Established in 1890 and platted in 1909, the village of Malott was named for L.C. Malott, who first settled in the area in 1886. Standing on the north shore of the Okanogan River, Malott itself is a
census-designated place, meaning that it is unincorporated. Now with a general store, bar and church, Malott was once a stopover point along what is now Highway 97, with a hotel.
Malott has had its fair share of excitement through the years, most of the town being destroyed by flooding in 1938 after a dam burst on Loop Loop Creek, then, in 2014, being forced to evacuate ahead of the fast advancing
Carlton Complex wildfire, the largest single wildfire in Washington history, which burned 256,108 acres and destroyed 111 homes in the Town of Pateros.
On July 17th, 2014 four separate wildfires converged into one, erupting into a firestorm that devastated the City of Pateros and surrounding towns. Despite valiant efforts from the already overwhelmed Pateros fire department and crews, the Carlton Complex burned 312 homes in total and nearly consumed the city. That year the Historical Society began working on a fire exhibit to preserve the memory of what happened and educate people on wildfires and fire behavior. The exhibit features a map of the fire, information on wildfire behavior, and a display on the history of the city of Pateros.
From Okanogan Country
...Meanwhile, the situation had turned ugly on the eastern front near Malott. Burned-out residents of the Chiliwist Valley had fled to an evacuation center in Malott, yet by late afternoon, the sheriff's office ordered all of Malott evacuated as the fire burned nearly all the way to the Okanogan River.
As the evening of July 18 progressed, the situation finally began to stabilize for the first time in three days. With calmer breezes, the fire was "not making wild runs" like it had earlier. By about 9:45 p.m., the fires had finally stopped short -- just barely -- of Brewster. Most of the Brewster's evacuation orders were lifted. Highway 97 and Highway 153 were reopened. The fires also halted just short of Malott.
From History Link
We can't say when Malott received its first post office, though it was likely shortly after its establishment in 1890. This is definitely not that post office. Built of concrete blocks it smacks of 1950s or 1960s heritage. With a population hovering around 500 souls, the village probably has never had need of a larger post office. We did notice that it had been expanded internally, with a bank of older post office boxes opposite a smaller bank of newer boxes.