Arthur Foss, built in 1889 as Wallowa at Portland, Oregon, is likely the oldest wooden tugboat afloat in the world. Its 79-year commercial service life began with towing sailing ships over the Columbia River bar, and ended with hauling bundled log rafts on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 1968. Northwest Seaport now preserves the tug as a museum ship in Seattle, Washington.
Arthur Foss in her slip at the Historic Ships Wharf at Lake Union Park, March 2021.
This photograph is believed to be the earliest surviving image of Wallowa, taken in the 1890s during its Columbia River service. The lightship in the background is probably on station at the Columbia River entrance.
This early photograph of Wallowa towing is believed to have been taken somewhere in Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush (1898–1900).
During its PSM & T Co. service, Wallowa was rarely seen in southern Puget Sound ports. Even rarer was a transit of the Hiram N. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. This photo was taken in August 1923 as Wallowa headed back into salt water.
Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization in Seattle, Washington dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Puget Sound and Northwest Coast maritime heritage, expressed through educational programs and experiences available to the public aboard its ships. The organization owns three large historic vessels docked at the Historic Ships' Wharf in Seattle's Lake Union Park; the tugboat Arthur Foss (1889), Lightship 83 Swiftsure (1904), and the halibut fishing schooner Tordenskjold (1911). These vessels are used as platforms for a variety of public programs, ranging from tours and festivals to restoration workshops and vocational training.
Arthur Foss
Lightship No. 83, aka Swiftsure, built in 1904, is one of Northwest Seaport's historic fleet.
Wawona