon historical society
Contemporary drawing of Ainsworth and Kamm’s Jennie Clark, the first sternwheeler ever built or operated in the Pacific Northwest. After launching her in 1855, Ainsworth spent the next three years behind the wheel and even helped load and unload freight at landings. In the early 1860s, she was transferred from Willamette River service to a new coastal route to take advantage of growing seasonal traffic to Washington and Oregon beaches.
20
the Northwest interior. Ainsworth could run the Carrie between Portland and the Cascades and make a sizable profit stealing customers from his competitors. John Ainsworth had a much grander vision: he approached the major steamboat operators of the lower Columbia with a proposition to consolidate and share profits. They acquiesced, and the result was the transformation of several disparate firms into a single operation of the largest fleet of steam vessels yet assembled north of San Francisco. With his new responsibilities managing more assets, employees, and finances than ever before, Ainsworth traded his pilot cap for a seat at the head of the boardroom table of an organization calling itself the Union Transportation Company. In 1860, Ainsworth seized an opportunity to add to the fleet and double the service area of the company. He brought in fellow business owner and personal friend Robert Thompson, who owned and operated the only steamboat above The Dalles, Oregon. Thompson’s steamboat and toll road were absorbed by Union, which extended the larger company’s reach to the Snake River and interior Northwest market. Ainsworth then led a reorganization of the company, established a headquarters in Vancouver, elected an executive leadership team, issued company stock, and changed its name to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. As the Civil War broke out in southeastern states on the other side of the continent, Ainsworth and the other OSN shareholders enjoyed a highly profitable first year of business. In the spring of 1861, gold was found in the Washington territory, and a rush ensued. The Columbia Valley became inundated with prospectors, who fought for deck space on the OSN’s steamers heading upriver. Hungry for profits, Ainsworth took advantage of the demand by charging high rates for passengers and freight. The result was a revenue stream so substantial that the board returned some of it to shareholders, paying them 4.5% in dividends by the end of the year. The rush continued to gain momentum the following year. Traffic doubled, and the OSN’s capacity for customers was exhausted. That summer, the OSN was forced to turn away patrons. Ainsworth, SEA HISTORY 179, SUMMER 2022
