April 09, 2022 through May 11, 2022

Ken Hochfeld • Small Communities of the Lower Columbia River

There is a special character and history in the small communities found along the Lower Columbia River in Oregon and Washington. This work begins to examine the places and the people who live there.

The communities of the Lower Columbia on the Oregon side along Highway 30 west of Portland and on the Washington side near Highway 4 west of Longview were settled primarily by Swedes and Finns long before roads were built. They depended upon Columbia River tributaries and sloughs for access, so these developments became known as Riverboat Communities. When roads were built the riverboats became obsolete. While fishing and canning were once the primary source of commerce, the canneries are now of the past. Cattle and sheep are raised by many of the locals and fishing is still active. Most importantly the communities depend upon water management of the sloughs via dikes constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers and managed by hired locals to minimize pasture flooding, but flooding is still common during the wet season. In Brownsmead in particular, new construction is seldom seen because of the scarcity of available undeveloped higher ground, so changes to the area are rare and most of the locals like it like that.

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Ken Hochfeld is a Portland based photographer where he and his wife, Carol, have lived for 45 years and their son Jason for 38 years.  Hochfeld is best known for his documentary work and for his quiet and expressive landscapes. He finds the natural beauty and lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest emotionally sustaining.

Hochfeld’s toned black and white photographs may reflect upon the landscape before him, but more often are subtle, contemplative, and introspective. He most often chooses to make photographs in quiet places that are not typical iconic scenic locations. With some of his recent work “Communities of the Lower Columbia River”, Hochfeld explores human connection with the landscape and with “Pages: The Majestic Columbia River” he steps away some from his norm and celebrates the beauty of the Columbia River with a nod to early photography of Columbia River and the American West.

Hochfeld’s work has been exhibited in various galleries in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Vermont, and California.

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