|
|
|
||||||||
Dayton, Washington
The area now occupied by Dayton was first explored by Lewis and Clark on their return from the Pacific in 1806, where they camped as Patit Creek. At that time Dayton's main street was a racetrack for Indian tribes who camped in the area. The Nez Perce, Palouse, Yakamas, Umatillas, Cayuse, and Walla Wallas all used this area as a summer and fall meeting place to race their ponies and go hunting. Dayton was first homesteaded in 1859. The first permanent settlers grazed horses and cattle but turned to farming by 1861 and grew wheat and other grains. The first school was organized in 1865. The town remained a farm and stage station until 1871. Then Jesse N. Day, a West Virginian who came west in 1848, registered the original plat of the town and gave the town its name in 1871. In 1875, Columbia County was created out of Walla Walla County and Dayton became the new county seat.
In 1880, Jacob Weinhard came from Germany via Portland where he had worked to as a foreman at his uncle's brewery. Jacob saw the potential of Dayton's location in the middle of prime barley growing land. He established the Weinhard brewery and by 1904 his empire included the brewery, malt house, Weinhard saloon and lodge hall, Weinhard theater, and interest in the National Bank. In 1907 he built a large Victorian home, now on the National Register of Historic Places. Other early homes were pioneer frame cottages. During this peak period there were many Queen Anne, Italiante, and Gothic homes built by the businessmen and farmers. Some of the smaller homes have Princess Anne and Folk Victorian elements.
The economy flourished during the 1880s. There were two newspapers, seven churches, flour mills, lumber mills, a city hall, telegraph company, saw mill, brewery, rail station, the state's first public high school, and a brass band for entertainment. There was a "China District" school district, named because a part Chinese child created a disturbance by attempting to attend school. A smallpox epidemic in 1881 closed the town to the outside world. No one was allowed to enter or leave town and all mail and supplies were left at the edge of town.
In 1880 and 1881 there were major fires, but the fire of 1882 was the "great" fire that wiped out most of the downtown and some of the residences. The water raceway to the local mill was opened and the water allowed to flood the streets. The town was saved by making it easier for the firefighters to scoop up water. The town was soon rebuilt from brick produced at the local Dexter brick manufacturing plant. That year the city was officially incorporated.
In 1880 the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company started to build its interior line from Walla Walla. Chinese laborers completed the roadbed by October and by Spring 1881 the lines to Dayton and Grange City had been graded. Timber was brought from the Blue Mountains. Also, a 23-mile flume was built to deliver 100,000 board feet of timber daily. In June the Touchet River had been crossed. The Chinese laborers had to live separately from the other laborers. The depot was completed in 1881. On July 19, 1881 the first passenger train ran from Dayton to Walla Walla. The depot was purchased in 1884 by the Union Pacific and moved on logs pulled by horses to its present location on Commercial Street in 1889. A second railroad was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Another fire occurred in 1884, probably caused by arson. It burned down a chinese laundry. The Columbia County Courthouse was built in 1887, for a cost of $38,069. It is the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the state and was designed by a local architect, W. H. Burrows. The Italianate style building was topped with a 22 foot high tower with shuttered windows, mansard roof and wrought iron, and gables.
By 1892, a concerted effort was being made by whites to get rid of the Chinese. The Mutual Aid Society was devoated to this task. They ordered Chinese to leave within two days. Fortunately, the sheriff backed the Chinese and they were allowed to stay. In 1910 there was a Chinatown district, where there were Chinese laundries, small stores to buy fortune cookies, and restaurants with chop suey.
The depression caused business to falter. But the opening of the Blue Mountain Cannery in 1934 kept the town going. It was a joint venture with Minnesota Valley Cannery, which later became Green Giant. The plant still operates today, canning 37% of the world's asparagus. The plant also processed seed peas. After World War II, many were lured away to good jobs in big cities. In 1961 a fire destroyed Dayton Cold Storage warehouse causing $300,000 in damage. Another fire in 1963 destroyed the Weinhard building.
In 1980s, restoration began. The 1881 train depot, oldest in the state, was renovated and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The depot was used until 1972. In 1974, Dayton Historical Depot Society, Inc. was formed and it immediately applied for the depot to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was accepted in September of 1974. On May 23, 1975, the Union Pacific donated the depot and the adjoining property to the society. Now the depot houses a museum with Columbia County artifacts and railroad memorabilia. Also restored during the renovation is the Weinhard Hotel, formerly the brewery run by Jacob Weinhard, Henry's cousin. Also were stored were Cracker B's saloon, the 1882 Guernsey-Sturdevant Building, the 1882 Purple House now a B&B, and the1884 Baker House, also a B&B.
Besides its historic district, Dayton also calls itself the gateway to "Ski Bluewood," a nearby ski resort. It is thought to have the driest snow and best tree skiing in the northwest. It has the second highest base elevation and an average of 300 inches of annual snowfall.
Last updated: 8/31/02