On June 16, 1907, the Commonwealth Coal Company chartered Joseph Kellogg for a free trip for businessmen from Portland to take them to inspect the company's mining properties near the Cowlitz river. There were additional chartered excursions to the mines that summer, with the last one scheduled for August 25, 1907, although the later trips were restricted to stockholders, the company being anxious to sell its stock at the price of $14 a share.
