From which river does Columbia Sportswear take its name?

From which river does Columbia Sportswear take its name? Columbia River.

Columbia Sportswear’s name reflects its Pacific Northwest home. The Columbia River flows through British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean, and it is the dominant geographic feature associated with the Portland region, where the company is headquartered.

The company began in 1938 as the Columbia Hat Company, founded by Gertrude Boyle’s father, Paul Lamfrom. In 1960, it changed its name to Columbia Sportswear Company as the business expanded beyond hats into broader outdoor clothing. The river name is therefore a regional reference, not a description of a particular fabric or product line.

A common mix-up is the Willamette River, which also runs through Portland and joins the Columbia there. The Snake River is another major Pacific Northwest waterway, while the Mississippi River belongs to a different drainage system. Columbia River is the single canonical answer for the company’s namesake.