History of Napavine and McDonald's Station
By Curt Cunningham

The Napavine Prairie

The following is a general description of township 12 north, range 2 west, which was taken from deputy surveyor Joseph Hunt's field notes written during August of 1853; "Land, except on the 5th or double tier of sections, level or gently rolling. Soil first and good second rate clay and vegetable loam. The greater part of sections 35 and small portions of sections 1, 2, 25, 26, and 34 are prairie. The balance of the township is timbered with fir, cedar, hemlock, maple and near the streams, some alder, balm-gilead, and ash."

"The undergrowth is vine maple, hazel, arrow-wood, briers of different kinds, salal, and weeds in many places very thick. The timber has nearly all been scorched by fire and about two thirds killed and one fourth fallen. In the eastern part of the township there are a number of crabapple and ash swales, and the land has the appearance of being swampy in the wet season. Land in the double tier of sections, rolling or hilly with volcanic rocks scattered over the surface in some places. Soil second rate. Homochen or Hom creek (Olequa creek from Vader northward), and a tributary of the Newaukum River take their rise in this township." 

The prairie located in section 35, east of Winlock, was named Banfan Prairie in Hunt's field notes. This is the same prairie Xavier Katman and John Prevost had settled on. Banfan Prairie is part of the Grand Prairie. The ridge where Pike's Hill is located, runs in a north-south direction and splits the Grand Prairie into two parts. On the east side of the hill is known as Drew's Prairie, which is located about 2.5 miles west of Toledo. Banfan Prairie is located on the west side of the hill about a mile east of Winlock.

The following is taken from the Guidebook of the Western US printed in 1916, and it describes the route of the Northern Pacific railroad from Chehalis through Napavine; "Beyond Chehalis the railway gradually ascends from the Newaukum Valley through shallow cuts in Eocene sandstone and early Pleistocene gravel to Napavine, situated near the crest of a low east-west divide 450 feet above sea level that separates the Chehalis River from the Cowlitz. The broad surface of the divide is at the level top of an extensive deposit of gravel that was created from the retreating glaciers during the last Ice Age."

The First Settlers

The first European settlers to make a home on the little prairie was in 1853, when John M. MacDonald Jr. and John Henry Cutting arrived. John Malcolm MacDonald was born in Scotland on June 24, 1825. In 1830 he moved with his parents to Nova Scotia, where they lived until 1835, when another move took them to Roxbury, MA. As a young man, he went to sea and followed the life of a sailor for seventeen years, continuing to live at Roxbury, when on land, until 1837.

In 1839 he moved to San Francisco, and in 1848 he was appointed a customs house officer. In 1851 MacDonald saw a woman fall from the gangway as she was disembarking a vessel, and he quickly jumped in to save her. Her name was Mary Jane Cutting, and she was the daughter of John Henry and Anna Maria Cutting. The damsel in distress would fall in love with her rescuer and the couple would wed in 1853.

In 1852, MacDonald and the Cutting's moved north to the Oregon country. After arriving at Monticello, the party traveled up the Cowlitz River to the Landing where they were received by Uncle George who guided them up the Cowlitz Trail to his home in the Newaukum Valley. From there they followed the trail to Napuvina Prairie where they made their home. In the beginning, both families may have lived in that little house on the prairie which was found in Hunt's field notes. There is no other mention of them in his notes, while the settlers in the southern portion of the township on Banfan Prairie were recorded in 1854 by deputy surveyor J. Trutch.

In 1853 John MacDonald Jr. married Mary Jane Cutting and their 640 acre claim would become known as the Ferndale farm. John and Mary lived on this farm the remainder of their lives. John MacDonald Jr. passed away in 1893 and Mary Jane would pass on May 5, 1909.

The Cutting's took a 640 acre claim next to the MacDonald's. The Military Road ran in-between their properties. Only a year after they arrived, John Henry Cutting sadly passed away. His now widowed wife Anna Maria would later marry Edward Lane. John Henry and Anna Maria had three children; John W., who married Lydia Hendricks; Mary Jane, who married John MacDonald; and Katherine Cutting who passed away in 1889. The heirs of John Henry Cutting filed for his donation claim on March 3, 1866. 

James Urquhart Sr. was the next settler to take a claim on the little prairie. Urquhart was born near Iverness, Scotland, on March 15, 1822. He was married in Glasgow, on November 18, 1845, to Helen Muir. They started a family in Scotland, and in 1851 traveled to America. Helen Urquhart and the children were left in New York, while James crossed the plains after stopping for a short time in Iowa. 

James arrived in Portland in 1853, and worked 2 years on the Columbia River while living at Oak Point. In 1854 the family sailed from New York, around the "horn" arriving at San Francisco in January of 1855, and in the spring of that year they settled on the prairie. James Urquhart was a farmer, merchant, postmaster and one of the early commissioners of Lewis County, and he served several terms in the state legislature and also served as a Lewis County school superintendent. He was a man much respected by those who knew him, for his integrity and many good traits of character. James Urquhart Sr. filed his claim on May 15, 1869.

MacDonald's Station

In 1861, when the Military Road was completed, the road ran through the little prairie between MacDonald's and Cutting's property. Today this location is between Koontz Road and W. Avery Road. The first stage began to run on the day it opened and was driven by Rice Tilley who worked for the Henry Winsor Company. I am not sure if MacDonald's was a stop for the Winsor stages at that early time as I have found no record to suggest they had stopped there.

In 1867, Charles Grainger of Monticello and Louis Davis of Claquato were awarded a contract to carry the mail. They had established a stage coach company called the Davis Stage Line. They hauled mail, freight and passengers between Monticello and Olympia. MacDonald's Station was a stop on the route that took three days to complete if there were no mishaps. MacDonald's Station was most likely in operation from about 1865 to about 1875 when the railroad ended the need for the stage coaches.

On November 3, 1869, W. H. N. wrote in to the Walla Walla Weekly Statesman and told of his journey from Portland to Olympia. The following is when the stage left Pumphrey's hotel; "After journeying fourteen miles, the greater part through a dense forest, we came to MacDonald's Station, and there halted for breakfast. We had been five hours in making this fourteen miles, and during the whole time the rain never ceased to come down as though the windows of heaven had been opened."

"After a hasty and not by any means palatable breakfast, we were again on the road, with twenty miles to make before reaching Tullis' Station, (Centralia) the next stopping place, and the point at which passengers take dinner. Our drive for miles was through a dense forest, broken occasionally by little patches of prairie land. These prairies are all taken up, but being, covered with fern, we can scarcely understand how the occupants manage to live."

In the obituary of Mary MacDonald who passed away in 1909, is a description of the journey from Portland to Olympia; "a trip of three days by steamer, canoe or saddle, and "dead-ex" wagon, the latter by courtesy called a stage coach. The journey began with a trip from Portland to Monticello by Captain Hoyt's steamer, the Multnomah No. 1, where an excellent dinner was spread by A. R. Burbank." 

"If you were in luck on arrival at Monticello, you might possibly obtain passage in a canoe to "the forks," where you would find hospitable entertainment by William Pumphrey. If you were out of luck, you would have to ride over the mountains on a "cayuse," only 15 miles, but O, what a long weary and muddy ride it was (in the rainy season). To make time you had to start out before daylight in the morning, by "stage," and when the roads were bad, in winter, walk up the hills and occasionally aid in prying a wheel out of a rut with a fence rail, carried for this purpose." 

"For breakfast, you halted at MacDonald's and oh what a breakfast you had with the farm products so splendidly cooked by the hostess. The next night was spent at Claquato, with the once famous Davis family, whose latch-string always hung out denoting whole-souled hospitality. Dinner was taken at the Tilley place, (Scatter Creek east of Grand Mound) after sounding the depths of the almost impassible "Saunder's Bottom," another stopping place famous for well cooked eatables, chief among which, fond memory reminds us, was the delightful biscuits, so light and fluffy that a gentle breeze it was said might waft them out of the window."

"At nightfall the third day, one might reasonably expect, barring accidents, to arrive in Olympia, splotched with mud, tired and foot-sore, out $25 in fare and three days cost of entertainment by the way-side. If first impressions are the guide for lasting judgment, how could anybody under such circumstances greet Puget Sound with that rapture that inspires those who now make the trip by rail, in five hours, with dress suit, prepared for ballroom or parlor, at the cost of less than one-forth of the old time rates?"

"Verily we live in an age of progress, that a half century affords ample time to develop; but alas! how true it is also of the swing of Time's remorseless scythe, which cuts down all both great and small."

At MacDonald's Station on Sunday morning March 26, 1871, as two stages loaded with passengers were leaving in both directions, one toward Olympia and the other for Cowlitz, John MacDonald discovered that his watch had been taken, which he figured by one of the stage passengers. The Olympia stage being loaded entirely with lawyers and Government officials, Mac knew there was no need to follow that crowd, so he mounted his horse and started after the Cowlitz stage, which he overtook in about two miles. The passengers were searched and the stolen watch was found among them; the thief was described as a young man dressed in gray clothes. The man was not arrested and the stage resumed its journey. By the weekend the thief was said to be in Portland "plying his vocation."

In the book All Over Washington and Oregon written in 1872 by Francis Fuller Victor, the following is from her trip from Portland to Olympia between Pumphrey's and Claquato; "We are on the road again by day break, crossing Pumphrey's Mountain before breakfast. The road, in all respects, resembles that of the day previous. The morning is quite cool, although it is July weather, and the blazing, open fire which welcomes us at MacDonald's, gives the most cheering impression."

"Here we obtain a substantial breakfast, and have time to admire the comfortable, home-like appearance of this isolated station. Our road now lies across MacDonald's Prairie, from which we catch the first real view of Mount Rainier, the grandest snow-peak of the Cascade Range; which fact it pains us to admit, because we had taken Mount Hood to be the highest, and even maintained its pretensions over Mount Shasta, its California rival." 

"But our eyes convince us that Rainier is chief among the snow-peaks, and altogether lovely. Measurement makes it just four feet higher than Shasta so the north has the champion mountain, after all. The lights and shades upon it, as we catch frequent glimpses during the day, are beautiful beyond criticism. There is very little good farming land along the line of the road. Where there is a thick growth of forest, the intermediate prairies are gravelly, making excellent driving, but poor farming." 

"Occasionally, where there is a small piece of valley land, it is of the richest description. The grass that is being cut in some of these little valleys is the heaviest we ever saw. At the first crossing of the Chehalis River is the pretty village of Claquato, which makes us wonder how it got there, so isolated it seems from the outside world. Its buildings, gardens, and orchards have a truly comfortable, even charming, appearance; and the sign, "Claquato Academy," upon the front of a good sized frame building, inspires us with respect for this isolated community."

The Early Beginnings of Napavine and Newaukum

Sometime in the late 1860's, or about the time the railroad came through in the early 1870's, James Urquhart Jr. took a claim of 80 acres on the southwest side of the present city of Napavine. Urquhart filed his claim on December 30, 1875. At around the same time, John W. Cutting, son of John Henry and Anna Cutting, took a claim for 80 acres upon which the town of Napavine would be established. Cutting filed his claim on March 9, 1879. John W. Cutting is credited for the founding of Napavine.

In 1871, the Northern Pacific began to construct a railroad line from Kalama to Tacoma. By August of 1872, the tracks had reached a point about 2 miles west of MacDonald's Station. From here the railroad had to build a 1.25% grade down Napavine Hill into the Newaukum Valley while on its way to Chehalis. Napavine at 450 feet in elevation, is the highest point on the line between Portland and Tacoma and the heavy grade required the railroad to keep a helper at Chehalis for the freight trains. While the grade was under construction, the railroad began to run trains to the end of the line. The mail and passengers were then transferred from the train to wagons which took them to MacDonald's Station where they would board the stages for the remainder of the trip to Olympia.

The Northern Pacific railroad had asked Eliza Saunders if she would donate 40 acres of land for the privilege of having a depot established at Chehalis. She promptly refused their offer, so the railroad decided to build a new town for their depot someplace else. On August 9, 1872, the Northern Pacific had selected a site on section 8, township 13 north, range 2 west, a half mile south of the crossing of the Newaukum River. This station was to accommodate the Chehalis, Boistfort and Newaukum country.

That August General Tilton platted out the new railroad town of Newaukum. Newaukum is located about 4.5 miles northwest of Napavine on the mainline. The Newaukum school was located on the Military Road at the intersection with Brown Rd. E. and Shorey Road. In 1874, Newaukum had a depot, telegraph and post office with daily mail, and a general store, which was operated by Davis & Shorey. That same year a flour mill was established at the confluence of the Newaukum and Chehalis rivers.

In the fall of 1872, the railroad was busy building the grade down the hill toward Chehalis. This required plenty of workers who were most likely camped at the top of the hill. At about this time Horace H. Pinto of Toledo established a general store where the Military Road crosses the newly laid tracks. He may have wanted to take advantage of the large workforce that would have a need for supplies.

There is a story that in 1872 or 1873, John W. Cutting found out that Horace Pinto was going to claim the land at the top of Napavine Hill. Cutting beat Pinto to Olympia and was first to file a claim for the land around the tracks that will eventually become the city of Napavine. The story says that Pinto was able to buy a couple of acres from Cutting so he could start his store. Horace H. Pinto, who was born in 1810, originally settled on his claim near the Cowlitz Prairie at Toledo in 1853. Pinto was still living on the Cowlitz Prairie in 1860.

Horace Pinto was most likely the person who named the town of Napavine. At the beginning of Fall in 1873, Pinto became Napavine's first postmaster. In a government book printed in 1874; Register of Offices and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, listed Horace H. Pinto as postmaster of "Naparine" in Lewis County on September 30, 1873. This was just a misspelling as in the same book the name Claquato is spelled Clayquato. In the Oregon City Enterprise printed on September 25, 1874, it lists Napavine as a Washington Territory post office. This is the earliest date that I have found using the word Napavine. 

In the 1874 Pacific Coast Business Directory, it lists Horace H. Pinto as running a general merchandise store at the Cowlitz Village near Toledo. This is about the time James Urquhart Sr. started his general store at Napavine. It is said Urquhart received his merchandise from Pinto suggesting that Pinto sold his store to Urquhart and then opened a new store at the Cowlitz Village near his home. In 1881, a post office was established at Pinto's store and Horace became its postmaster. In 1889, Horace H. Pinto would pass away quietly on the Cowlitz Prairie. His son Horace Jr. was born at Cowlitz in 1859, and lived there until 1902, when he moved to Portland to look for work.

According to the Pacific Coast Business Directory at the beginning of 1874, Lewis County had a population, 1,700. The county seat was at Chehalis. The principal towns were; Boisfort, Cowlitz, Highland, Newaukum, Saunders, and Skookum Chuck. The directory listed the following businesses at Napavine; the Jones & Novil Company, lumber manufacturers; Marcel Bernier, blacksmith and wagon maker; J. W. Chlopek and P. Honnesey, school teachers, Timothy Lynch was the town carpenter and James Urquhart Sr, and his son James Jr. ran the general merchandise store and post office. T. K. Winston was the surveyor.

In 1874, the Northern Pacific Railroad built a depot at Napavine called Napavine Station. On August 15, 1874, the county commissioners changed the place of holding elections in the Newaukum precinct from the schoolhouse to the new station. On December 19, 1874, a tree fell on Cal Burkett near the Napavine Mills. His leg was caught under the tree, breaking it and crushing the ankle. The injuries were serious and he died a few days later. 

On December 11, 1875, C. McCarthy of Napavine reported that the Newaukum River had been higher the last few days than it had at any previous season of freshets. Communication between the settlers on the Newaukum and Alpha prairies in the east had been cut off for several days. This was due to the Newaukum River being too high to cross, and the detour was many miles over bad roads. The settlers living on the county road proposed to petition the Lewis County Commissioners for a bridge at the point where it crosses the Newaukum.

In the late 1870's, the area between Newaukum and Winlock was still a dense forest, broken only by little prairies, and was a favorite destination for black tail deer hunters from the cities who would ride the train to Newaukum, Napavine or Winlock for a couple of days and then return quickly back home.

On February 8, 1879, a correspondent wrote about the thriving little village of Napavine, which had sprung into existence as a way-station on the Northern Pacific. Napavine had a store and post office under the control of James Urquhart & son, a boot and shoe maker, a dress maker, a Justice of the Peace, and a day school with a Sunday school in contemplation. 

The principle industry of Napavine was the manufacture and shipment of cedar shingle bolts to the tub and bucket factories in Portland. There was a steam and a water mill that were situated within easy access of town and fine timber was found in unlimited quantities within a radius of a few miles. During the 1878 season, the mill produced three to five cords a week that were shipped on the rails to the Portland market. 

The country surrounding Napavine was well adapted to farming. The beautiful Cowlitz Prairie, and the Newaukum with its fertile acres, are nearer to Napavine than any other station on the line. While Lewis County is famous both as an agricultural and stock raising district, and it could safely be said that Napavine in the 1870's had as much or more desirable land for settlement with easy access than any point that enjoyed communication with the outside world.

The Twenty Thousand Dollar Robbery

On December 6, 1878, one of the boldest and most successful robberies ever committed in the Territory, which was later found to have never happened, but instead, a more sinister plan was to have taken place. It all started on the morning of the 6th, Reverend D. W. Macfie was on the train from Kalama to Tenino, when it made a stop at Napavine Station. While there, the  passengers all saw a peculiar sight as the station agent along with an excited crowd, were interviewing a wounded man who had said that he had been assaulted, robbed and shot on the railroad track a short time ago. 

The wounded man who said his name was Jones, was put on board the train and taken to Chehalis Station where he had his wounds dressed. While on the train, the man told a tale to Rev. Macfie that he came from Ohio a short time ago, bringing with him a large amount of money to purchase land in this Territory. He landed, a few days ago, at Tacoma and proceeded to Newaukum, where he had selected the lands and closed the business part of the purchase.

For some unknown reason he said that he showed the plats he going to buy to several people in the vicinity. He then left Newaukum and proceeded on foot towards Napavine following the tracks. In a side pocket of his coat was twenty $1,000 gold bank notes. When he was within about a quarter mile from Napavine, he ran into two masked men. One had a revolver and the other a Henry rifle. Without any warning he received a shot in the palm of his left hand while the ball from the rifle made an ugly wound low down in the back of his hand. 

At this point he opened his coat and begged them to take his money and spare his life. No sooner said than done, and the robbers fled with their booty into the woods which skirted the railroad. He then did the best he could to reach Napavine to tell his mysterious story.

On December 14, 1878, fresh news of the mystery came in when Marshall Thorndyke of Seattle brought up a man implicated in the "Twenty Thousand Dollar Robbery." The prisoner's name was Joseph A. Jacobs and his version of the affair placed a whole new phase in the mystery. 

Jacobs said that John Henderson (he initially said his name was Jones) induced him to go on an expedition to unearth money buried by an old miner in the mountains, but when they were near Napavine Station, Henderson informed Jacobs that the real object was to murder the Catholic Priest on the Cowlitz Prairie and take $1,500 that the Priest had hidden in his house. This Jacobs refused to do and when Henderson attempted to shoot him, Jacobs drew his pistol, and wounded Henderson in the head and wrist. After this testimony Henderson was quickly arrested and taken to jail in Chehalis by the county sheriff.

Napavine in the 1880's

On July 4, 1881, Napavine held a large 4th of July celebration where almost 500 people had attended. It was one of three celebrations that were held in Lewis County that year and the ladies who put out the enormous lunch for the guests received many complements. The lunch was pronounced to be the best prepared meal for any public occasion in the county. In Newaukum over 400 people attended their celebration.

On August 9, 1882, John MacDonald made a trip to Olympia for a visit. While in town he and his friends reminisced about the "Good Ol' Days" when MacDonald's Station was a haven of rest for the weary traveler. It had been 25 years since the settlers had looked forward to the advent of the iron horse and for the end of many imaginary and some real hardships that came with pioneer life and travel on the old Military Road.

On December 17, 1883, the town of Napavine was platted by Postmaster James Urquhart Sr.

On September 12, 1884, William H. Young and his wife H. C. Young, newly arrivals in Napavine, wrote that they had just finished building their barn, and that a bear had attacked their son Charley while they were visiting Mr. Hancock. The bear came in through the back gate and Charley and his little dog Zack drove it away. The Young's then said that the school at Napavine was now open 6 months a year. Their son Charley and daughter Ottie attended regularly. Miss Smith from Winlock was their teacher.

On March 12, 1886, Napavine resident John R. Somerville became the postal carrier for mail route #43,131, that served the villages of Rankin and Tilden. The mail came in on the Northern Pacific and was dropped off at Napavine Station. Somerville then carried it on horseback 16 miles to these villages, which were located east of Napavine near the towns of Onalaska and Cinebar. Somerville was paid $173.50 annually.

On October 18, 1889, a new station was built on the railroad between Winlock and Napavine. This new station was called Eleanor. This was the place that the Union Pacific railroad was to cross the Northern Pacific tracks on a proposed line between Portland and Port Townsend, which was partially graded but never completed. This station was the beginning of the village of Evaline. It is not known if Eleanor was a spelling error made by the newspaper.

First Church in Napavine

Methodism had its beginning at Napavine in 1880 when the town became a part of the Centerville (Centralia) circuit. Pastor W. P. Williams was the first to preach at Napavine and he was followed by pastors G. R. Osborne, J. E. Leach and D. W. Cameron. The first Methodist church was constructed at Napavine in 1885 under the leadership of Pastor Cameron. The church was dedicated on August 23, 1885, by Presiding Elder A. J. Hanson and was assisted by Pastor Cameron. The lots for the church were donated by local resident Mary Rowell.

The charter members of the church were; John Somerville and his wife; D. Seely and his wife, Margaret; Benjamin, B. Pennypacker and his wife; D. Seely Jr.; C. L. Seely; and Julia Riggs. Official members were; Sunday School Superintendents, S. H. Baldwin, and H. Spaulding. Epworth League President, George Wolf. Class Leaders; John Somerville, and Brother Baldwin. Stewards; Mrs. L. Lentz, Miss A. Sorenson, Miss M. Brown, A. Gubster, Mrs. M. Somerville, and Mrs. S. Somerville. Trustees; H. Metz, J. V. Warne, M. Wall, W. Seaman, D. Seely, J. Somerville, and H. U. Spaulding. Ladies' Aid Society; President, Mrs. L. B. Johnson; Secretary, Mrs. N. Woody; Treasurer, Mrs. F. C. Metz.

Napavine Newspapers

During August of 1886, the Western Washington Farmer was established at Napavine by Rowell & Rathbun. The newspaper lasted there for almost a year before they moved the office to Centralia on April 1, 1887.

On February 11, 1887, Portland printer Henry Fulton was deemed to be missing as nobody had seen him for quite awhile. Rumors were going around Portland that he had been "shanghaied" and was now aboard a sailing ship headed for Asia. The rumor was found to be untrue when Fulton was discovered at Napavine where he founded a newspaper, which I believe was The Napavine Independent. The Oregonian said that the poor fellow might as well have been shanghaied.

The Local Option Law

In 1886, the Washington Territorial Legislature passed a local option law. This allowed residents of a town or precinct to petition for elections on the licensing of liquor sales within their community. The Territorial Supreme Court outlawed the local option law in 1888, although a few years later a modified version of the law was reinstated.

On November 3, 1887, A correspondent of the Oregonian writing from Toledo spoke very unkindly of the benefits arising from the local option law. He said; "Lewis county people are watching with interest the progress of the prohibition battle in Oregon. We have it in the local option form here, and as some otherwise sensible people in Oregon seem to favor it, we respectfully invite them to come over and see how it works."

"Before the law went into effect there were, I think, but six saloons in the county, all paying licenses, yielding, if my memory serves, $2,000 yearly to the school fund. At the election all these places but Toledo voted prohibition. The result was that Toledo ended up being the only licensed place in the county and pays for two saloons $400 per year and has no drunkenness or rowdiness. Chehalis, Centralia, Winlock, Napavine and Olequa all have saloons, a total number seven, which pay no license, keep open doors, and have more rowdiness than ever." 

"If the nine saloons in the county paid the old license of $300 each, with the extra one or two hundred at Chehalis for city privileges, the county would have a revenue of over $3,000 for the school fund. Oh, yes, we like prohibition."

Napavine Love Stories

On May 24, 1890, it was reported that a young German girl, who had been working at the Napavine hotel for several months, disappeared on Monday May 19th in company with a young German man from Winlock. It was said that they never met before until that evening, and have not been heard from since. The elopement created a rather mysterious affair.

On June 25, 1899, A. S. Taylor, traveling salesman for the Wiley B. Allen Co. of Portland, and Margaret Dever deputy postmaster of Chehalis, got a marriage license at the Chehalis courthouse and then were driven to Napavine where they were married. They then took the afternoon train to Portland. While the happy couple was in Portland consummating their marriage, the woman's parents, who were unaware of the union, had made a previous public announcement at their Catholic church and had printed a marriage bann, proclaiming their daughter Margaret was to wed a man from Wooley (now called Sedro Wooley).

The young man from Wooley arrived in Chehalis a week after the elopement, and had already purchased a marriage license, when he found out that she had married another man. The poor spurned fellow from Wooley now had a marriage license to dispose of and the parents had much explaining to do at church.

Napavine in the 1890's

On November 21, 1890, the Napavine Cemetery Association was incorporated and a new cemetery was established on two acres of land on a little hill just north of town. It is located at the corner of 4th & Grand and was formally dedicated on May 5, 1891. Today the cemetery is maintained by the association and in 2019 had only one member, who is a volunteer as the positions on the association offer no pay. At that time they were actively looking for other volunteers and I hope that they found some more help.

In 1892, Napavine had grown to a population of 200. The town had two general stores, a church and three large sawmills plus a shingle mill. Besides ordinary lumber, the mills were producing railroad ties for the Northern Pacific. The mail carrier to Rankin and Tilden began to make two trips each week. Also in 1892, three Napavine residents W. Kaylor, James Urquhart Sr. and John R. Somerville became Lewis County school directors.

On June 19, 1893, Helen Urquhart wife of James Urquhart Sr. passed away at her home in Napavine where she had lived since 1855. She was survived by her husband and her two sons.

On November 17, 1893, John M. MacDonald passed away at his home on the Ferndale farm where he had lived since he arrived in the territory. He had suffered for the past year from heart trouble, the cause of his death was heart failure. He was twice in St. Vincent's Hospital at Portland, and received treatment under Dr. J. F. Bell, and continued taking medicine from him until his death. John Macdonald was a devout Catholic and his funeral was held Thursday morning, November 19th at the Cowlitz Mission where he was laid to rest. His wife Mary and six children survived him. They were; Mrs. Francis Donohoe, of Chehalis; Kate MacDonald of Portland; Belle, Henry, Lottie and Agnes were still living on the old homestead with their mother.

In the spring of 1897 Napavine had five sawmills in the area and all of them were running at full speed with plenty of orders to fill. The pay for a common laborer was $1.50 a day.

The Attempted Train Robbery

On November 28, 1892, the Northern Pacific Railroad was being patrolled by armed men from Tacoma to the Columbia River a distance of over 100 miles. The patrolmen had orders to shoot any person caught tampering with the track. Superintendent Joseph McCabe was determined to capture the men who attempted to wreck train No. 4 on a bridge about 2 miles southwest of Napavine.

During the early part of the night the section tool box at Napavine was broken into and tools taken with which to remove the fish plates and bolts from the rails on bridge No. 62 near Napavine. Fortunately the train wreckers loosened the rails on the inside and did not succeed in wrecking the train badly. As it was, the rear truck of the baggage car and both trucks of the express car left the rails. No one was hurt, although many were badly frightened.

The train was delayed an hour and twenty minutes and did not arrive in Tacoma until alter midnight. If the rail had been loosened on the outside it is probable the train would have been ditched. The passengers on the delayed train reported that this was the third attempt to wreck the Northern Pacific train. The derailing of the truck that night did not cause very much damage to the train and repairs were quickly made.

During the evening before the wreck, two men dressed in rough garments and greatly excited appeared at Napavine Station and asked what time No. 4 passed. They also asked if the train went very fast. While they were dressed as tramps, their manner and address led to the suspicion that they were not as such. Their hands and faces showed no signs of dirt or exposure. Train No. 4 did not arrive until 1:15am, two hours and fifteen minutes late. 

The derailed cars were not disabled. Conductor Mixer said; "They had things fixed for us, sure." The rail was loosened, and the bolts and fishplates had been taken out. It seems miraculous that the train held the track with the baggage car and one truck of the express car off the track. The train ran twice its length with three trucks off the track, the baggage car being next to the engine. The wheels of the trucks of the derailed cars were about four inches from the rail when the train finally stopped.

Rev. M. D. Wilson, of Vancouver, one of the passengers, timed the trainmen in putting the trucks back on the rails and said they did it in forty-five minutes. C. D. Galbraith of Portland, another passenger, said he thought of train robbers the instant the train stopped. He threw away his cigar and placed himself in the aisle at the end of the smoking car, where only one person could get in at a time. He had his gun ready to shoot the robbers if they appeared.

The station agent at Napavine was sure he could identify the robbers, as they had been hanging around there all day. Superintendent McCabe says every attempt would be made to capture the train wreckers. McCabe believed they could be captured. He didn't think they were persons living around the area. An attempt was made last week to wreck a train. It occurred forty miles below town, and it was supposed the would-be wreckers in the meantime moved up to Napavine.

On Monday night a few days after the derailment, a man believed to be one of those who attempted to wreck the train, was arrested near the scene of the crime. He was found hanging around in a suspicious manner near the trestle where the rail had been displaced by the wreckers, and where a shot was fired at Conductor Kimball on Sunday night. The suspect was believed to have been implicated in both the wrecking plot and firing the shot at Conductor Kimball. Kimball traveled to Chehalis were the suspect was taken to jail so he could identify him.

As a precaution against wreckers, all trains had orders to stop or go slow on approaching or crossing trestles, for the same gang was believed to be still hanging about the neighborhood.

The Napavine Tragedy

On Saturday night November 2, 1907 at about 9pm, Frank O. Bridgham of Napavine sent a bullet from a 44 caliber Colt revolver crashing through the back of the woman whom he had promised to love, cherish and protect, robbing her of life, their children of a mother, and himself a wife. Pangs of jealousy was the cause of the evil deed. For some time Bridgham and his wife had been having quarrels over a man named Baldwin, who lived near them and spent a part of his time at their home. Baldwin formally lived above Toledo. 

For the past two years the Bridgham's had made Napavine their home. A portion of the time Bridgham had been employed as a janitor at the Hanover Flats in Seattle, that was at the corner of 6th Ave. and Columbia Street. About 2 weeks prior to the shooting, Brigham returned to Napavine and found that gossip had coupled the names of Baldwin and his wife and this led to many arguments. Bridgham had worked, while in Napavine, at the Hawkins and Pitcher mills, and that Saturday, the day of the shooting, the family was moving into one of the Springsteen cottages. Bridgham having engaged to work for Dittmar & Springsteen.

More or less quarrelling had been going on throughout the day. Late that evening Bridgham who had been drinking, was told by Napavine parties to go to bed and sober up, and then talk it over some more with his wife; not to break up the family if he could avoid it. Bridgham instead sought out his wife who was at the home of Joe Phalon and his wife, where he met her and tried to talk with her. 

She turned to leave him and enter another room when the husband shot once, the bullet striking her in the small of the back, passing through her stomach and lodging in the wall. Joe Phalon and his wife, plus Mrs. Codgill and the three Bridgham children were present. After the shooting, Bridgham intimidated Phalon, finally shifting his gun to the left hand, and then shook hands with Phalon and backed out the door. He went to his daughter's and left the gun, returning to the depot.

A phone message was sent to Sheriff Deggeller, who responded at once. Sheriff Deggeller stated that Bridgham was taken into custody by Napavine people as he was waiting near the Urquhart warehouse for the Seattle train. The sheriff brought him to Chehalis where he was thrown into the county jail. The wife was cared for by neighbors and friends while Doctor Dumon of Centralia was called. 

When he arrived and examined her, he stated that her chances for recovery were very slight. She was then quickly taken to the Centralia hospital. An operation was performed late that Sunday, but she died at 5:30pm leaving the husband to face murder charges. Her death occurred on the 28th day of her marriage to Bridgham. Saturday night after the shooting, she stated that there had been no improper relations between her and Baldwin, and that he was merely a friend.

Sheriff Deggeller stated that Bridgham completely broke down on his way to jail and cried continuously saying that he did not want to kill his wife, but wanted to kill Baldwin. Bridgham pleaded to be taken to his dying wife so that he might beg her for forgiveness, but his request was denied. He then wrote a letter begging her for forgiveness, but the letter arrived too late. On February 3, 1908, after a lengthy trial, the jury retired at 4pm and at about 5:40pm, turned in the verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree. This was the first case on record that was decided by a jury in Lewis county.

Bridgham appealed the verdict to the supreme court and tried to build a case that he was insane. The court did not buy it and affirmed the ruling of the lower court, and was sentenced to hang on March 26, 1909. After the verdict was handed down, Bridgham remained cool and continued to protest his innocence until he was hanged that spring, ending the tragic story.

Napavine Hill

On April 6, 1903 the Northern Pacific began to make plans to improve the line between Portland and Tacoma, which would eliminate the heavy grades just outside Tacoma, near Roy and at Napavine. The railroad already had a crew improving the grade on Napavine Hill. The railroad had been endeavoring for several years to get a better grade out of Tacoma and when this project was completed in 1911, the new line was double tracked and the old line between Tenino and Tacoma, now known as the "Prairie Line" was bypassed.

Railroad tracks are dangerous and people should not walk on them. Many people have been killed or maimed by trains while walking along the tracks. The line through Napavine was no exception and there are many stories of people being killed by the train. Working for the railroad was extremely dangerous and many railroad employees were killed while working on the line through Napavine Hill.

One fatal accident occurred on June 19, 1907 when railroad employee Stephen Gruitz was killed about a mile south of Newaukum Station on Napavine Hill by train no. 2, the North Coast Limited. Gruitz had traveled to Chehalis from Napavine on a speeder to do some trading. He left Chehalis on the speeder and while climbing the hill, the train came tearing down. The speeder was knocked off the track throwing Gruitz high into the air. The machine exploded into many pieces. Parts of the speeder struck Gruitz, breaking his neck, his right arm, and crushing his skull. His death was instantaneous.

There was an investigation into the wreck as engineer L. A. Grew, was alleged to not have made an accident report when the train arrived in Chehalis. Grew happened to be the same engineer, Coroner Harden said, who was operating train no. 2 when 15 year old Napavine resident Virgie Dunn, who was deaf, was killed at Napavine Station by the train only a few months ago. The jury summoned by the coroner found that the accident which killed Gruitz, was caused by his own carelessness.

On August 12, 1909, the construction of the double tracking between Kalama and Tacoma had begun. The railroad had machinery and over 500 workers brought in from Missoula, Montana.

On May 1, 1910, both the Southern Pacific's Shasta Limited and the Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited became stuck at Napavine due to a track cave-in. While the passengers and crew waited for repairs to be made, they organized a baseball game with the local Napavine club. The result was the Napavine team won the game 14 to 12 after seven innings.

Brakeman Parks was captain of the passengers, and played a star game at second. The Napavine team consisted of; Ketchel, Somerville, Clark, Phillips, Crisp, Glover, Foster, J. Phillips, and Holycross. The passengers team called the "Scrubs" consisted of; Parks, Shotwell, Gilbert, Johnson, Dorr, Haywood, Keel, Arnold, and Breen. Napavine club manager Davidson umpired. 

The double tracking work was completed in August of 1911. This ended the need for helpers on Napavine Hill. The new grade cut down the travel time between Portland and Tacoma. Between Kalama and Tenino, a distance of 66 miles, the old line was relocated for practically the entire distance, reducing both grades and curvature. On account of the narrow valleys of the Olequa Creek and the Cowlitz River, the changes in that section only saved about a mile and a half.

The curvature of the old line, was reduced by about 45%. On the old line the maximum curvature was 8 degrees and 30 minutes, while on the new line the maximum is 3 degrees. On the old line the heavy grade district over Napavine Hill extended from Castle Rock to Newaukum. On the new line this heavy grade district had been shortened about 11 miles, from Sopenah to Newaukum. 

Instead of from Castle Rock to Newaukum as on the old line. Outside of these limits the maximum gradient is 0.3% compensated for curvature, or about 15 feet a mile. Over the Napavine Hill the maximum gradient is 1%, compensated, southbound and 0.9% compensated, northbound. Numerous grade reductions were made at various other points where grades steeper than 0.3% were cut down to that gradient. 

Across the top of Napavine Hill, which is about three miles wide, the old velocity grades, or what were commonly called "saw-teeth," had been cut out and there is now a perfectly level grade. Between Kelso and Kalama, the old grade was raised about six feet to bring the track above extreme high water of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers. During construction of the new line, heavy traffic was handled over the old single track, with little delay. 

The number of passenger trains a day was 10 each way and as many more freight trains, which, with work train movements made the average number of trains each day from 45 to 50. When this is taken into consideration, together with the fact that the relocated line crossed the old line 62 times in the 66 miles between Tenino and Kalama, and the necessity of crossing and re-crossing the operated main line with grading outfits at work on the line, gives and idea of the difficulties encountered by the operations of both trains and construction equipment. The entire cost of the improvement was $5,000,000.

Tracy and Merrill

On June 15, 1902, the notorious convicted murderers "Tracy and Merrill" escaped from the Oregon penitentiary at Salem, killing some guards in the process. David Merrill was from Vancouver and Harry Tracy was his brother-in-law. They were able to elude their Oregon pursuers and forced a couple of men to row them across the Columbia into Clark County at the Leiser farm. They wasted no time and held up a farmer on the Fourth Plain Road, obtaining food and clothing. The posse was hot on their trail as they played a game of 'hide and seek" throughout the county for several days. After a wild chase throughout Clark County, the posse lost their prey at La Center.

At about 9 o'clock Monday morning July 14, 1902, Mary Waggoner, of Napavine was on her way from her home to visit her daughter whose home was about a mile from the county poor farm, and about five miles south of Chehalis. Waggoner took her 12 year old son George along, and on the way they stopped to pick huckleberries. While passing along an unfrequented road, and through the timber they noticed a bad smell coming from an old cedar log lying to the east of the roadside. 

At first they thought it was a rabbit or some other dead animal, but when they looked down into the brush which partially projected over the log and saw a shoe sole, they both at the same time realized that they had found Merrill. Hurriedly they went to the Seeley home, where the daughter and the members of the family were informed of the find. 

They discussed the matter and after taking into consideration certain contingencies that might arise to make things unpleasant, if the news were given out too soon, concluded to notify but a very few, including Sheriff Deggeller to whom Mrs. Waggoner came direct with her story, Mr. Deggeller's attorney, Mrs. Waggoner's attorney and one other. The finding of Merrill's body proved Tracy's story of a duel between them. While "on the lam," Tracy became worried that Merrill was too weak to continue running, and would get them arrested, so he shot him.

The roadway where the fight occurred was along the side of a hill about 200 yards east of the Northern Pacific mainline, and about two and a half miles north and east of Napavine. There was a house about 300 yards from where Tracy killed Merrill that was owned by Frank Vrba. Tracy shot Merrill from behind and when he did not die, put two more bullets into him and then left him for dead. 

Tracy continued to elude the posse and was tracked over the Cascade mountains to Fellows Station on the Sunset Highway east of Creston. (near the rest stop on US Hwy 2) Here Tracy met his maker on August 5, 1902, when he committed suicide after being wounded by the posse and was surrounded.

Tracy's demise wasn't exactly the end of the story. As on August 18, 1902, Napavine added the final chapter to the Tracy and Merrill saga. Everyone in Napavine thought that the closing chapter to the story was after the finding of Merrill's body by Mary Waggoner and the killing of Tracy in Eastern Washington. It so happened that during the inquest in the finding of the body, Waggoner fell in love with Merrill's brother Ben. 

Ben Merrill worked at the livery stable in Chehalis and was brought in to identify the body. After the two met during the inquest at Chehalis, they fell in love. They eloped together while they both were enjoying the notoriety of the story. Mary Waggoner, was a married woman. David Waggoner, was her husband and was a logger who would be camped out in the forest for weeks at a time. The Waggoner's had three daughters who were all married at the time. After the elopement of Merrill and Waggoner, they were never heard from again ending the final chapter of the story.... so everyone thought.

Then on March 25, 1903, the pair suddenly reappeared in Napavine, and went quietly to the residence of the Waggoner's son-in-law. There they were joined later by her ex-husband David Waggoner, and then by her abandoned daughters. After a few days, Merrill and Waggoner disappeared as mysteriously as they came. The visit created a mild sort of sensation about Napavine, said George McCoy, who was a lumberman, and Napavine resident. He said;

"The pair had come to Napavine unexpectedly. They had been living together in one of the Northwestern cities, probably at some point near Seattle. Their reappearance at Napavine was not expected. When they did come back and went directly to the residence of Mrs. Waggoner's son-in-law, the people in Napavine began to get interested. Then the daughters of Mary Waggoner, whom the woman had deserted, paid a visit to her."

"Following their visit was another by her husband. Merrill and Waggoner remained at the residence for several days, and there were repeated visits of her family to the place. None of the neighbors, however, seem to have gone there. After having apparently satisfied the object of their visit, Merrill and Waggoner departed from Napavine as mysteriously as they came."

It was generally believed the trip was taken for the purpose of securing Mary's signature to legal papers of some kind, probably divorce papers, or to settle up some business matters that necessitated her presence. This episode finally brought an end to the story for the town of Napavine.

Napavine in the 1900's

During the late evening of April 26, 1902, the safe in the post office at Napavine was blown open and robbed of $60. The post office, located in the Urquhart store was entered through a window. The burglar drilled a hole through the top of the safe which was completely destroyed by the explosion. Residents in town said they seen a man who had been loafing around town that day and was suspected of the crime. He was never found. 

On January 14, 1905, the State Legislature approved H. B. 43, which appropriated $75,000 for the construction of a wagon road from Napavine to Klickitat Prairie, which is located near Mossyrock. Lewis County chipped in $10,000 for the construction. This was the beginning of what will eventually become State Route 12.

On August 8, 1906, a new Rebekah lodge was instituted in Napavine. Lodge No. 3 from Chehalis assisted in the work. Esther Johnson was the installing officer. The new lodge was named Trinity No, 179. The charter members were; Mr. and Mrs. Ed Lane, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bridgham, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Tower, and Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Carns. The officers elected were; Louisa Lane, Carrie Carns, Florence Wagley, Eleanor McCoy, Martha P. Carns, G, M, Longstreet, Mrs. A, B, Carns, Mrs. Blanchard and Mrs. Norton. The lodge had 56 members.

By 1908, Napavine, which never experienced a "boom" grew gradually with steady development. That year Napavine had nine saw and shingle mills in the vicinity, four general stores, three hotels, two meat markets, a livery stable and a few other businesses. The main industry was lumber although farming was a close second and as the loggers continued to clear the land, more farms would spring up. 

Napavine had an excellent school, and had Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic churches. Napavine enjoyed being on the mainline between Tacoma and Portland and the farmers made good use of the shipping facilities. The town in 1908 also had a Western Union office and a telephone system that was linked to Seattle and Portland.

On April 22, 1911, Napavine was stricken with the booster spirit and organized a commercial club. W. S. Blanchard, W. A. Morton, H. D. MacDonald, C. B. Mann, W. P. Wagley and E. E. Dale were chosen as trustees. Interest in the club had aroused the spirit of the citizens of Napavine and they began to repair sidewalks, clean vacant lots, premises and they removed unsightly obstructions from the streets. The Northern Pacific also began to repair and overhaul their station building in town. The club devoted most of their time toward the enlargement of Napavine.

On August 17, 1911, a dangerous forest fire developed at Napavine that afternoon in timber belonging to the Urquhart estate. The fire started from the burning of a nearby slash pile. For a time the entire town was in danger due to many of Napavine's citizens who were away at the circus. People to fight the fire were hard to find. Answering the call for help were two cars loaded with Chehalis men who hurried to the scene and were able to bring the fire under control.

On February 17, 1912, Napavine was holding a vote for incorporation. Many old residents were opposed to the idea of incorporating the town, as they contended that municipal taxes would be imposed that would be more than their properties were worth. They also said that proposed incorporation would take in too much territory and they threatened to take their case to the supreme court if the county commissioners granted the incorporation, which did not happen that year.

In 1912, the Napavine Co-operative Creamery was established and incorporated at Napavine with $10,000 capital. For unknown reasons the co-operative built and equipped the creamery plant, but did not start operations.

On June 15, 1912, a fire, of an unknown origin, broke out early that morning either in the Lindsey & Hawkins saloon or the rooming house next door and consumed an entire block in Napavine. The estimated loss was $50,000. The heaviest loser was M. F. Marshall whose two stores and residence were burned. His stock was worth $18,000. The loss of residence and the store buildings brought Marshall's loss to nearly $30,000. He carried only $7,000 in insurance.

Other buildings burned in town were the butcher shop, which was owned by W. A. Morton; a barber shop, owned by Ed Griffen, the saloon, whose fixtures were owned by Lindsey & Hawkins, and the building was owned by C A. Burnham, of Centralia, and a restaurant with rooming house above that was operated by Manley Parker. Insurance on the saloon fixtures was $1,500. Other losers were not insured.

One resident said the fire started in a room over the restaurant, while Manley Parker, owner of the restaurant, said it started in the saloon. Mr. Parker said that the first knowledge anyone had of the fire was at about 3 o'clock in the morning, when some railroad men went to the saloon for a drink. When the door was opened they discovered the fire in a rear storeroom of the saloon.

On September 29, 1912, The Independent Electric Co. began construction of a substation at Little Falls (Vader). The company was also erecting its pole line from Chehalis southward, which when completed gave electricity to the residents at Newaukum and Napavine. The Chehalis & Cowlitz railroad was to be electrified to its terminus at the foot of Jackson Hill near the Pacific Highway, and they planned to use the poles of the electric company for part of the way.

During February of 1913, the March-McCandless Co. of Tacoma placed ads in the newspapers selling small farm lots at Napavine. They said in their ad that Napavine grew everything at its "very best" for the man that desires to live well on small tracts of land. They touted that a farmer could grow great big potatoes like the Northern Pacific used on their diners, high grade hops, splendid oats and hay, and that three of the nation's greatest railroads pass the door of the family who lives on a Napavine farm.

The land was located a little to the east of the train depot on level land in the Newaukum Valley and that some of it had already been cleared and was ready to plant. The price was $50 a acre for a 10, 20, or 40 acre tract. The buyer could make a small payment and let the balance run as long as they wished. The company also promised to pay the train fare to and from Napavine Station if a purchase was made.

On March 1, 1913, Napavine voted to incorporate after an extended campaign and much discussion on the subject. Incidental to voting to incorporate, a "wet" City Council was elected and planned to allow saloons to reopen. Napavine's mayor of 1913 was A. M. McKinley and the council was composed of; J. F. Linhart, D. T. Roland, M. F. Marshall, T. J. Massey and H. D. MacDonald. The treasurer was E. F. Coulsen.

On July 26, 1913, James Urquhart Jr. resigned as Postmaster of Napavine. His father James Sr. who in 1874 became the second postmaster of Napavine, passed away in 1901, and this may have been about the time James Jr. took over. Hilda Linhart and Claude B. Mann of Napavine were the only people who took the exam. Hilda Linhart was the person chosen to become the forth postmaster of Napavine.

On April 4, 1914, newly elected Road Supervisor Johnson who had just assumed his duties, began extensive improvements to the county roads in and about the town of Napavine. For the first time in Lewis County a donkey engine was used by a road supervisor to clear up a new piece of road and putting it in shape. This was done on the road leading to the  Emery & Nelson mill. Great economy in labor and team work was effected by Mr. Johnson. He then had gravel teams surface the road leading toward Chehalis from the Shaver mill. 

On the old Military Road between Napavine and the Newaukum schoolhouse, west of the railroad, grading and other work was well under way for a much needed road that was surfaced with gravel when the grading work was completed. This road is now known as Old Hwy 603.

On February 6, 1915, the Lewis County Commissioners awarded a contract for the building of a steel bridge 110 feet long over the North Fork of the Newaukum River near the Phillips place, six miles east of Chehalis. This bridge on the Centralia-Alpha Road, was known as the Phillips bridge. The contract was also for a new bridge 130 feet long over the Newaukum River on the road between Chehalis and Napavine. The Coast Bridge company of Portland built the spans for a cost of $9,427. C. J. Huber of Portland was awarded the contract to move the old Phillips bridge to a new site on the south fork of the Newaukum River.

On July 24, 1915, W. W. Curtis, owner of the Kelso creamery had just completed the purchase of the Napavine Co-operative Creamery, which was built and equipped three years ago and was never operated. Curtis planned to go to Napavine and immediately start operations. Howard Crum, head butter-maker at the Kelso creamery was put in charge of the Napavine creamery. The plant had first class machinery and was ready to start. Both of the creameries made enough butter to fill a railroad car each month.

The 1915 July 4th celebration in Napavine was well attended that day. The citizens were extra excited as they were also celebrating the construction of the Newaukum Valley Railroad, which was being built from Napavine to Onalaska by the Onalaska Lumber Company. The railroad began operations on the new line by the end of that summer. 

On October 9, 1915, work was progressing on the erection of a new mill for the lumber company at Onalaska. A temporary mill was turning out the lumber and timbers for the larger structure, which when completed had a daily capacity of 150,000 feet. The larger mill employed a force of 250. Onalaska was founded in April of 1914, and the town's population increased to 500 with the opening of the larger mill.

The Pacific Highway through Napavine

When the Pacific Highway was created in 1913, the state only designated the main towns that the highway was to pass through. The route between these towns would be determined later. From Chehalis southward, there were 2 competing routes between Chehalis and the Cowlitz River. They were; the Chehalis-Olequa route and the Chehalis-Toledo route. From 1913 to 1915 the Chehalis-Olequa route was the preferred road for motorists using the Pacific Highway and from 1915 to 1919, the route was used as a detour while the highway was under construction.

On May 30, 1913, the state highway board inspected the proposed "west-side" short cut of the Pacific Highway, which would lead through the towns of Napavine, Evaline, Winlock, Vader and Olequa. At Olequa the inspectors met a committee of businessmen from those towns and were escorted back to Chehalis for a meeting on the proposed route. The west-side interests knew it would help the towns and their businesses prosper if they could secure the highway. Likewise it would spell disaster to business if the highway bypassed them.

On July 30, 1913, Governor Lister and Commissioners E. E. Teachnor and T. J. Long along with County Engineer Ward, took a trip over the proposed Chehalis-Olequa route of the Pacific Highway. This proposed route followed closely to the railroad tracks running through Napavine, Evaline, Winlock, Vader and Olequa. They left Olequa shortly after noon and arrived in Chehalis at about 4:30pm. 

Short stops were made at Vader, Winlock and Napavine, where the governor made short addresses on the importance of good roads. The party had lunch in Winlock and afterwards, they returned to Chehalis to view the new Lincoln Creek bridge. Later that evening, they had dinner at Centralia and afterwards the Governor was taken back to Olympia.

On August 22, 1913, a rumor was going around that Winlock was to get the highway instead of Toledo. It was stated on good authority that the Cowlitz River was to be crossed at Olequa instead of Toledo. Another rumor floating around was that the route along the Cowlitz River would be abandoned and that the highway would go southward from Chehalis to the Cowlitz Prairie store, and then over Pike's Hill to Winlock and south to Olequa. 

On August 26, 1913, state engineers were making their final surveys of the proposed route of the Pacific Highway between Chehalis and Castle Rock. The report now showed 3 possible routes available. 1) the south side of the Cowlitz River from Toledo, leading to the Cowlitz bend, 2) the route down the north side of the Cowlitz River from Toledo to Vader and crossing the Cowlitz at Olequa. This route, would use the abandoned piers of the old railroad bridge and part of the abandoned right-of-way, 3) the route down the north side of the Cowlitz from Toledo and crossing the river on Kline's ferry near the Ferrier place which was located about a half mile west of the freeway bridges over the Cowlitz river.

The state ended up choosing the first option of crossing at Toledo and then along the south bank of the Cowlitz River to the bend. Between 1915 and 1919, the Pacific Highway was under construction in the Toledo area, and vehicles were detoured onto the "West-side" cut-off between Chehalis and Olequa. Cars crossed the Cowlitz River on the Olequa ferry.

The Woven Highway

On March 2, 1926, the Lewis County commissioners passed a resolution to expend $40,000 to build 6 miles of macadam highway that would connect Napavine and Winlock. The roadway, now called Old Hwy 603 was originally 24 feet wide with a road bed of 16 feet. At a hearing in Chehalis, there was strong sentiment to expend the money on paving a mile from the Madsen corner southeast of Chehalis on Bishop Road that was used as a detour while the Pacific Highway southeast of Chehalis was widened.

Commissioner Rayton and the other members of the board took the position that use of the money between Napavine and Winlock would afford a fine highway into southern Lewis County with Vader and Olequa as the objectives. The state spent $18,000 on a detour from Chehalis via Napavine to the Pacific Highway north of Jackson Prairie, and after the work was completed, the road between Chehalis and Napavine would be a good road.

Commissioner Rayton said; "The building of a state standard macadam highway between Napavine and Winlock, with the Chehalis-Napavine highway in good condition would in no way affect the effort to be made to secure from the next Legislature, the building of a proposed alternate state road known as the "Woven Highway" from Chehalis via Claquato, Newaukum, Napavine, Evaline, Winlock, Vader, and Olequa, where a connection would be made with the Pacific Highway."

"Conditions have changed considerably in the time that has elapsed since a year ago when the decision was made to spend the $40,000 on one mile of Bishop Road. The state is now improving this road and putting it in good order for a detour and will maintain it during the summer while construction work is being done on the Pacific Highway from Madsen's corner to the C. C. & C. crossing at the intersection of the Onalaska Road. Therefore I believe it is in the best interests of the general public to spend the $40,000 where it will do the most good and it has been decided to improve the Napavine-Winlock Road by straightening, grading and surfacing with crushed rock." 

The new highway would eliminate 2 railroad crossings, and later the state constructed the "Woven Highway" better known as SR-603. The highway began at Claquato and then traveled south through Newaukum, Napavine, Evaline, Winlock, and then crossed Pike's Hill and connected to the Pacific Highway at the Cowlitz village. In 1992, the state highway dept. turned SR-603 back to the county and the road from Claquato to Winlock became county road "Old Hwy 603," the road between Winlock and Vader became the Winlock-Vader hwy, and the road over Pike's Hill became SR-505.