Kalama’s Trusted General Contractor — EPA Certified, Owner-Supervised & Built-to-Last

That moment passed quickly. When the Northern Pacific moved its operations north to Tacoma in 1874, the population collapsed from 3,500 to fewer than 100 within a few years. The territorial legislature disincorporated the town in 1877. A large fire destroyed much of the city center in 1879. Kalama recovered slowly, was reincorporated in 1890, and lost the county seat to Kelso in 1922 after yet another political battle. The Port of Kalama, established in 1920, became the city's lasting economic anchor — today it is one of the top five West Coast ports for dry-bulk commodity shipping, handling grain, potash, and methanol. Kalama is also home to the tallest single-tree totem pole in the Northwest, carved for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and now on display in Marine Park along the Columbia River.

For homeowners, Kalama's layered history translates directly into an unusually diverse housing stock for a city of fewer than 3,000 people. Railroad-era and pioneer homes from the 1870s through the 1910s still stand in the historic downtown core near First Street and along the Columbia River corridor. Mid-century bungalows and ranches fill out the established neighborhoods. More recent hillside development — on the dramatic bluffs above town with views across the river — has added modern construction since the 1980s. The pre-1978 inventory is real and substantial, spanning from the oldest Victorian-era structures to mid-century wood-frame homes that have reached a natural renovation cycle.