Port of Tacoma
| Port of Tacoma | |
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Port of Tacoma with Commencement Bay (lower right) and Puyallup River (above center)
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Tacoma, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°15′37″N 122°24′30″W / 47.26028°N 122.40833°WCoordinates: 47°15′37″N 122°24′30″W / 47.26028°N 122.40833°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1918 |
| Operated by | Port of Tacoma Commission |
| Draft depth | >50 feet |
| Air draft | No restrictions |
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Website http://www.portoftacoma.com/ |
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The Port of Tacoma is an independent seaport located in Tacoma, Washington. The port was created by a vote of Pierce County citizens on November 5, 1918. The Edmore was the first ship to call at the port in 1921. The port's marine cargo operations, among the largest in the United States, was merged with the Port of Seattle's in 2015 to form the Northwest Seaport Alliance.
The port started out on 240 acres (0.97 km2) of land, and now owns more than 2,400 acres (972 hectares) of land that are used for shipping terminal activity, warehousing, distributing, and manufacturing.
Prior to the establishment of the Port of Tacoma, much of Tacoma's shipping activity took place along Ruston Way and along the mouth of the Thea Foss Waterway, which opens into Commencement Bay and the larger Puget Sound. Tacoma's role as a shipping center dates to 1853, when the first cargo of lumber was shipped to San Francisco. Tacoma's status as a major trading hub was greatly strengthened by the 1873 decision by the Northern Pacific Railroad to establish its western terminus at Commencement Bay. Tacoma was chosen over other nearby cities such as Seattle for several reasons: Commencement Bay could dock more than 50 ships at a time, the harbor was deep enough for vessels of any draft, and there were miles of tideland waterfront available for expanded port facilities.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers straightened the Puyallup River between 1948 and 1950, leading to litigation in the early 1980s over ownership of 12 acres of land formerly in the riverbed. The Puyallup Indian Tribe won their case in federal court. Subsequently, The Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 ceded the Tribe's remaining land claims over 120 acres of the Port of Tacoma, in exchange for $162 million and other benefits. The claims dated to the 1856 Medicine Creek Treaty and the Puyallup's 1856–1857 renegotiation of their reservation boundaries at Fox Island. The reservation still exists legally and includes at least the Port's land between Hylebos and Blair Waterways and the entire city of Fife.
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