A non denominational church, the Garden Valley Community Church can be found 5.3 miles south on the Inchelium Highway, then Ellen Lake Road, from Highway 20, the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. From the church, the nearest settlement of any kind is Kettle Falls, about 13 miles northeast and across the Columbia River.
Construction on the church was begun in 1909, with completion coming about in 1911. We would imagine that it was originally clad in wooden shiplap siding which has today been covered with vinyl siding. The roof now wears sheet steel roofing, as does the covered entrance and the little belfry atop the front gable end. Atop the belfry is a tiny (in comparison to many churches we've visited) spire, also built of sheet steel roofing.
Behind the church is the community cemetery, on land donated at the same time as the land for the church, in a single parcel. The first burial in the cemetery took place in 1908, that of William Maddox, aged 67 or 68 at the time of his death. Both church and cemetery remain in use, with Sunday services held in the church on Sunday, as well as Prayer & Bible Study every Thursday at 6 PM.
The land for the Garden Valley Community Church and Cemetery was donated by Dick and Bertha Ensminger to be used by the community for a cemetery and a church. One of the first burials in the cemetery was William Maddox in 1908. Construction of the church building was started in 1909 and completed in 1911.
The cemetery is situated behind the church and still used for burial.
The Garden Valley Cemetery Association maintains the cemetery, which
is not affiliated with the church, which is situated beside the cemetery.
From Ewanida Rail