CURRENTS OF PROGRESS

Rows of people seated people viewing digital screen in wooden room, Clark County Historical Museum exhibit

“Currents of Progress” is a family-friendly and educational exploration of Clark County’s rivers, roads, and ports. By using interpretative panels, historical objects, interactive stations, and county-wide partnerships, visitors will discover and engage with the narrative and living history of these important systems in Clark County and Southwest Washington.

Topics featured in this exhibit include Native American Nations and their relationships with the waterways; Hudson’s Bay Company; early transportation; the establishment of the ports of Vancouver, Camas-Washougal, and Ridgefield; the impact of World War I and World War II; and the state of our ports today.

Objects representing this history will also be on display. Key objects include items from the Standifer and Kaiser shipyards, a large ship’s wheel from a Columbia River ferry, a ceremonial shovel used for the groundbreaking of the 1917 Interstate Bridge, and objects on loan from the Port of Vancouver and Tidewater Transportation and Terminals.

For a hands-on experience, the exhibit also features knot-tying, a telegraph simulator, a semaphore flag station, and a selfie station featuring a tugboat captain’s chair.

“Currents of Progress” will be open through 2023. This exhibit is sponsored by the City of Vancouver, Port of Vancouver, Port of Camas-Washougal, Port of Ridgefield, and Tidewater Transportation and Terminals.