Downtown Kalama touts history with new tourism signs

From stories of the local telephone company's pool hall roots to Elvis Presley's extravagant 1962 stay at a local hotel, a new streetlamp sign campaign is among new efforts bringing downtown Kalama's history to life.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help

Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News.

It's also meant to give tourists - including thousands of anticipated river cruise visitors this season - new reasons to explore.

Some 15 "history blade" informational signs were installed at points of significance across downtown Kalama earlier this month as part of a new app-enabled Discover Kalama walking tour, according to Port of Kalama Communications Administrator Dan Polacek, who worked on the signs with External Affairs Coordinator Matti Olson.

Another three signs are coming to locations on Fir and Elm streets, according to Polacek. The bulk of the signs were able to be mounted to the poles of streetlights, but three remaining signs created for Polacek's first "batch" need signposts or other mounting hardware.

Stroll through stories from yesteryear

A walk along First Street includes numerous points of interest. They include stories of the town's resilience, rebuilding from fires in 1915 and 1938, and the flood of 1948, among other disasters, along with the site of Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker's log cabin from 1853 - considered the first "Kalama proper" settlement through a donation land claim.

The signs also delve into athletics from more than a century ago. Wanderers can learn about the "Kalama Nine" integrated baseball team played in the early 1900s or about the "Bloomer Girls" basketball team, which in the early 1900s helped bring about construction of the county's first high school gymnasium.

Polacek said he and his team launched the campaign inspired by a similar interpretive signage project he saw in downtown Seattle, but Polacek described years of effort behind the project. He and Olson were particularly grateful for the memories shared by longtime resident and first female mayor Joanna Boatman.

"She was a very valuable member of this team," Olson said.

Polacek also touted efforts to make the sign program far more affordable, thereby making it easier to expand down the line or replicate in other areas.

Olson wrote the sign's text, and Polacek handled the design.

"The finalized content was reviewed by about 10 different eyes," Olson said.

Basketball discover Kalama sign

A new interpretive history sign about early Kalama residents William and Lillian Harned is shown in this photo taken April 7 near Kalama Spirits and Tobacco. Mr. Harned had a drugstore on First Street, while Mrs. Harned launched a "Bloomer Girls" basketball team that brought about the region's first gymnasium in Kalama.

While shopping around for different firms to design and manufacture signs, Polacek said he discovered he could save the city significantly by doing the design himself and printing the signs on the same material the city uses for road signs.

Polacek said the cost to print each 3-foot-by-7-inch "blade" was roughly $98.

"It was really a cost-effective solution," Polacek said.

Another reason the program will be easy to replicate is because Cowlitz County Tourism is working with the same Portland-based marketing and strategy firm, FINE, that's been helping the port with its Discover Kalama campaign since 2023.

The county is using $198,000 in local lodging tax funds to launch a new county-centric tourism site, similar to the Discover Kalama website. The goal for Cowlitz County, according to an earlier news report, is to "broaden the narrative" beyond past efforts that primarily promoted the area as a gateway to Mount St. Helens.

For Cowlitz County, the marketing agency is working to "authentically capture the county's small-town spirit, deep heritage and diverse attractions."

From pamphlets to an app

Polacek said the Discover Kalama initiative began with efforts to provide brochures for tourists after American Cruise Line ships began docking at the port more frequently.

The port opened its dedicated cruise dock in 2022, according to earlier news reports. Olson expected about 20,000 visitors to the waterfront this season. American Cruise Lines brings five ships per week to the Kalama waterfront, each with about 175 people, from late March through October.

Over time, FINE helped expand the initial effort into a "full tourism campaign" including a dedicated Discover Kalama smartphone app and a website encouraging people to explore.

Beyond the fires and flood, the website and app also highlight some of the town's brushes with celebrity, such as how Christian Brando, Marlon Brando's son, found a life outside his Hollywood troubles, living as a welder in Kalama.

Or how Elvis Presley stopped with his crew at the now-demolished Columbian Inn (later called the OYO Hotel) in Kalama on the way from Seattle to Los Angeles after filming "It Happened at the World's Fair" in 1962. Presley and his crew reportedly racked up a tab of $186.40 at the Columbia Inn Restaurant, according to the new interpretive signs. Adjusted for inflation, the bill would be worth more than $2,000 in 2026 dollars.

Stay up to date on Lower Columbia news, wherever you go

Access the latest Lower Columbia news in The Daily News app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you.

Beyond the signs, Polacek's design work has included interpretive panels going up next month in celebration of the Longview library's centennial and helping the nonprofit Envision Kalama with a historic photo window cling project just installed at the Kalama Shopping Center that gives passers by a glimpse of shopping at Lyson's Grocery Store, one of the town's first general stores more than a century ago.

Polacek said Kalama is his "hometown" and said highlighting the area's history was a "labor of love."

"I've also learned so much about the town in the process, and that's what we all hope the signs will do for locals and tourists alike: inspire, entertain and educate," Polacek said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct details about longtime Kalama resident Joanna Boatman, who contributed to the project.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 6:22 PM.