Columbia County

Columbia County. Historical Points of Interest. , 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. , 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. , Touchet River , 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 and 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. , 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. , 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. , Columbia County Courthouse Restoration Committee . 2004.