"Mother of All Counties"

Oregon Territory Map

Lewis County was created on December 19, 1845, by the provisional government of Oregon Territory, named after the pioneer explorer, Meriwether Lewis.


Visually, Lewis County was once so large geographically that it has become known as the “mother of all counties” – spanning all the land west of the Cowlitz River and north to present-day Sitka, Alaska.

For a chart of creation for Western Washington Counties >>click here

 

Historical Maps

Metro Lewis County MapMetro Lewis County Map

This map shows the metro area of Lewis County.

 

 

 

Ghost Towns of Lewis County

Compiled from the maps of Lewis County in the reference book
>>Postmarked Washington by Guy Reed Ramsey, 1978

Ghost Towns are a plenty in this county of Washington!

 

 

Vintage Photos of Lewis County

Some of the images below are shown in the slide show on our home page, which will refresh as new courtesy photos are submitted by our Lewis County Genealogical Society Members.

Centralia 1920 1943 1899 1902
Centralia, circa 1920 Centralia, circa 1943 Chehalis, circa 1899 Chehalis, circa 1902
1906 1907 1908 circa 1920
St. Helen's Hotel 1906 Chehalis, circa 1907 Downtown Chehalis Cascade School 1920
circa 1921 circa 1922 1923 1916
Chehalis, circa 1921 Chehalis, circa 1922 Chehalis, circa 1923 Onalaska, circa 1916
1917 1918 1939 1940
Onalaska, circa 1917 Onalaska, circa 1918 Onalaska, cicra 1939 Onalaska, circa 1940
1942 1949 1950 1918
Onalaska, circa 1942 Onalaska, cicra 1949 Onalaska, circa 1950 Chehalis, circa 1918
1919 1920 1921 1922
Chehalis, circa 1919 Chehalis, circa 1920 Chehalis, circa 1921 Chehalis, circa 1922
1923 1928 1941 Mrs. Washington 1957
Chehalis, circa 1923 Chehalis, circa 1920 Chehalis, circa 1921 Mrs. Washington 1957
Parnell Boys 1944 Parnell Girls 1944 Top Ten Finalist, 1957 Mrs. Lewis County 1957
Parnell Boys, 1944 Parnell Girls, 1944 Ten Finalists, 1957 Mrs. Lewis Co. 1957

 

Penny Postcards of Lewis County

>> View the Postcards from yesteryear!

Penny Postcard

Lewis County Ghost Towns

Postal BremerBREMER Post Office (Ghost Town)

Established 7 June 1890 George BREMER; Mrs. Sarah C. PARNEL (Mrs. Richard C. PARNEL) 7 December 1908; William A COOPER 2 April 1913; Mrs. Georgia B. KNOX (nee McAlum, Mrs. William T.B. KNOX) 16 November 1918; Mrs. Mina H LINN (nee HAMILTON, Mrs. Andrew Jackson LINN) 14 Sep 1922; renamed Cinebar 3 February 1923.

Location: About nine miles northwest of Morton on Tilton River (NE Section 27, T13N, R3E). This is several miles east of Cinebar locations but both were roving offices. Georgia B KNOX's site was her home, eight miles west of Morton. Mina H. LINN's site was six or seven miles farther west (NW Section 19, T13N, R3E) where it was so near a Cinebar site that she changed the name to Cinebar.

Perhaps the office was first served from Napavine as that was the nearest rail point. Later the service was from Alpha, then from Chehalis. Alpha, Morton and Cora were also established in June 1890 so it is believed that a route was opened from Napavine to Cora to connect them.

Cinebar, Bremer, Morton, Verndale, Vance, Cora and Sulphur Springs were on a Star Route from Alpha in 1898 with one carrier going to Morton on Monday, Wednesday and Friday returning on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Another had a similar schedule to Sulphur Springs and back. Later all these offices were put on a route from Chehalis.

After the Tacoma Eastern Railroad was built, the Morton office was served by rail from Tacoma and the Chehalis route extended only to Bremer.

In the winter of 1919, washouts on the Tacoma Eastern caused temporary rerouting of Morton's mail throuh Chehalis by way of Riffe and Bremer.

This resulted in demands for establishment of permanent service to Morton in this manner. The road through Bear Canyon between Bremer and Morton was passable the year round even then. Service on the Chehalis-Bremer route was not daily until 1 February 1919.

Reprinted from Postmarked Washington by Guy Reed RAMSEY

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