The City of Vancouver
By Curt Cunningham

After crossing the Interstate bridge over the Columbia River, the traveler enters Washington State and Clark County. The county has an area of about 656 square miles and a population of about 425,000. The soil is clay on the uplands and in the bottom lands along the Columbia River, the soil is made up of rich loams and decayed vegetable matter, which raises immense crops of grass, grain, potatoes and other root crops. The fruit orchards of Felida and Sara are a special feature, where apples, pears, peaches, cherries, prunes, plums, small fruits and all kinds of berries, all do exceedingly well.

The City of Vancouver is the Clark County seat and lies on the sloping bank of the Columbia River. For natural scenic beauty, the city is unsurpassed in this part of the state. Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood are plainly visible. Many streets are lined with beautiful shade trees creating a natural park like setting. Along the water frontage is a beautiful waterfront park that is connected to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site that now includes many of the buildings from the Vancouver Barracks.

The Americans Arrive

In 1845, Amos and Esther Short and their 8 children landed at Fort Vancouver. They decided to stake a claim west of the British fort. The eastern edge of their claim is now Main Street. You can bet that eyes were on their every move as to what their motives were for being there. When they began to clear the brush to build a cabin, an attempt was made by a British agent of the Hudson's Bay Company to drive the settlers back across the river. The company agent was met with a degree of courage that stunned the company man who was accustomed to getting his way. In astonishment, the agent politely said "good bye" and returned back to the fort.

You see, there really wasn't anything he could do legally because of the joint occupancy agreement that was signed by America and England back in 1818. So the Short family shrugged it off and continued to improve their claim. Things remained quiet although they were continually watched. Then one day while Amos was away from home, the company agent who had earlier tried to intimidate them to leave returned to the settlers claim, but this time he brought with him a gang of drunken servants of the company.

They began to harass the defenseless family and after frightening the children half to death with their yelling and screaming, the company servants loaded everyone into a bateaux and set them adrift down the river with only one paddle. After Amos returned and saw what happened, he quickly gathered up the family from the bateaux, and after making sure everyone was home safe, he walked over to the fort to inform them that any further attempt to scare them away would be met with extreme prejudice.

Things were quiet for only 3 days when another attempt was made to drive them out. Amos was ready for them this time, as he got word that another ambush was eminent so he hid in the bushes and waited for them. It didn't take long when heard voices approaching. When they got close to Amos he stood up, blocked their path, and leveled his gun at the leader then told him to stop or he would blow his brains out. The threat was ignored and the leader lunged at Amos who then fired his rifle which was accompanied by a loud scream that told plainer than words, that the agent's life had paid the cost of his arrogance, and now he lay dead.

No further attempt was made to eject the lawful occupants from that time forward. Sadly, Amos Short would drown at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1851 while on his way home from San Francisco where he had purchased some merchandise. His death was regarded as a public calamity and had he lived longer, his influence would have been beneficial to community of Vancouver.

The City of Vancouver is Born

Vancouver of 1850 was a stirring and busy little burg. On December 12, 1850, the unoccupied land lying between St. James Church and the river, and from the line of the military reserve on the west, to the government barns in the east, were laid out into streets and became thickly studded with new homes. The residents were mostly employees of the Hudson's Bay Company, which made for a very diverse neighborhood. On January 23, 1857, the City of Vancouver would be incorporated.

Vancouver would continue to flourish throughout the 1850's, but at the beginning of 1860, the city ran into a major problem with some of the land it was on. Vancouver is situated between the Columbia River and the Vancouver Barracks. The area west of the Reserve is where the town would begin, but the title to the land east of Main Street came into dispute by 4 different parties. This issue would linger until 1867, though not being finalized until 1874.

The Land Dispute

In 1860, the claim of the Catholic Mission of St. James, covered all of the "actual" occupied portion of the U. S. Reserve, all of the portion of the city lying east of Main Street, and a great portion of the part lying west of Main Street north of Fourth Plain Blvd. The portion east of Main Street was also claimed by H. C. Morse, and the heirs of Frederick Biers under the donation act of 1850. The same was also claimed by the City under the townsite act of 1844. 

The occupants of the western part of the City, claimed by virtue of deeds, or rather bonds for deeds executed by Esther Short, who claimed 640 acres as a donation right, the eastern line of said claim being the center of Main Street. This claim was also in conflict with the Mission claim. The Mission had made its claim under the second proviso of the act signed by Congress on August 14, 1848, which allowed religious societies to make claims of 640 acres for missionary stations amongst the tribes. 

The problem for the mission was that they had to prove that after August 14, 1848, that they did in fact occupy the land as a missionary station. Without this proof, their claim would be null and void. In May of 1860, General Tilton arrived at Vancouver to assess the situation. He was not able to obtain all the documents he needed to make a proper judgment, and he said that his decision was only a recommendation, as he did not have the proper authority to remedy the problem.

Tilton recommended that the mission take their case directly the courts for them to decide. The claim of the St. James Mission was cloudy as the act signed by Congress was not to a specific Mission but to the several religious societies as a whole. The Mission property did not belong to the Missionaries themselves but to the parent society. Whether the Mission was in occupation of the land in the manner required by law, that they were in fact operating as a Mission for the tribes was another question.

In November of 1862, the decision of the General Land Office was that the Vancouver town site and the Short Donation Claim was unaffected of the claims by the Mission. The decision was appealed by the church and on May 27, 1864, the ruling was, that the mission still had to prove its occupancy according to the law of August 14, 1848, and if they were unable to prove this, then their claim would be voided. The issue was then sent to congress for them to decide.

Arthur Denny from Seattle was the Washington Territory delegate to Congress during this time. On October 27, 1866, The Pacific Tribune wrote an article defending Denny from the accusations of the Vancouver Register that said Denny wasn't doing his job disposing of the land issue. The Olympia paper said that Denny was accused by the Vancouver Register of dereliction of duty in regard to the disputed land titles in the "village of Vancouver." On November 3, 1866, the Vancouver Register printed an article in response to the Tribune.

The Vancouver paper was incensed that the Olympia paper would describe Vancouver as a "village." They responded in kind by saying; "In the above extract Vancouver is alluded to as "the village of Vancouver." Now we protest against the use of the term "village" by the Tribune or any other Olympia concern, until that little burgh has half the population of Vancouver, or until it can boast of something more than a single street, beginning in the woods and ending in a mud puddle, which they call the Sound."

It appears that the dispute lingered for a few more years, when on November 3, 1874, a land patent was filed by the City of Vancouver for the area in dispute. Then 110 years later on August 4, 1984, the GSA and City of Vancouver filed for a land patent on the Army Reserve that was in dispute.

The Early Steamers

The mail steamers first began to land at Vancouver in 1850, and no dredging was needed for them to land. But a riverboat pilot complained that it was unsafe for the steamers of the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company to land at Vancouver and the service was discontinued. It was said by a Vancouver resident at the time, that a Portland pilot was the first to pronounce the navigation of the Columbia dangerous for steamships, and most industriously sought every opportunity to prove the truth of his assertions by running every steamer aground that he got a hold of.

On March 13, 1851, the steamer Columbia visits Vancouver while on her way to Astoria. The Columbia would make Vancouver a regular stop on the route between Portland and Astoria. The Gold Hunter had also called at Vancouver in 1851.

Mail service resumed in 1855 when the mail was brought in on the steamer Multnomah that ran a regular service between Portland and Astoria stopping at Vancouver. This was a twice a week route that disembarked Portland on Monday and Thursday mornings and left Astoria on Tuesday and Friday mornings. On August 21, 1858, the steamer Relief made her first trip to Vancouver.

On November 14, 1857, the steamer Vancouver began regular service between Portland and Vancouver. Captain Turnbull was the Master. In 1875, the Vancouver was making daily trips between the cities except on Sundays when she was docked. The Vancouver disembarked her namesake city at the Government Wharf at 8am, and leaving Portland at 2:30pm from Goldsmith's Central Wharf at the foot of Alder Street. Captain James Gray was the Master.

The Vancouver Trail

In 1858, gold was discovered on the Frazer River in Canada. Every town from Whatcom (Bellingham) to Portland wanted in on the business to supply the prospectors and make a tidy profit in return. These intrepid souls took every means available to reach the gold fields, though most took steamers from the Puget Sound to Victoria. The British had a law that required every prospector to buy a mining license at Victoria. Many did not adhere to this rule and instead of traveling to Victoria, they would take the overland trails leading away from Olympia, Seattle, and Steilacoom, over Yakima Pass.

Others still, would take the steamers up the river from Portland to the Dalles and take the trail north to Fort Simcoe. Many more would travel on the trail from the Dalles to Walla Walla before going north along the banks of the Columbia River. All of these trails would converge near the city of Okanogan and then continue north on the old Hudson's Bay trail. At Whatcom (Bellingham), the miners took the Whatcom trail to Hope, Canada.

Each of these towns advertised that the route from their town was the easiest and cheapest way to "Eldorado." The competition was fierce and Portland was boosting the Dalles route as they could sell supplies to the miners who were taking the Portland steamers up the river. Vancouver also wanted in on the supply business and they had a way to Fort Simcoe. It was the Klickitat Trail, which had been used for so long nobody can say when it began. This was the route used to reach the Vancouver area by the tribes who lived in the Yakima area.

In July of 1858, the merchants of Portland and Vancouver, paid  John Boncer and E. H. Lewis $2,000 to widen the Klickitat Trail for pack trains from Vancouver to Fort Simcoe, which is located west of Yakima. The contract said that the trail was to be completed within 3 weeks. Boncer and Lewis started out on the trail and blazed it from Vancouver to the open country in Eastern Washington.

From Vancouver, the trail followed the Fourth Plain Road to the upper swale country of north Clark County were it then leads through the highlands to Yacolt and Chelatchie. From there, it starts eastward following the Lewis River, and then up the White Salmon River to its headwaters at Trout Lake. The trail then continued east to Glenwood and then NE to White Swan and Fort Simcoe. On August 6, 1858, the illustrious trail booster, W. H. Pearson had a letter printed in the Olympia Pioneer and Democrat, describing the Vancouver Trail as second only to the Yakima Pass route over the Cascade Mountains to the northern mines in Canada. (he was probably compensated for the praise) This is what he said;

“Now Mr. Editor if you want to go to the mines by the nearest, easiest and best route, come on with your horses. You do not want any steamboats to take your surplus cash for the trip to the Dalles, when you are as near to the mines at Portland or Vancouver than you would be at the Dalles, and have a savings of $30 to $100 a man. In a conversation with some army officers today, I learned that it is their intention to use this route to take supplies to Fort Simcoe. They can save 50% in transportation costs by using this trail compared to the Cascades and the Dalles route.

When the work crew returned to Vancouver after having completed the trail. The city of Vancouver and Portland rejoiced with the firing of guns and plenty of drinking. The military was the first to use the trail and took a pack train over the route to Fort Simcoe. The route was difficult for the mules and the Army never took another train over it. Miners also did not like this trail and they continued to travel up the river to the Dalles. The trail never saw much use and eventually faded out of the collective memory.

Most of the prospectors who traveled north did not find their fortune and most returned home poorer than they were before they took the journey.

Vancouver in 1867

Taking a stroll about Vancouver in the summer of August 1867, commencing at the steamboat landing, one would first notice that the levee had been secured by the driving of piles, which were covered in planks. Next you would see that over a thousand cubic yards of gravel had been hauled and deposited around the premises of Mr. Shaebens, which secured his property from the destructive freshets of the river.

Going up Main Street, the premises of Mr. Friedenrich have been raised and renovated and Joseph Wise made many improvements to his building. The Oro Fino Hall was recently built on Main Street and on the corner of Fourth and Main streets, Mr. Wall had erected a brick building. Mr. Wintler had fixed up several stores on his block and Mr. Eddings built a 2 story frame building on the corner of Fifth.

The new 60X25 foot brick building of Sohn & Schuele was under construction which included a cellar. The large brick brewery of Anton Young on "C" Street was completed. It was located on the public square. The Vancouver Seminary was also completed and the new 2 story brewery of Damphuffer and Proebstel was recently finished and now was making beer. The Sisters of Charity finished a new brick building that was the 3rd largest brick structure on the coast at the time.

There were a number of private residences that were built along with many new improvements to the city. The sound of the hammer was heard from morning to night and every class of mechanics were gainfully employed. The dark clouds of the land dispute which had been overshadowing the prospects of the town in the past were no longer in the way.

The Fortune Teller

On June 28, 1877, a Vancouver bachelor, while over at Portland stepped into a fortune telling establishment, where "fortunes" were for sale already printed on little slips of paper, and where a very talented canary stepped out of his cage, at a given signal, and picked out the piece paper for the purchaser. The smart little bird drew for our Vancouver friend a neat little fortune which is printed below.

The fortune seeking bachelor plead guilty of every count in the indictment except for the last two, which refer to a "young widow" and a "numerous family." On these he indignantly plead not guilty; but because of the acknowledged truth of the first charges, made his denial of the last ones somewhat suspicious. The following is an exact copy of the fortune that the educated bird drew for him;

"Planet for a Gentleman. - You were born under fine prospects and affluence, but you have met with several misfortunes which have cast you down. Intoxication has ruined you in business and at your detriment with the friends that had stood by you. Today you are reformed of this habit, and fortune will smile on you again. Your affections lead towards a young widow who repays them, and you will succeed in winning both her and her fortune; you will then bring up numerous children in honor and affluence, who will then plot to take away your fortune with your early demise. You will then be respected and regretted by all who knew you."

Vancouver News Items of November 1, 1878

The contract for carrying the mail from Vancouver to Kalama had been awarded to J. A. Woodin, for $494.

Stray bridge timbers were plenty in the Columbia River for a week. These were past mementoes of the high waters in the flooded regions of the upper country.

The new steamer Wide West was a daily visitor to Vancouver, taking the place of the Emma Hayward on the Cascades route.

The pigs running at large in the Streets and commons of the City of Vancouver were having a hard tine of it in their vigorous effort to keep the grass down, which grows fast in the warm sunshine.

Vancouver Growth 1890

Vancouver of 1890 had a population of some 1,500, exclusive of the garrison. There were many stores, several of which were metropolitan in appearance and carried large stocks of goods. Their trade extended throughout all the country. The water supply was excellent. Cold, pure spring water was brought in through pipes over a distance of 5 miles to the reservoirs near town, from which it was then distributed by a system of mains and supply pipes.

The elevation was sufficient to give strong pressure at the point of delivery. The water system was more than adequate for a city of 20,000 inhabitants. The company had just expended $8,000 in laying additional and larger pipes, for a total of 10 miles of pipe that was in use. The water company was very liberal in its dealings with its customers. They allowed them the privilege of watering their lawns without extra charge.

In the matter of Vancouver's public building it surpassed any town of its size on the coast at the time. The new 2 story brick courthouse had just been completed for a cost of $35,000. The school house was 2 stories high, with a basement, and contained 8 large school rooms, and was ready for occupation. It was arranged with all the modern conveniences for heating and ventilating, at a cost of $20,000. 

The Sisters of Charity of the House of Providence who had been in Vancouver since the 1850's, have done much public work. The Sisters had a very large 3 story brick building in which they kept a school and convent. Another frame building was used for a hospital. The town contained many fine residences, some of which are very elegant and still standing. There is a large park that added much to the towns beauty. The whole town, slopes gently back from the river offering a splendid view of the Columbia River and the great snowy crest of Mount Hood, which is exceedingly beautiful.

The Vancouver Independent was a weekly paper devoted to the interests of Clark county. The Clarke County Register was full of news of local interest. The support of 2 such excellent papers was evidence of the intelligence of the community. The First National Bank of Vancouver, was a much needed institution, and had just been organized by the business interests, with a capital stock of $50,000, Louis Sohn was president, David Wall, was vice president, and E. L. Canby, was cashier.

The manufacturing industries consisted of a good flouring mill, a large planing mill and sash factory, a sawmill and brewery in the town, and half a dozen sawmills and one flouring mill at other points in the county. The bottom lands, hills and mountains back from the river were densely covered with fir, cedar, oak, vine maple, cottonwood and alder, timber enough for large sawmills to work for many years. The mills were all at work for the local market. The census for Clark County in 1883 was 6,211.

Vancouver Growth 1909

On June 27, 1909, the contract for the laying of 25 blocks of asphalt pavement was awarded to the Cascade Contract Company of Portland. The work began a few days later. There were 14 blocks paved on 11th Street which was the street the trolley ran on. The work was completed by October 1st. The new 2 story brick block built by Dr. Sedgwick on the corner of 8th and Washington was just completed. In 2020, this building is now called Murray's Corner, home to the Kona Brewing Co. and The Sedgwick restaurant.

Smith's one story building at the corner of Washington and 3rd, received a new glass front. Today in 2020, this building (if it is still the original) is home to Pacific Energy Products. The vestry of St. Luke's Episcopal Church built a new $2,500 rectory at the site of the old one. The Bashford flouring mills were completed and it had a rail connection with the North Bank Railroad.

There was a new $20,000, 3-story brick building erected on the southeast corner of Washington and 7th Streets by J. P. Kiggins. The building is 50X100 with 50 feet on the Washington side and 100 feet on the 7th Street side. The lower floor was a storeroom and the second floor was used as a hall. The building also has a 9 foot basement. Today in 2020, this building is occupied by the Grocery & Cocktail Social Restaurant and the Envy Me Salon.

On the corner of "B" Street and 6th Street was a tombstone manufacturer, J. B. Silver of Astoria was the owner. The first shipment of 20 tons of marble and granite was brought from Astoria by the steamer Julia B, Captain Babbige was the Master. This new business was called the Vancouver Marble & Granite Works. This building is no more.

Vancouver Growth 1912

Vancouver of 1912, was a busy place with new building construction. Vancouver was now one of the most important business centers in Southwestern Washington. The year 1912, marked the beginning of tall buildings. There were 3 buildings that were completed, these buildings were; a 5 story bank building, a 4 story apartment house which included a deep basement and a high school.

The first new structure was at 6th and Main, and was the United States National Bank, a 5 story building that was the largest office building in the city. The safe was 18 inches thick, reinforced with steel. The heating system was by steam that was operated by an oil burner. All 4 Vancouver bank buildings were within a block of each other. The high school was completed in January of 1913 and was located on 24th and Main Street. The office building and apartment house at 11th and Franklins Streets was the largest apartment building in the city.

The Governor Visits Vancouver

On May 23, 1913, and after traveling over every mile of the Pacific Highway from Blaine to Vancouver, Governor Lister and all the members of the state highway commission reached Vancouver the evening of the 23rd and were given a warm reception by the Vancouver citizens. The members of the party were; Governor Lister; C. W. Clausen, State Auditor; Edward Meath, State Treasurer, and Mrs. Meath; M. M. Goodman, chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the State Highway Commission; W. J. Roberts, State Highway Commissioner; Will R. White, Chief Engineer of the department, and L. H. Darwin, State Fish Commissioner.

When asked if he favored a Pacific Highway bridge at Vancouver, Governor Lister said: "The time will come when we will have an unbroken line of good highway from the Canadian border to Mexico, but before that is accomplished an enormous amount of work will have to be done so that the State Highway Commission may get the best possible results from appropriations made for the construction of the Pacific Highway.

"The portion on the upper side to Olympia was made about two weeks ago, and from Olympia to Vancouver this week. We have $119,200 to expend on the Pacific Highway from the south line of Pierce County to Vancouver. We are trying to figure out the points along the line where this should be best expended. A meeting of the State Highway Commission will be held next week, when a decision will be made."

"Fine weather along the trip had favored us and in each of the counties we have been met by the county commissioners, county engineers and city officials, all of whom have rendered every assistance possible and we feel from the interest displayed that there will be an increase in the improvement work that cannot but result in great good."

The trip was made for 2 purposes. First, so that each member of the Commission personally could see the conditions as they really were; and second, to go over the ground with county and city authorities so that the different interests could work together for the best results. From the reception received along the line, the trip was of a great benefit. Half a dozen cars came out from Vancouver that evening to meet the party. After the notables had taken a short rest and washed the dust from their faces and bodies, they were received at the Elks' club, where the Governor, W. J. Roberts, State Highway Commissioner, and others, had a dinner and made speeches.

The Interstate Bridge to be a Boon to Vancouver

It was the fall of 1913, and not since the coming of the North Bank railroad through this city, and with the building of the big $3,000,000 Northern Pacific double-track steel drawbridge over the Columbia, had prospects been brighter for a big, steady and rapid growth in Vancouver and throughout Clark County. This was caused by the decisions of Multnomah and Clark Counties to issue bonds in sums of $1,250,000 and $500,000, respectively, to build the Pacific Highway bridge between Vancouver and Portland.

Immediately after it became known that Multnomah had voted in favor of the bonds, inquiries began to come into the local real estate dealers and owners of property, and substantial sales began to be made. For many months there have been few real estate deals for cash. One real estate dealer was asked. "How is business?" "Business is pretty good in trading. but if I made a cash sale I am sure it would affect my heart."

But cash deals were now taking place, and there are a number of large deals pending while the investors were looking up the abstracts, titles and other information. Business generally was now brighter here, and there was an air of promise that had been absent for 2 or 3 years. Nearly $500,000 worth of street improvements had been made during the last 2 years, and Vancouver now had about 13 miles of hard-surface paved streets.

The population of Vancouver in 1913 was about 10,000, and houses that had been empty for several months were nearly all filled up. People were now coming into the city where there was so much promise of good times the coming winter and the next year. The Park Hotel facing City Park on 8th street, was sold by Karl Grauman to James Mulinos, Pete Kamboris and Gust Pappaionou.

F. M. Black, who was a local capitalist, had disposed of the Hager Theater, near 7th and Washington streets, across from City Hall, the price, it was understood, being more than $15,000. Guthrie, McDougal & Company, contractors, made Vancouver their headquarters for the Pacific Northwest, and the firm had bought 6 acres of land at $1,200 an acre. This business was located on 39th street, though additions were being made all the time, and more skilled mechanics were being hired in order to keep up with the work.

Dredges, steam shovels and engines used in making fills and cuts on the railroads were being overhauled in Vancouver and freight cars were also being repaired. J. P. Kiggins, who had built two large brick buildings here, built a theater for $25,000, at the corner of 9th and Main streets. This theater was large enough to stage any road show. It is 2 stories high, built of Vancouver made brick, and a valuable addition to business property in that part of the city.

This building was just a block from the Grand Theater, which was also built by Mr. Kiggins and then sold to Portland interests. The lower floor, not used by the theater itself, and part of the upper floor, had been leased for a term of years by the Washington-Oregon Corporation, which made its headquarters at Vancouver for this part of the Pacific Northwest. Today in 2020, the old theatre building is called Spanky's Consignment shop and appears to be out of business.

There were about 20 residences under construction in the suburbs. The school district, comprising the city of Vancouver, in 1913, completed a $100,000 high school building at 24th and Main streets, and the grounds have been beautified at a cost of $5000, with a mile track, football gridiron, baseball diamond, and basketball courts. Several thousand shrubs, rose bushes and other plants were set out on the grounds in the Spring.

The school enrollment increased until the rooms were crowded, though nearly $500,000 was invested in school property, buildings and equipment. More schools were needed within a short time. Docks were to be constructed soon. More than $40,000 was spent in Clark County between La Center and Vancouver, on the Pacific Highway and Main Street had been surfaced for a distance of 5 miles from the ferry.

This was the first county road to be hard surfaced, and applications for many miles more next year were already made. The property owners on abutting property paid 15% of the cost. The remainder was paid by the county and state. The cannery in town handled the berries and small fruit in the county at 3rd and Columbia streets, where a site had been leased from the Northern Pacific Railroad for factory purposes by the Clark County Growers Union.

In Vancouver, $10,000 was raised among the business and professional men, and $5000 was raised among the farmers of the county. The plan followed in the operation of the cannery was similar to that at Puyallup. The Blazier block on Main street, between 6th and 7th streets, was completed two months ago at a cost of $15,000, and was occupied by B. O. Riggs. The upper floor was made of fine hardwood.

The Royal Bakery built a plant worth $10,000, on Washington street, between 6th and 7th. J. P. Wineberg, proprietor of the Vancouver Soda Works, expended more than $5000 in improving his plant that year and he had added the best and latest machinery. He won the gold medal for the best soda at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle.

When the Interstate bridge was completed in 1917, Vancouver would become a much larger city.

The Pacific Highway Through Vancouver is Improved

In 1913, the city of Vancouver had paved 5 miles of the Pacific Highway with concrete from the ferry dock at the foot of Main Street, north to NE 99th Street. On December 6, 1913, the property owners along the freshly paved Main Street in Vancouver, really enjoyed the hard surface pavement. The residents further north on the unpaved portion became jealous and presented a petition to the County Commissioners asking them to pave 2.5 miles further on the Pacific Highway to Salmon Creek. 

The property owners had no issue paying the 15% of the cost as the owners along the paved portion did. This would be the beginning of the hard surfacing of the main arteries that lead into Vancouver. On August 22, 1914, construction work on the paving of the Pacific Highway from NE 99th to NE 134th at Salmon Creek had been completed. This section of the highway was closed to let the concrete set. While the concrete was curing, a detour was made, and cars were routed over the Fruit Valley and St. Johns roads.

By 1915, the Pacific Highway was a hard surface boulevard leading out of Vancouver to Salmon Creek. By 1921, the Pacific Highway was concrete paved from Vancouver to La Center. In 1925, the Salmon Creek Cutoff was completed making the Pacific Highway a 4 lane road from Vancouver to Salmon Creek. In 1936, the Pacific Highway was rerouted from the Interstate bridge up Washington Street to Mill Plain Blvd. then it turned right back onto Main Street. In 1954, a new cutoff was under construction which bypassed the downtown core of Vancouver. This new cutoff begins at the north end of the Interstate bridge and connected to the Salmon Creek Cutoff on the north side of Burnt Bridge Creek.

On August 5, 1954, John A. Dierdorff, a writer for the Oregonian took a trip up north to see the Yale and Merwin dams. As his party drove across the Interstate bridge from Portland, they decided not to continue onto the new Highway 99, and instead they turned to the left onto highway 1-T for a trip through the fruit orchards of Felida and Sara. At Ridgefield, the party turned right and the new Highway 99, was a little more than two miles ahead, and again it was possible for them to take this new road straight to Woodland. 

They were still unhurried and adventurous, so they crossed the speedway and continued east 2 miles farther to Pioneer. At that crossroads they joined the old Pacific Highway, which to them, now seemed narrow and winding in contrast to its replacement. Abandoned gas pumps and dance halls along the way attested to the spotty traffic, now that there was a straighter road. The new U.S. Highway 99, was now taking the place of the once important route, and ended the nostalgic days of the Pacific Highway.