For the Tourist

Centralia is “the" city,
Centralia is “the” town;
Centralia is “the” Hub, that
The world for us goes ’round.
So come and see Centralia,
She’ll greet you With a smile;
To spend a few days with her,
She’ll make it Worth your While.
She’s on the map, “believe me,”
You’ll find her quite a “dot”;
So stop and see Centralia!
You will regret it not.

Nettie O'Day 1915

History of Centralia
By Curt Cunningham

The city of Centralia first began as a small settlement called Skookum Chuck. This is where the Military Road merged with the Cowlitz Trail coming up from the south. The first inhabitants of this place were the Upper Chehalis. For many years they had camps on Ford's prairie which they called "Tasunshun," which means "resting place." At the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers it was called "Tuaoton," which means; "a crossing of the river." After the arrival of the Europeans, they kept a permanent camp there for a few years for the purpose of ferrying travelers and their belongings across the river in their canoes for a small fee. They would also assist in the swimming of pack animals and livestock.

In 1851, George Washington arrived at Skookum Chuck and started a farm where the city of Centralia will be established. During March of 1873, George and his wife Mary laid out a town on his farm they called Centerville, where several buildings were already under construction. These new buildings were built next to Isaac Wingard's store that had already been established. In the beginning, Centralia was originally 4 blocks that Washington had divided into lots and sold for $10 a piece. Washington also gave some land to his Baptist congregation so they could build a church and cemetery, and another parcel of land for a public square, which today is called George Washington Park.

In 1874, the Northern Pacific Railroad completed their line from Kalama to Tacoma and the tracks were laid through Washington's property. He had granted liberal rights to the railroad, which secured the town a station and the promise of shops and divisional offices. 

On July 30, 1877, the Skookum Chuck post office was moved about mile and a half southeast from Van Wormer's at Ford's prairie to Centerville by James Tullis. The post office retained the name of Skookum Chuck because there was already another town in the state called Centerville. This Centerville was established in 1866 in Snohomish county at the mouth of the Stillaguamish river. The post office there was called Centerville. Even though these towns were over a hundred miles apart and had different names for their post offices, considerable annoyance was caused by having two towns with the same name in the same state.

Methodism had its local beginning at Centerville in 1880, and was the headquarters of a new charge for Napavine, Chehalis, Tenino, Bucoda, and Skookum Chuck. Rev. A. Atwood secured the services of W. P. Williams who did good work and served as charge for 2 years. The services were held in the Centerville schoolhouse until 1881, when the church was built. The materials and labor to build the building was in large part donated along with a small amount of money that was raised. Zadok Knull and Charles Kelsey hewed the sills from lumber that was milled from nearby trees that had been cut down. The building at first was just a room with a roof. The motto of the management was "we must have a church, but must not go in debt."

The lots were donated by George Washington, who was a Baptist. Washington was a noble Christian and was very generous toward the Methodists. When Rev. Atwood asked Mr. Washington if he could assist in the erection of the church, he cheerfully consented to do so, and gave them 3 or 4 lots. One or more of these lots were sold in order to secure funds for building materials and labor. In 1882, J. E. Leach took over for that year, then G. R. Olson took over for the next 2 years. In the summer of 1884, the church was finally finished and was dedicated by Rev. Harvey Kimball Hines of Ridgefield. In 1885, A. K. Crawford was placed in charge of the church.

In 1882 another town and post office named Centerville was established. This Centerville is in Klickitat county near Goldendale. The citizens of the Lewis county Centerville disliked having yet another town in the state with the same name. (The Snohomish county Centerville had changed its name to Stanwood in 1877.) They had also grown tired of having a multiplicity of names to describe the area they lived in. During November of 1883, House Bill # 107 was introduced to the Territorial Legislature to change the name of Centerville to Centralia, which was quickly approved. The name Centralia was selected because of the town's central location. Centralia is roughly half way between the Puget Sound and the Columbia river.

The Northern Pacific kept their promise and built the first depot at Centerville in 1880 and it was located on the corner of Main Street and Railroad Avenue. It was a small wood building and was replaced in 1905 by a larger wood building. The new depot was known as the "Noah's Ark" because of it's architectural design. The current brick depot was constructed in 1912.

During the 1880's Centralia boomed. Speculators built buildings that sprang up like mushrooms and land was quickly changing hands. There was even a trolley that used a steam engine that had to be turned around using a screw jack at the end of the line on Main Street, and again at the other end on North Tower Avenue. Settlers began to flock to Centerville and George Washington quickly sold all of his lots. Clineaus Crosby established a store and James Agnew established a store and also built a hotel. The town was growing steadily.

The summer of 1883 was an unusually dry one. This lead to a failure of the potato crop in the Chehalis valley. On November 26, 1883, a local resident wrote about the crop failure; "The other day while I was out in Lewis county I noticed ten sacks of potatoes loaded on a wagon at Centerville, and marked, "Lincoln creek, Lewis county." On inquiry I learned that the spuds had been raised on the Highwarden ranch, on Whidbey island, and sold to Mr. Clothier, of Skagit." 

"From him they were purchased by a Lewis county man, and had them shipped to Seattle by boat; from there to Tacoma by steamer, and from Tacoma to Centerville on the train. The potatoes were then hauled in a wagon ten miles into the interior in one of the best agricultural counties in Western Washington. The potatoes cost the purchaser, delivered at his farm on Lincoln creek, 98 cents per bushel." 

"These potatoes were of the moat common variety, and were not intended for seed, but for consumption. Carrying coal from Newcastle is now eclipsed by shipping potatoes from Whidbey island to Lewis county. On making further inquiry I learned that the unprecedented dry season had caused almost a complete failure of the potato crop in Lewis county, and that most of the farmers were looking elsewhere for their winter potatoes."

In the spring of 1884, the citizens of Centralia submitted a petition to the postal department for a name change. On April 1, 1884, the name of the Skookum Chuck post office was officially changed to Centralia. Shortly after, the railroad and express companies changed the name of their stations to Centralia, thus ridding the town of a great annoyance of having several names describing same place.

On March 3, 1884, a anonymous Centralia subscriber to the Seattle Post Intelligencer sent in a description of the town; "With regard to our little village and the country adjacent thereto, Centralia, formerly Centerville, is situated in the northwest part of Lewis county, in the rich, fertile, and world renowned Chehalis river valley, and immediately on the line of the Northern Pacific railroad running from Kalama to Tacoma, fifty miles south of the latter point." 

"Centralia has a population of about 300 inhabitants. The moral and religious character of the village will compare favorably with any other of the same size on the coast. The Baptists, under the supervision of Judge Greene and Mrs. Jones, have a large and flourishing organization and a handsome church edifice, which would doubtless do honor to a village of much larger proportions."

"Under the auspices of the Baptist church arraignments have been made to establish a college in Centralia, in which a thorough education can be had by the youth of the land, from the English A, B, C, to the highest classics. The site is already secured, with a deed to the same in the hands of the college trustees. The building is to be erected during the coming summer, and is not to cost less than $5,000."

"Among other denominations deserving notice are the Methodists, who have a substantial church edifice with a large membership, under the pastoral care of Rev. Osborne, a young, affable and talented gentleman. The Christian church, under the pastoral care of Elders Espey and Millen, is also in a flourishing condition, with a commodious church building and an average membership."

"There are three dry goods and grocery stores here. The firm of Crosby & Woodham carry a full line of dry goods, clothing, boots and shoes, groceries and hardware, and are doing a thriving business. The firm of J. Agnew & Co., dealers in dry goods and groceries, is also doing a good business. Nichols & Co. are also doing a good business in the boot and shoe line. E. R. Butterworth, dealer in furniture, is building up a promising trade."

"There is also one drug store, under the management of Dr. Roundtree, an experienced and practical druggist; one harness, saddlery, boot and shoe shop combined, under the control of Mr. Hanson; one blacksmith shop, one saloon, one barber shop, one bakery, three hotels, one livery stable, one butcher shop, one gristmill manufacturing as fine a quality of flour as can be found in the market, under the management of Messrs. Peel and Buchanan."

"Within one mile of the town are three sawmills, two of which, in consequence of financial embarrassments, have been idle the past winter, but in a few days their difficulties will be removed and the mills again will resume work. Centralia offers great inducements to those seeking homes in Washington Territory. The townsite is most beautifully located. Dry, level and mostly prairie, good water is obtained by digging from fourteen to twenty feet."

"At present the health of the people is extraordinarily good. Nice, centrally located town lots, 70x140 feet, can be had at present from $25 to $150. Centralia is surrounded on all sides by an excellent farming and stock-raising country, and but few farms are for sale, a fact which speaks well for the country. Contiguous to Centralia there is also an abundance of good government and railroad land awaiting cultivation."

"To emigrants from the States, and to those who anticipate coming to the Territory in search of homes, we would suggest a visit to Centralia and Lewis county. Come and prospect for yourselves as to the inducements spread out before you to obtain good and comfortable homes. Now that spring has again returned, with its comforting influences, emigration will begin to flock to the Territory by scores, and the thousands of chances to obtain good lands and pleasant homes either in town or country, that now offer themselves to you, will be secured by the more fortunate, who come and obtain them in time."

In 1888, there were 500 people living in town. Railroad branch lines had been extended out from Centralia, and soon after, nearly 60 trains a day would pass through town. The system of rails, roads and rivers all converged at Centralia and the town became known as "Hub City."

The boom lasted barely a decade when the collapse came in 1893. Many real estate speculators were left holding the bag and countless others were stuck with worthless lots because there was no demand for them. The "Panic of 1893" brought hard times for the struggling town. Centralia's growth was now in a holding pattern. Business was slow and many of the proprietors defaulted on their rents and others left town altogether. Many of those business people who left town in disgust found no greener pastures elsewhere and some returned to Centralia in even greater disgust.

By 1900, the town had grown to 1,600 people and one of the first improvements since the bust was a cinder bicycle path that ran along the east side of Tower Avenue. The town was now beginning to show signs of growth. The lumber industry in Centralia and Chehalis began to seek out new workers and the empty houses started to become homes again. People started to move into Centralia and Chehalis which also prompted construction of many new homes.

During the 1900's, rents increased and land values went up. The business people who had returned to town in disgust during the 1890's, were now glad they had returned, and the ones who stayed through the hard times began to reap the rewards of their patience. As the town grew in both population and wealth, new problems arose and there were many heated discussions at city hall on how the town should proceed.

The free roaming cows were soon banished from the public streets and a sewage system was built for the town. Tower Avenue was paved and the side streets were graded. The wooden sidewalks were replaced with concrete and the wood frame buildings were torn down and replaced by brick and stone structures. Centralia had now become a city, and by 1910, there were 7,311 people living there.

The railroad was king from the 1870's to the 1910's moving the majority of passengers and freight through the Cowlitz Corridor. The old Military Road had fallen into disuse, and now the automobile was fast becoming the preferred mode of transport. Good roads were now needed. The old Cowlitz Trail that had been widened for wagons in the late 1850's was now undergoing a transition to accommodate the auto.

In 1911, Pacific Highway road crews began improving the old wagon road through Centralia and Chehalis. The soggy sections of the road that had been planked were raised and graveled. On September 7, 1912 George Albers & William Nelson, of Chehalis completed construction of one mile of concrete paving leading from the county bridge across the Skookumchuck river north to Ford's prairie. 

The pavement was 5.5 inches thick, with a 2 inch crown in the center. The road was graded 4 feet on each side of the road making it a 24 foot roadway. Afterwards the roadway was coated with a sticky surfacing and binding material made from coal tar called tarvia, which was put down by Ford's Prairie resident Mr. Ipe. By 1916 the Pacific Highway was a good gravel and concrete road between Toledo and Centralia.

The 1920's brought more improvements to the highway. The elbow joints were eliminated and by 1923 the entire highway was paved in concrete. In the summer of 1926, the Pacific Highway entering Centralia from the northwest was realigned at Caveness Drive onto Harrison Avenue.

In 1954, a section of Highway 99 (now Interstate-5) was completed between Chehalis and Centralia. Cars traveling north from Toledo would enter the new Chehalis/Centralia Expressway at Chamber of Commerce Way in Chehalis and continue north and reconnecting back to the Pacific Highway at Harrison Avenue in Centralia.