Chehalis: (2016 population: 7,498)
Located 4 miles south of Centralia on I-5, Chehalis is the second-largest city in Lewis County. It was named for the Chehalis River, whose name comes from the Indian word for sand (Brokenshire, p. 39). The earliest white settler in this area was Simon Plomoden, a French Canadian trapper (Brokenshire, p. 40). Chehalis was originally called Saunders bottom, after the Saunders family, who settled on a donation land claim in the valley (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 449). Schuyler Saunders established the first post office here on May 8, 1858 (Nix, p. 7). The first business in Chehalis was the West and Dobson Packing House, opened by William West and John Dobson in 1878. The second business was a flouring mill built by Roudebush and Botham (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 456). The Saunder's bottom School District was established as one of the first five school districts in Lewis County in the early 1860s (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 451).
In 1873, the Lewis County seat was moved from Claquato to Chehalis (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 459). Chehalis was incorporated in 1883, with the first town council meeting comprised of: A. F. Tullus, mayor; J. E. Willis, city clerk; U. E. Harmon, attorney; T. L. Holloway, M. D. Roudebush, John Scott, H. J. Brooks, and W. H. Long, councilmen (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 457). Soon after, in the summer of 1883, the Chehalis Nugget newspaper was begun by Mayfield and Tozier. In June, 1884, the Chehalis Bee was begun by J. E. Willis. In November, 1898, Dean W. Bush consolidated the two papers into the Chehalis Bee-Nuggest. William West commented, "Certainly an appropriate name--busy as a bee, rich like a nugget--a good combination" (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 457). The first bank in southwest Washington, Coffman, Dobson and Co., was begun in 1884. In 1885, the Chehalis Cemetery Association was chartered. In 1889, the Citizens' Club, a popular philanthropic and social club for Chehalis businessmen, was organized. In 1890, the Chehalis Land and Timber Co. was organized, playing a large role in the growth of the city. In 1892, most of the business district was destroyed by fire, but was completely rebuilt by the latter 1890s (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 458). As with Centralia, Chehalis's fortunes rose and fell with the logging and railroad companies. Today, much of the surrounding valley is farmland. The Chehalis economy is also dependent on manufacturing, with several large warehouses operating in the city.
Online resources for Chehalis:
Biographies and Genealogies
- For more information on the Coffman, Dobson and Co. bank, see the biography for Noah B. Coffman.
- See these biographies of other notable Chehalis residents: Henry L. Alldis, Carroll L. Brown, Raymond Edward Cook, A. J. Davis, J. D. Decker, Francis Donahoe, C. A. Doty, Dr. George H. Dow, Charles Parker Fulton, Guy William Kennicott, J. E. Leonard, Lewis A. Marks, Charles Warren Maynard, Judge O. B. McFadden, Rev. H. H. Mitchell, Rev. F. A. Moens, Dr. Henri L. Petit, Dr. C. D. Powell, Dr. James M. Sleicher, Squires family, Gus Lafayette Thacker, and George R. Walker.
- Centralia and Chehalis Families - genealogies and photos contributed by Sharlynn Gates.
- Diary of Ellen Thuesen - Diary written by a Danish woman, Ellen Thuesen, while she worked for several Chehalis-area families from 1906-1909. These families included the Kures, Mrs. Gingrich and the Erichsons.
- Chehalis Post Office Employees, 1925
Cemetery Transcriptions
- Bunker Creek Cemetery: Washington Tombstone Transcription Project and Find-A-Grave
- Claquato Cemetery (also known as Sunset Memorial Cemetery) (Find-A-Grave)
- Coal Creek Burial Site (Washington Tombstone Transcription Project)
- Deskins Family Cemetery: Washington Tombstone Transcription Project and Find-A-Grave
- Fern Hill (Chehalis, Phillips, Urquhart) Cemetery: Washington Tombstone Transcription Project and Find-A-Grave
- Greenwood Masonic Cemetery (also known as Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery): Washington Tombstone Transcription Project and Find-A-Grave
Census Records
Churches
- Chehalis Adventists Mark 100 Years - article about the Chehalis Seventh-Day Adventist Church, written by Carrina Stanton, and published in The Chronicle, 6 Apr 2018.
- Chehalis United Methodist Church
- "A Brief Look at the Rich History of the Claquato Church and Cemetery" - article written by Andy Skinner for The Chronicle (2 Feb 2018).
- St. Joseph Parish
- "Parish Retains Roots, If Not Original Name and Location" - history of St. Joseph Parish, written by Greg Magnoni for Northwest Catholic.
- Westminster Presbyterian Church - oldest Chehalis religious congregation.
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1908, part of the "Historic Downtown Walking Tour" guide.
Local history
- History of Chehalis Masonic Lodge #28
- Read the section on Chehalis in Robert A. Reid's 1912 book, "Puget Sound and Western Washington."
- See the listing for Chehalis in Meany's "Origin of Washington Place Names" (1923).
- Entry for Chehalis in the "Oregon, Washington and Alaska Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1901-1902"
- "The Chronicle." May 1909 - a publication with history and photos of Lewis County towns, including Chehalis.
- "Chehalis Journal; Highway's Message Board Now Without a Messenger" - New York Times article written by Sarah Kershaw and published 28 Nov 2004. Describes the "Uncle Sam" billboard along I-5 in Chehalis, built and maintained by Alfred Hamilton.
Maps
- View current maps of Chehalis - West, Central, and South - from the Lewis County Public Works Dept.'s Road Atlas.
Newspaper articles and clippings
- "Final Chehalis Swim Class Graduates' Names Released"
- Lewis County Building Permits, Nov 1962, published in "The Daily Chronicle", 2 Nov 1962.
Pictures and Postcards
- Chehalis Postcard
- Old Chehalis Door Factory
- Chehalis Post Office, ca. 1930
- Hartman Grocery Store, Chehalis, ca. 1890
- Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Co., Chehalis
Schools
- Chehalis School District No. 302
- Chehalis High School and students, 1908
- Chehalis High School (1917)
- State Industrial School for Boys - postcard with photo of school, included in the Northwest Postcards collection at Tacoma Public Library. This was a reform school for boys, founded in 1889, and is now known as Green Hill School.
Sites of interest
- Historic Downtown Walking Tour - from the City of Chehalis.
- Chehalis sites at Washington Online Highways: City of Chehalis, John R. Jackson House, Lewis Co. Historical Museum
- "St. Helens Theatre in Chehalis opens on May 12, 1924" - an article written by Eric L. Flom for HistoryLink.org.
Other links
- Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce (Centralia and Chehalis)
- The Chronicle - daily newspaper serving Centralia, Chehalis and surrounding areas.
- Chehalis, Washington (Wikipedia article)