The Oregon Pony after its 1905 restoration for the Lewis and Clark Exposition.
Early travel along the Columbia River required passing the Cascades. The Cascades were a four and one-half mile stretch of rocky rapids between what is now called Cascade Locks and the Bonneville Dam, which submerged the Cascades in 1938.
Indigenous peoples used portage roads along both river banks since time immemorial. The roads facilitated trade and travel between coastal and inland communities. Lewis and Clark used these paths around the Cascades on their journey to the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
As Euro-American emigrants came to the Oregon Territory, entrepreneurial settlers built wooden tramways to improve the roads on both banks of the river. They used mules to pull flat cars along the path and competed for tolls to use the roads. When the Washington portage announced plans to upgrade to a steam railroad, the Oregon portage ordered a steam locomotive from the Vulcan Iron Foundry in San Francisco. It was the first locomotive built entirely on the West Coast.
On April 25, 1862, the first steam locomotive in the Northwest began operation. The little engine was nicknamed the “Pony” because it replaced the mules that pulled the old portage cars. The Pony hauled freight, passengers, and gold dust between the two local steamship landings on the Columbia River.
In 1863, the Pony was moved to The Dalles, intended for use on the Celilo portage. However, after three years dormant in a warehouse, the Pony was sold and sent back to San Francisco, where it was used for city paving projects.
After being damaged in a warehouse fire, the Pony was restored for display at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland. As part of this restoration, the name “The Oregon Pony” was made official and painted on the side of the locomotive. It was donated to the Oregon Historical Society after the Exposition.
The Oregon Pony in its current display location in the Cascade Locks Marine Park.
The Oregon Pony was stored in a warehouse for many years, then placed on outdoor display in front of Portland Union Station in 1929. In 1970, the Oregon Pony returned to Cascade Locks on loan from the Oregon Historical Society. In preparation for its 120th anniversary, the Oregon Pony received a full restoration and an enclosed, climate-controlled exhibit space in 1980. The Oregon Pony is on exhibit in the Cascade Locks Marine Park year-round on the lawn in front of the museum.