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Lewis County is Washington State’s
largest and oldest county. It was
first established in 1845 and covered the area from the Columbia River to Sitka, Alaska.
The county has such notable landmarks as the south
slopes of Mount Rainier, the north area of the Mount Saint Helens Volcanic
National Monument, Mount Adams, and the Cowlitz River just to name a few.
The lush forestland provided the settlers who arrived
here with incredible opportunities in the area of forest products.
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The demand for logs and lumber was intensive in the
1800’s and the quality of the lumber form the local forests was high and
resources were readily available.
Great fortunes were made in the region and the results
of some of those fortunes can be found in some of the historic homes in the
area.
The rivers in the area were the main form of
transportation with canoes at first then with steam driven stern
wheelers. Large work forces were
needed to log and bring the logs to the sawmills to be cut to lumber.
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USDA Forest Service National
Volcanic Monument Photo taken by J. Quiring 1996 from the Coldwater Ridge
Visitor Center
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As both industry and the population grew paddle wheelers
traversed the rivers to carry people and supplies and transport finished
products downriver.
Railroads
When the railroads arrived in the late 1800’s
transportation was no longer confined to the waterways and the economy
boomed.
Today
Lewis County
is blessed with two tourist railways running steam engines and
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passenger cars giving passengers the feel of the
railroads in this area at the turn of the century. Both the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and
the Chehalis – Centralia
Railroad are listed below under attractions.
This is
Volcano Country
We’ve always know that the mountains of the Cascade Range in Western
Washington were volcanoes.
However, on May 18, 1980 the explosion of Mount Saint Helens was
heard in Bellingham, 175 mi. away, and the
eruption of Mt.
Saint Helens made the
impression of a lifetime. Day turned
to night
in Yakima
because the sky turned black with the volcanic ash from the eruption.
For those of us who lived in the region and heard the
explosion from 175 miles away or closer our perception of the power of
mother nature was changed forever.
Today, 25 years later the volcano is still active with occasional explosive
events and dome building.
You too can view and experience some of this awe inspiring
event by visiting one of the visitors centers listed below
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USDA Forest Service National
Volcanic Monument Photo taken by Peter Frenzen, 1982 of a steam and ash
eruption which was part of the dome building process.
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Mary
McCrank’s
This 1935 roadhouse was a much welcome stop in the good
old days of the two lane Highway-99.
People looked forward to this welcome stop and the refreshment it
provided. It is still in operation
today with a good taste of nostalgia included. Visit our Restaurants
page for current information
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Shopping & Attractions
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USDA Forest Service
Mount Saint Helens
National Volcanic Monument
Monument Headquarters
42218 NE Yale Bridge Road
Amboy, WA 98601
Phone 360-449-7800
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
Mount Saint Helens
Visitor Center
3029 Spirit Lake Highway
Castle Rock, WA 98611
Phone: 360-274-0962
(operated by Washington State Parks
and Recreation Commission).
Coldwater Ridge Visitor
Center
(Mailing address same as visitor
center)
Johnston Ridge Observatory
(Mailing address same as visitor
center)
Information can be obtained on both of
these sites at the visitor center and on the web site.
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USDA Forest Service National Volcanic
Monument Photo taken by J. Quiring, 1992, View of the volcano and Spirit Lake.
Visitor Center Location
Take Interstate-5 Exit 49 (Castle Rock/ Mt. Saint Helens) and travel east about 6
mi. and you will find the visitor center on the right.
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From the Mt.
Rainier Scenic Railroad web site.
Photo
copyright 2000 by Martin Hansen
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Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
PO Box
921
Elbe,
WA 98330
Phone: 360-569-2351
Toll free: 1-888-STEAM-11
http://www.mrsr.com/home.html
Open Saturdays & Sundays year round and 7 days a
week July through Labor Day they provide scenic rides through pastures and
forests to Mineral Lake, in view of Mt. Rainier
with a variety of tourist cars hauled by steam locomotives.
Location: Take
Interstate-5 Exit 68 go east for 31 mi. to Morton. At Morton take WA-7 north for 17 mi. to Elbe.
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Veterans Memorial
Museum
100 SW
Veterans Way
Chehalis,
WA 98532
Phone:
360-740-8875
http://www.veteransmuseum.org/
This is a large museum with 85 glass cases displaying
artifacts from the Revolutionary War,
Civil War, and to the present day military.
They have military uniforms from WWI to the present.
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The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad
1101
Sylvenus Street
Chehalis,
WA 98532
Phone:
360-748-9593
http://www.ccrra.com/
This restored logging steam engine and vintage passenger
cars run a 1 ½ hr round trip on Saturdays and Sundays from Late May thru
September at 1 & 3 pm. The trip
runs over old Milwaukie Railroad tracks.
They have a good website with more information.
Location: I-5
Exit 77 head west on WA-6 then south on Riverside Road.
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John R. Jackson Historic
House Site
Location: Take
Interstate-5 Exit 68 onto
US-12 and head east for 2.6 mi. then turn south (right)
on the Jackson Highway. Go 0.2 mi. south and look for it on the
left side of the road.
This simple log cabin is one of the oldest pioneer
structures north of the Columbia River. There is a glass window in the doorway
and two windows with which to view the stark interior.
Built in 1845 travelers often stopped here. It was also the Jackson Courthouse for a
time.
It is located in a small park beside the road and has
several information plaques.
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Lewis County Historical Museum
599 NW
Front Way
Chehalis,
WA 98532
Phone:
360-748-0831
Located in a former railroad passenger station built by
the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1912 this museum features displays of a
pioneer kitchen, pioneer farming tools, a general store, a blacksmith shop,
logging tools and a saw sharpening shop.
Location: Take
Interstate-5 Exit 79. Turn right
(east) onto Chamber Way
go 0.3 mi SE to end of road and turn right onto N National Ave. Travel south for about 0.5 mi. to West Street. You have arrived.
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Additional Information
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Lewis County Convention & Visitor Bureau
1401 W Mellen Street
Centralia,
WA 98531
Toll free: 1-800-525-3323
http://www.tourlewiscounty.com/
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Mt. Rainier Visitor Association
PO Box
214
Ashford, WA 98304
Toll free: 1-877-617-9950
http://www.mt-rainier.com/default.htm
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