Columbia County - Historical Points of Interest
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 46° 19.255 W 117° 58.700
11T E 424684 N 5130169
One of two history signs in front of Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton, Washington.
Waymark Code: WM8DN5
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/17/2010
Views: 6
There are two history signs at the Columbia County Courthouse. This sign is located on the NE side of the entrance sidewalk and deals with the historical points of interest in Columbia County. Text of sign:
PALOUSE INDIANS
To supplement a diet of salmon, families migrated from riverside “mat lodge” villages to the mountains for game, roots, and berries. “Appaloosa” horses played a paramount role in tribal life.
STARBUCK: 1882
Rail center named for General W.H. Starbuck. In exchange for fame, Starbuck donated a steeple bell which was shipped around Cape Horn to the community church.
DAYTON
The Touchet River valley at Dayton was the summer meeting place where regional tribes came to trade and socialize. Pony races on what is now Main Street, dancing and stick game gambling provided entertainment.
In Nez Perce “Tu-Se” means roasting. Legend tells that coyote roasted salmon at the river after breaking a fish dam guarded by the five swallow sisters of Celilo.
LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL/CELILO FALLS TRAIL
A trade route for generations of Native Americans. Lewis and Clark noted it was a “well traveled road”. Today’s roads use major portions of the trail. Original remnants can still be seen on the breaks of the Tucannon River.
COLUMBIA COUNTY: 1875
Wood, water and fertile land attracted settlers who brought livestock, planted wheat (1861), built grist and lumber mills and established orchards. The Walla Walla-Lewiston Wagon Road (1862) provided market outlets. In 1875 citizens successfully petitioned the Washington Territorial Council to create a new county from the eastern portion of Walla Walla County.