Actually, the precursor to
Mule Days,
Mule Shows began sometime in the 1800s and continued until 1915. Today Mule Days is a four day extravaganza with many
activities and events, plus the largest parade in Lincoln County. Reardan's agricultural heritage is also evident in the presence of its three large wood, concrete and steel elevators. They, along with the tall water tower south of town, are the landmarks which make Reardan easy to spot from a distance.
Founded in 1882, Reardan was initially named Capp’s Place but, when the Central Washington Railroad arrived, the town was renamed in honour of engineer C.F. Reardan. Reardan was incorporated on April 14, 1903. Today Reardan remains a sleepy little agricultural service centre straddling Highway 2 about 20 miles west of Spokane. The most interesting place we found while whizzing through was Fist A Cup Java, a cool little coffee shop on the north side of the highway near the centre of town. "This coffee shop is worth seeing, as they have packed the place with memorabilia and collectibles and have even plastered the outside with old road signs and license plates. Coffee, BTW, can be had for 50 cents a cup. When's the last time you saw that? And the coffee is superb".
On the northeast corner of town is Audubon Lake, a protected area of grasslands and marshlands which has been developed into an excellent bird watching location. This is a stop on the Great Washington State Birding Trail.
We don't know if it remains the case but Reardan was once one of Washington's most notorious speed traps. At least we didn't get a ticket while there.
Below is the American Guide writer's take on the town.
REARDAN, 46.2 m. (alt. 2,498; pop. 422, currently 620), came into existence after enterprising settlers dug a well here
and proved to railroad engineers that water was available. It once was called Capp’s Place, but the name was changed to honor a civil engineer of the Central Washington Railway after the line was extended through the site in 1889. Mule shows, at which especially fine animals of the Northwest were exhibited, were held annually until 1915; by then tractors had superseded draft animals in wheat farming. Reardan is mostly dependent upon the farmers of the surrounding territory. Facing the highway are several modern buildings and a flour and feed mill. In a two-story brick building at city center is the Reardan branch of the Old National Bank of Spokane, and to the right is the large steel grain elevator of the Washington Grain and Milling Company.
From Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State
