Holman Distribution Center of Washington

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Holman began in 1864 as a small transfer company in Portland, Oregon. At the time, Oregon's statehood was six years young. Portland, or "Stump Town", consisted of sawmills, rough plank sidewalks, and streets of dirt turning to mud when it rained. The railroad was still years from reaching Portland. Still, the fledgling town was fast becoming a major freight depot of the Columbia. Two teenaged brothers perceived the opportunities arriving with every steamship. On the docks of the Willamette River, with the aid of two draft horses and a cart, the boys launched a modest transfer business. Edward and Jack Holman had come west the year before, looking to escape the sweat shops of New York. The young boys had spent the early Civil War years packing hard tack and munitions for General Grant. Sitting atop their two-wheeled drays, the brothers bumped and careened their way through the city streets, hauling all kinds of goods for the early Portlanders. As their business flourished and the demand for their services rose, Holman Transfer soon became the family business. As Holman Transfer entered the 20th century, new innovations would bring Holman's services to new levels and new directions, the first of which being the horseless cart. With engine powered carts, Holman could serve its customers in the fraction of the time it took with horses. Business continued to prosper, even through the First World War. After aiding the U.S. Military's needs on the Pacific Coast during WWII,...

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