Elm Street Paved WPA

Over the years, the roads of Kalama have undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving through various stages that included dirt tracks, wooden platforms, and muddy paths, only to revert to dirt once again. However, a significant turning point occurred in the mid-1930s when Elm Street, which is often referred to as the main drive of the town, became the first road to be paved. This groundbreaking initiative was made possible through funding from the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Established in 1935 as a pivotal element of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the WPA was instrumental in employing 8.5 million Americans across the nation until 1943. The agency focused on constructing vital infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and parks, as a means to alleviate the staggering 25% unemployment rate caused by the Great Depression. In Kalama, this project not only offered essential jobs for local public works crews during a challenging economic period but also facilitated economic recovery by merging the use of heavy machinery with manual labor, as workers undertook much of the initial clearing with hand tools.