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The early history of white settlement in Washington Territory was dominated by a tug-of-war between the United States and Britain for control of the northwest. Robert Gray was the first American to explore the coastline of Washington state, in 1788 and 1789. Captain George Vancouver of Britain explored the Puget Sound region extensively, and claimed the entire territory for the British government in 1792. However, this declaration was largely ignored by the American government. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase extended American territory into the northwest, with undetermined boundaries. As a result, the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-1806 began a new effort by the United States to explore and eventually settle the northwest. From 1818 until the early 1840s, the US and Britain agreed to coexist in the territory called "Oregon country", which extended from the northern border of California, to the southern border of Alaska, and included all land west of the Rocky Mountains (Rochester, 2003).
The British attempted to secure their claim to the northwest by the active presence of Hudson's Bay Company, which was comprised primarily of French-Canadian and British fur traders. The Company became the legal extension of the British government in the territory, from their base at Fort Vancouver (near present-day Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington). However, beginning in the late 1830s, a steady stream of Americans began migrating from the United States into the Northwest, the majority traveling via the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. Economic conditions in the United States proper had worsened in this time period. An economic depression and a series of weather-related natural disasters had caused land and produce values to depreciate significantly. Many farmers lost their land, and saw the Oregon territory as a chance to start over. By 1843, the number of Americans in Oregon Territory numbered over 1000.
In 1843 and 1844, the largest wave of American settlers at that time began moving into the territory. As documented in Hubert Howe Bancroft's History of Oregon, the Americans were unwilling to abide by the British laws enforced by the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1843, the first Provisional Government of "Oregon Territory" was formed in the Willamette Valley, for the purpose of organizing a local government. In 1845, the Provisional Government was modified to be more in line with more traditional American state government practicies. George Abernethy was appointed the first governor in 1847. At the same time, the provisional government extended its jurisdiction to include the territory north of the Columbia River. On August 20, 1845, the Legislative Committee of this government created the Vancouver District, comprising all territory north of the Columbia River and extending to the southern border of Alaska. On December 21, 1845, the Vancouver District was divided into two counties. Lewis County was created to include all land north of the Columbia River and west of the Cowlitz River. Vancouver County comprised the remainder of the Vancouver District (Vancouver County was renamed Clark County on September 3, 1949 to honor George Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. From 1854 until 1925, it was actually spelled "Clarke County" as the result of spelling error [Oldham, 1993]). [View a map showing the extent of Lewis County in 1845].
During this time, the Hudson's Bay Company abandoned their posts in Oregon and withdrew to Vancouver Island. Excessive trapping and increased farming had diminished the value ot the Oregon Territory to the Company and the British government. In hopes of avoiding another war with the United States, Britain agreed to a treaty establishing the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada. This treaty was signed June 18, 1846. As a result of the treaty, the northern border of Lewis County was adjusted to 49 degrees north.
On August 14, 1848, the Oregon Territory was officially organized by the United States, and General Joseph Lane was appointed the first territorial governor. The Oregon Territory legislature created Pacific County from the southwest corner of Lewis County on February 4, 1851. In 1852, Thurston County was also created from Lewis County. By 1853, Lewis County was at its smallest size, about 1/3 of its present-day size. In 1854, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties were created from Lewis County, and Lewis County was redrawn to its present size.
The earliest white settlers in the newly-created Lewis County settled on farm land once owned by the Hudson Bay Company, and subsequently divided into 320-acre lots for sale to prospective settlers (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 447). The earliest settlers included E. L. Finch, William Lemon, J. H. Pierson, George Halsepple, Jackson Barton, Mariel Bernier, James Galloway, Lemuel Whittaker, James Morgan, and J. B. Blanchard (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 447). Mariel Bernier had the added distinction of being the first white child born in Washington, at Fort Spokane in 1820 (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 447). One of the most politically-active settlers was John Robinson Jackson, who was born in Ingleton, Durham County, England and arrived in Lewis County in 1845 by way of Oregon. The first Lewis County seat was actually his log house, located on the Highland Prairie, near Marys Corner. He served as the first sheriff, county assessor, and tax collector. On August 20, 1851, he hosted the first planning convention to draft a memorial requesting the creation of the Territory of Columbia. Settlers north of the Columbia River had become increasingly resentful of their lack of representation in, and perceived slights by the Oregon Territory government. It was also a hardship to have to travel to the Willamette Valley in order to conduct official business. The final draft of the memorial was approved at the second convention, held at Monticello, Cowlitz County, in 1852. The Washington Territory was created on March 3, 1853, by order of President Millard Filmore). Washington Territory comprised all of present-day Washington and Idaho, and the western portions of Montana and Wyoming. On January 1, 1854, John R. Jackson's house was the site of the first federal court in the newly-created Washington Territory (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 450). Jackson House is now a museum. In 1855, a courthouse was built at Claquato, which served as the county seat until 1873, when it was moved to Chehalis. During this time, Claquato had a population of 40-50 people (Hunt and Kaylor, p. 448).
Lewis County was rich in natural resources, including forests, minerals, and numerous rivers and streams. The Chehalis, Cowlitz and Newaukum Rivers were the primary means of transport through the rugged, forested terrain. Several ferries operated across these rivers to aid in the transport of goods and people. The county grew steadily over the next sixty years, as lumber and railroad companies began to exploit these resources. The Northern Pacific railroad was a major factor in the growth of Lewis County; Chehalis and Centralia served as major stops on the north-south runs between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Many towns were built by lumber companies seeking to house their workers close to logging sites. The success of a company was determined in large part by the number of feet of timber they could process in a day, and the number of employees they had on payroll. During the late 1880s and early 1900s, the seemingly unlimited timber resources fueled a large migration of families from the midwest and eastern United States (particularly Virginia and West Virginia). Unfortunately, many of these companies folded during the 1920s and 1930s, as resources dwindled and the Great Depression affected sales. Because the economy of Lewis County relied so heavily on logging and mining, many towns disappeared with the companies that supported them. From the list of towns described on the following pages, only seven have more than 500 residents. The majority are communities of fewer than 100 people, or have ceased to exist.
In 1860, the population of Lewis County was 384. By 1870, the population had increased to 888. In 1910, the population was 32,093. The current population of Lewis County (April, 2001 est) is 69,500.