Oregon Maritime Museum

Experience the adventure of life on our rivers when you explore the sternwheeler Portland, the last operating steam-powered sternwheel tug in the U.S. Portland is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The vessel uses the same technology as those at the turn of the 20th century, as evident when you tour the engine room. Volunteer docents will take you on a tour of the steamer, including the pilot house and engine room, and tell stories of the local rivers and their maritime history.

Discover ship models, maritime artifacts and memorabilia. See objects and displays that relate to steam power, sailing vessels, battleship Oregon, underwater diving, and the shipyards during WWII that built the liberty ships and the merchant marines who sailed them.

The Children’s Corner has sturdy and interesting nautical objects that children can touch and operate. Your child may blow a (loud!) ship’s whistle, operate a governor and move parts of a ship model. All the while, a docent will relate stories to bring to life what it was like to work on a tug like the steamer Portland.

The Oregon Maritime Museum’s library contains s catalog of over 2,500 volumes and 22,000 photographs and negatives related to maritime history both in the Northwest region and elsewhere. The library is staffed by volunteer librarians and researchers who can assist visitors and those who want to conduct research. It is open to the public when a librarian is on duty. We are not able to loan out materials.