FORMA

Restoration of the Lelooska Totem Pole has been underway for the past eight months at our job site on the banks of the Columbia River in Kalama. Dried out, mended, re-carved, and freshly painted, this beloved Kalama landmark has just been refreshed and relocated to its next home: the new 33,000 sf Mountain Timber Market, currently under construction. 

Carved from a 700 year old Western Red Cedar more than 50 years ago, the Lelooska Totem Pole was the tallest totem pole in North America to be carved from a single tree at the time.

Deinstalled in 2018 due to extensive weather damage, restoration of this massive work of art was led by FORMA, the Lelooska Foundation, and the Port of Kalama with the plan to feature the totem pole in the new Market building–where it will rest horizontally on a CLT and steel platform, suspended from the ceiling approximately 14′ above the floor.  

FORMA worked with NessCampbell Crane to plan and execute the extremely tricky relocation of this delicate, 40,000 lb, 140-foot pole from its challenging position between an existing hotel and amphitheater — through a tightly constrained parking lot, over curbs and landscaping, around critical infrastructure, under electrical wires, and past an active rail line — to execute a tight turn into the narrow open frame of the market under construction.

This logistical wizardry was accomplished with the concurrent use of six synchronized forklifts to pick the totem pole off the ground and together maneuver it to a custom-rigged, self-propelled, articulated trailer — composed of a chain of five multi-axle modules, each with hydraulic suspensions to allow wheel sets to move independently from one another, ensuring a fully supported deck and smooth ride home for this priceless piece of local history, despite the complicated and uneven terrain. 

We’re pretty proud of this major milestone and incredible accomplishment, but there’s more to do as we work toward the completion of the new Mountain Timber Market later this summer, follow along here as we finish.