The Cowlitz River flows from its source near Mount Rainier to the Columbia River, 131 miles to the southwest. The Indian, fur trader, explorer and later the homesteader with his family and his earthly goods, traveled the river. This migration began the development of the interior Western Washington.

The principal industries in the Cowlitz Basin have always been farming and lumbering. Regular steambooat navigation on the Cowlitz came about from the need of the Cowlitz prairie farmers for marketing their products and to bring machinery and merchandise to the prairie and the area's lumbermen.

The Steamer Toledo, shown in this painting, was built in a Portland, Oregon shipyard in 1878. The vessel was a double-decked sternwheeler; 109 feet long, with a 22-foot beam and a 4-foot hold with 10 by 48 inch engines. On her completion, the Toledo was commanded by Orrin Kellogg and placed on the Cowlitz Landing run.

The village of Toledo attained full status at the time the J. Kellogg & Company established its steamboat service on the Cowlitz River. Captain Orrin Kellogg suggested to Mrs. Celeste Rochon that she name the new town. The Rochon home was on the riverbank and as Mrs. Rochon looked out of the window she noticed the name Toledo on the steamer and selected that as the name for the town.

All merchandise handled by the town's stores was brought in on the boat. On the down-river trip, the steamer carried out wheat, oats, hay, eggs, butter, cream, potatoes and practically everything the farmers had to sell. Nearly all these products were delivered to the Portland market. Passengers were picked up along the way for Portland and way points.

In addition to the cargo picked up and delivered along the Cowlitz, the sternwheeler also picked up passengers, as shown in this painting. Along the route the boat also collided with submerged snags and rocks causing damage, especially to the sternwheel that had to be repaired en route if possible. The man sitting at the wheel is shown doing some of these repairs while waiting to take on some cargo. The Toledo drafted only 16 inches so it could come up close to a sandbar, enabling farmers to onload their shipment directly from their wagons.

Beginning in the 1880s, the Toledo was the first sternwheeler to be run regularly by the Kellogg's on the Cowlitz. The last steamboat trip to Toldo, Washinton was made by the steamer Pomona on April 14, 1918.