Hayden Island is an island in the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

between

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

, and

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The wide main channel of the Columbia (and the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

–

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

state line) passes north of the island. To the south, sheltered by the island, is a smaller channel known as

North Portland Harbor The North Portland Harbor is an Oregon waterway or channel in Multnomah County, specifically in Portland. An anabranch, about long, of the Columbia River, it separates Hayden and Tomahawk islands from the mainland. Flowing generally northwest, ...

. Much of Hayden Island (and connected Tomahawk Island to the east) is within Portland city limits, and recognized as one of its 95 neighborhoods.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

provides the only roadway connection to the island, via the northernmost Oregon exit, to the rest of North Portland and, with the

Interstate Bridge The Interstate Bridge (also Columbia River Interstate Bridge, I-5 Bridge, Portland-Vancouver Interstate Bridge, Vancouver-Portland Bridge) is a pair of nearly identical steel vertical-lift, Parker through-truss bridges that carry Interstate 5 ...

, to Vancouver to the north. The

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

crosses North Portland Harbor (via the

Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge The Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge, also known as the BNSF Railway Bridge 8.8, is a swing-span, through truss bridge in Portland, Oregon, United States. Currently owned and operated by BNSF Railway, it crosses an anabranch of the Columbia Rive ...

) and the western part of the island to the west of I-5, before crossing the Columbia via the

Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 or BNSF Railway Bridge 9.6, also known as the Columbia River Railroad Bridge, is through truss railway bridge across the Columbia River, between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, owned and operat ...

. The east end of the island, often called Jantzen Beach, has highly developed retail areas near the freeway, hotels, offices, manufactured home communities, and condominium complexes. Further east there are several

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...

moorages and

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

s. Until the Interstate Bridge opened in 1917, ferries provided service between Portland and Vancouver from landings on the island's north shore. After the opening of the bridge,

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

service opened Hayden Island to

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

developments due to its beaches and strategic location.

Jantzen Beach Jantzen Beach Amusement Park was a popular amusement park from 1928 to 1970 in Portland, Oregon, on Hayden Island in the middle of the Columbia River. ''"The Coney Island of the West"'' opened on May 26, 1928 as the largest amusement park in the ...

, the last operating amusement park, closed in 1970. Tomahawk Island, just off the east tip of Hayden Island, became another amusement park—

Lotus Isle Lotus Isle Amusement Park was an amusement park that operated from 1930 to 1932 on Tomahawk Island in Portland, Oregon. Known as the "Wonderland of the Pacific Northwest", Lotus Isle was located just east of the more successful Jantzen Beach amus ...

—for a few years in the 1930s. Because Oregon does not have a state

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

, and Washington has one of the higher state sales taxes, it is common practice for people in Southwest Washington to travel to Oregon for larger taxable purchases. The Jantzen Beach Shopping Center and many hotels populate this part of the island. A narrow neck of land connects Hayden Island to Tomahawk Island (not an independent island since construction of the linkage), which has numerous

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mari ...

s, and the Yacht Harbor Club apartment community. The west side of the island (in unincorporated

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

) is as yet undeveloped, though it was added to the

urban growth boundary An urban growth boundary, or UGB, is a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urban sprawl by, in its simplest form, mandating that the area inside the boundary be used for urban development and the area outside be preserved in its natural ...

by voters in 1983. The Port of Portland purchased the land in 1993 with the intention of building a large cargo facility. Metro, the regional government, has designated West Hayden Island as both high-value regionally significant habitat and as industrial land. Environmental activists have successfully blocked annexation for industrial development in 1999. But the Port of Portland renewed efforts to annex West Hayden Island in 2008 and Portland City Council voted on July 29, 2010, to go forward with an analysis of annexation that would allow for an undetermined port facility and preserve the remaining as a protected natural area.

History

In 1792, the island was discovered by Lieutenant

William Robert Broughton William Robert Broughton (22 March 176214 March 1821) was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. As a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS ''Chatham'' as part of the Vancouver Expedition, a voyage of exploration through th ...

, commander of the Royal Navy survey brig HMS ''Chatham'', who named it Menzies, after the botanist of his ship

Archibald Menzies Archibald Menzies ( ; 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist. He spent many years at sea, serving with the Royal Navy, private merchants, and the Vancouver Expedition. He was the first recorded Euro ...

. (He also named Vancouver after his commander

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

at the same time) In 1805,

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

named the island Image Canoe Island after a large canoe carved with images of men and animals emerged from the opposite side of the island.

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

called it Vancouver Island, and in the early 19th century, it was called Shaw Island for Colonel W. Shaw who owned land on the island.Jolotta, Pat. Naming Clark County. Vancouver: Fort Vancouver Historical Society, 1993. Print. In 1851, the island was renamed for the Oregon pioneer and early Vancouver settler

Gay Hayden Gay Hayden (April 9, 1819 – May 14, 1902) of Brisbane, Australia was a prominent Oregon pioneer who owned a significant portion of what is now the city of Vancouver including properties previously owned by Esther Short.''The Pacific reporter'', ...

who owned the island after settling there in 1851 upon hearing of the

Donation Land Claim Act The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Preem ...

a year after it was passed. He built a grand home and lived on the island for five years with his wife

Mary Jane Hayden Mary J. Hayden (born ''Mary Jane Bean''; 1830 in Athens, Maine) spent her early childhood with her grandparents in the town of Cornville, Maine. In 1845, Hayden emigrated with her parents to the wilds of Wisconsin, where in 1847, she met and marr ...

and twin children.Hayden, Gay. Access Genealogy. 2010-06-13. URL:http://www.accessgenealogy.com/scripts/data/database.cgi?file=Data&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=0020608. Accessed: 2010-06-13. (Archived by WebCite at) File:Sand dunes on Hayden Island.jpg, Sand dunes on Hayden Island, 1973 File:THE HAYDEN ISLAND COMPLEX ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER INCLUDES SHOPPING CENTERS, INDUSTRY, HOUSEBOATS, AND CONDOMINIUMS.... - NARA - 548023.jpg,

Bird's-eye view A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downwards. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photograph, but also a draw ...

of Hayden Island and the

, 1973 File:SWIMMING POOL OF THUNDERBIRD MOTEL ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER WITHIN YARDS OF THE INTERSTATE BRIDGE CONNECTING WASHINGTON... - NARA - 548083.jpg, Thunderbird Motel on Hayden Island, 1973

Development

In 2008, the Port of Portland began exploring and planning the annexation and development of West Hayden Island. The planning process, which is slated to end as early as the end of 2012, would conclude with an annexation agreement that would address recreation, mitigation, land management, habitat preservation, security, repair and improvements of local roads and a community enhancement fund. The proposed plan would develop 300 acres for industrial use and leave 500 acres of natural area untouched. The plan was opposed by environmental groups, such as the

Audubon Society of Portland The Audubon Society of Portland is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to wildlife conservancy in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1909, it is one of the oldest such organizations ...

. The city of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

commissioned ECONorthwest to measure the net economic benefits and impacts of the proposed development. The report compared a no-development scenario to the proposed 300-acre development scenario. When accounting for natural resources, recreation, and local and port economic impacts, the report found that the benefits of development were likely to outweigh the benefits of forgoing development. The analysis also found that the benefits of development were likely to outweigh the costs of development.ECONorthwest. "West Hayden Island Public Cost/Benefit Analysis." The City of Portland, Oregon. June 2012. URL:http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/389017. Accessed: 2012-09-18

References

{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon Islands of the Columbia River in Oregon Landforms of Multnomah County, Oregon Oregon populated places on the Columbia River North Portland, Oregon Northeast Portland, Oregon