Oregon Maritime Museum

The sternwheeler Portland sits moored on the Willamette River, its bright red paddlewheel standing out against the modern steel skyline of downtown. This is the last operating steam-powered sternwheel tugboat in the United States. Built in nineteen forty-seven to maneuver ocean-going ships in the river, it spent decades clearing log jams and guiding vessels through the harbor. The crew once relied on a complex system of steam-driven engines to handle the heavy current, a mechanical process that still functions for visitors today.