Water Tower Mural Ties History of Toledo Together

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Toledo is now displaying its history and heritage on the side of the recently refurbished water tower in town.

The mural completed in early June shows the first white settler in the area, Simon Plomondon. To his right, a Cowlitz River steamboat is seen carrying goods, and to his left a lumber train takes timber to the mill. Artist Peter Goetzinger said his goal was to tell some of the early history of the community. 

“I really like doing historically themed murals,” he said. “I love engaging communities with their history through public art.”

The city funded the $22,000 mural as part of a larger water system update that included refurbishing the old water tower and constructing a new one. The project cost $811,000 in total, City Clerk Michelle Whitten said. The project was funded through community development block grants, city funds and personal donations. 

Goetzinger is a professional painter based out of Spokane specializing in murals and public art. 

He worked with community members to design the mural, then he and his son outlined the project. Goetzinger had to work quickly because of the weather conditions and the kind of highly durable paint he was using. He said it had to be mixed together on site and he didn’t have much time to get it on the water tower once it was ready. 

“The only thing I was fighting was the weather,” he said. “I got it done the day it rained.” 



While painting the mural, Goetzinger said several people came up to him and told him about how their families tied into the history depicted on the mural. Many had grandfathers or other relatives who worked on lumber trains. Talking to the community is the best part of the job, he said. 

Whitten said the city will put a plaque in front of the mural to explain what each element is and how it ties into the history of the town.

“It is a springboard in understanding this (history) in greater depth,” Goetzinger said. 

There are several other murals in Toledo, Whitten said. 

Community art is spread out throughout the town.