KALAMA, Wash. (KOIN) — At the Port of Kalama on the Columbia River, 4 totem poles tower above the Cowlitz County landscape, including one that may be the tallest of its kind in North America.
That totem pole is 140 feet tall. “As far as we know, it’s the tallest single strand, which means carved from one log,” Mariah Stoll-Smith Reese with the Lelooska Foundation said. “So there are taller totem poles, but they’re made from two different logs that were spliced together.”
But over the past 44 years, wind and rain have taken their toll on the totems. Concerned the elements may bring the tallest pole down and hurt someone or destroy the landmark, the Port of Kalama is carefully taking it down. It will be evaluated to see if it can be restored and set in place again.
‘Kind of symbol for town’
The late Chief Don Lelooska, a master carver of Cherokee decent, was commissioned to create the totems as a tourist attraction in 1974. They’re adorned with images of people, native animals and supernatural beings.
“It’s kind of a symbol for their town,” Reese said. “It really represents who they are and the history of Kalama.”
For Reese, saving the totem would also mean saving an important part of her heritage. She keeps the family name, art and stories alive through the Lelooska Foundation in Ariel, Washington, where Chief Lelooska lived after Kalama.
“We appreciate them wanting to preserve that part of our family’s history,” she said.
An engineering firm is still working out the best way to bring the totem pole down. The 3 shorter totems will remain in place.
“It’s heart-wrenching to be pulling it down to do this work, but I’d rather be pulling it down in one piece and have an opportunity to save it as opposed to losing it due to weather concerns or something of that nature,” Mark Wilson with the Port of Kalama said.
