Chelatchie, Washington

Chelatchie is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Washington.

Chelatchie
Unincorporated community
Tumtum Mountain, visible from Chelatchie
Chelatchie
Location within the state of Washington
Chelatchie
Chelatchie (the United States)
Coordinates: 45°55′40.4″N 122°22′46.35″W
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyClark
Elevation
443 ft (135 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s)360
GNIS feature ID1517654[1]

Chelatchie is located in about 30 miles northeast of Vancouver, Washington in the Chelatchie Prairie (or Chelatchie Valley) area, and consists of several homes, a general store, and a United States Forest Service visitor's center for the Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument. It is one of the more remote communities on Washington State Route 503, and serves as a gateway into the Siouxon Creek area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

History

The area was first settled around 1860, and was among the first settlements in the area.[2] The name was derived from "ch'álacha,"[3] a Klickitat word describing a valley with tall ferns.[4]

The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad was extended to the area in 1948, with the International Paper Company opening a plywood mill at the end of the line in 1960,[5] which operated until 1979.

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chelatchie
  2. "Chelatchie Prairie". Clark History. The Columbian. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  3. Hunn, Eugene (October 11, 2003). Anthropological Study of Yakama Tribe: Traditional Resource Harvest Sites West of the Crest of the Cascades Mountains in Washington State and below the Cascades of the Columbia River (PDF). University of Washington Dept of Anthropology. p. 64. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  4. Emerick, Roberta. "Northern Clark County". Legacy Washington. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  5. "History of the Chelatchie Prairie RR". Chelatchie Prairie RR. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
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