Hayden Island is an island in the

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

between

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

, and

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. The wide main channel of the Columbia (and the

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

–

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

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 System, 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 thro ...

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 the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

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 River ...

) 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. 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 for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...

moorages and

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") 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 or cargo ...

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 (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

service opened Hayden Island to

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

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 t ...

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

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 metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

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

urban growth boundary An urban growth boundary (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 s ...

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 t ...

, 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. During his naval expeditions, h ...

. (He also named Vancouver after his commander

George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...

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 Radiohe ...

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), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

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 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-Pre ...

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 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 (graphical), perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downward. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photog ...

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 Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly the Audubon Society of Portland) is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to bird and habitat protection across Oregon in the United States. Founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1909, it is one of ...

. The city of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

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