History of Colville Washington
The first white man in the area that is now Colville was David Thompson, who came in 1811 to explore the Columbia River for the Northwest Fur Company. A few months later a water route was opened from Astoria up the Columbia through Canadian waters, and overland to the Great Lakes or Hudson Bay. During that year, nearly 11,000 pounds of furs were reported shipped to the fur markets of London from the Colville area.
In 1825, Fort Colville, named for Lord Andrew Colville, a London governor of Hudson's Bay Company, was built at Kettle Falls, a few miles west of Colville. The fort functioned as the center of trade in the Northwest. A large farm supplied wheat, oats, barley, corn and potatoes to sustain the personnel at the fort. (Today, both the fort and farm sites are under water, covered by Lake Roosevelt, a part of the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area.)
By 1840, the Hudson's Bay trading post was processing 18,000 furs a year. When the boundary of the northwest was drawn at the 49th parallel in 1846 and the territory of Washington was established in 1853, Hudson's Bay Company, being a British company, withdrew from Fort Colville and moved to Canada. The War Department in 1859 ordered a military post built just northeast of the present town site. The post was called Harney's Depot at first, then Fort Colville. Four companies of the United States Infantry were stationed there. (This second fort Colville, located at different places at different times, sometimes confuses visitors."
The town of Colville was founded in 1882 when Fort Colville was abandoned. The first school, a hand-hew log building, shortly after the founding of the town is presently located at the Keller Historical Center within the city limits.
Stevens County Museum
The days of the Westward movement, potbellied stoves, and slate boards, are long gone. Yet, their memories live on, along with the rest of Stevens County's rich history, at the Keller Heritage Center in Colville. Located at 700 N. Wynne, the center is the home of the Stevens County Historical Society Museum. The Keller House, a machinery museum, Colville's first schoolhouse, a home-stead cabin, and a Forest Service fire lookout are among the many buildings on display on over seven acres of a pristine park-like setting.
The museum houses a very extensive collection of native American artifacts of tribes from all parts of the nation as well as all local tribes. The rest of the building is filled with remnants of days gone by and contains several well-organized displays of life as it was in the younger years of Stevens County.
An extensive gun display is exhibited in one area of the museum. There are also numerous display cases depicting the progress of the local lumber and fur trading industries, schools, missions, agriculture and pioneer life.
Also included in various displays are discussions of local history, dating from the 1811 visit of David Thompson to the area through the era of both Fort Colville and Pinkney City to the present day.
Indians and the Hudson Bay Co. also played a large role in the county's early history, and they are included, along with several prominent pioneers and "founding fathers," in exhibits throughout the museum.
A display of an early-day general store is one of the highlights of the museum. Here one can see the large variety of items once sold in just one store. Many of the items are marked with enviously low prices of the time, including a domestic sewing machine for $11.90, cent waffle irons, beef roast for 18 cents a pound, and Western Style Ladies sidesaddles for $12.45.
The Picture Gallery has a fine photo display, including many old photos of buildings, towns, families, and agriculture, mining, and lumbering areas.
The museum was opened in June of 1976 by members of the Stevens County Historical Society, who still run it today.
A new addition to the geological exhibit is a display of 25 samples of ash from different areas around the state, gathered after Mt. St. Helen's' eruption in 1980. Also exhibited are artifacts dating back several thousand years up to the when the white man came to the area.
Adjacent to the museum is one of Stevens county's early one-room schoolhouses, completely equipped as it was when operating.
History of the Keller House
The Keller House was constructed by a Colville contractor, Mr. D. H. Kimple, for J.H. "Harry" Young in 1910. Young had come to Colville in 1185 from Spokane where he had operated a stage line from Spokane to Fort Spokane.
Louis G. Keller married Young's widow, Anna, in 1915. They reside in the beautiful home built by Young and soon became noted for their gracious entertaining. Lou Keller was from a wealthy Cincinnati family, and came to Colville in 1907 and opened a hardware business with his brother William, and L. Stannus.
Located in the Rickey building, Stannus-Keller Hardware became one of the most flourishing enterprises in Northeast Washington. In addition to being a prominent merchant, Keller became a leading figure in the growth of Colville as commercial center of the Northeast. He was instrumental in forming the Colville Chamber of Commerce, and in 1910 he became its first president.
From 1923 to 1944 Keller was the sole owner and operator of Keller's Hardware. He retired and sold out to Louis Strauss, owner of Barman's Dry good, in 1944.
Keller's civic-minded generosity has survived him. In his will he bequeathed his estate to the City of Colville to be used for historical purposes and for the benefit of the public. Under the guidance of the Stevens County Historical Society, the Keller Historical Park has expanded its service to the public.
The house is presently occupied by a curator who takes care of and shows the house to visitors. Those wishing to tour inside the house must do so by appointment only, from 1-4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
The Keller House is a fine example of fashionable and elegant early 20th century architecture.
It was the home of two of Colville's early civic and business leaders, John J. Young (1854-1914) and Louis G. Keller (1881-1966), prominent among the small group of people whose dedication and foresight turned the frontier mining town of Colville into a thriving commercial center.
Elegant House
The spacious, bungalow-style house is an excellent example of the Craftsman Movement in the design of its interior decorations. The Craftsman Movement, which became popular in the 20th century, was inspired by the English Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th century.
The house exists today unaltered and in exceptionally good condition, due to the excellent care taken by the previous owners and to the ongoing maintenance and restoration being done by the Stevens County Historical Society. Visitors to the Keller Estate will enjoy the interior of the house, which contains many distinctive and noteworthy features. Some of the original furniture is displayed in the dining room and the guest bedroom upstairs as well as some original wallpaper. The Society replaced some wallpaper in keeping with the style of the home. For the most part, the interior decoration is original and unaltered.
The City of Colville owns the Keller House, and the property site of the Stevens County Museum, which has a 99 year lease on the property commencing on July 1, 1975. By agreement, the complete facility is operated and managed by the Stevens County Historical Society. The facility is funded by donations, grants and the City of Colville.
Colville National Forest
The colville National Forest disproves the widely held notion that Washington State lies fault east of the Cascade Mountains. These millions acres in the northeast corner roll like the high seas. Three waves of mountains from from north to south, separated by troughs of valleys. These ranges--the Okanagan, Kettle River, and Selkirk--are considered foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
The Colville National Forest is divided into management areas that have different emphases. For example, the primary objective in one area might be timber management, while wildlife needs or recreational opportunities might be the prime focus in other areas. Reforestation has become a sophisticated science, and see orchards on the Colville National Forest grow different strains of "super trees." Researcher monitor tree growth and work to develop trees that are resistant to disease and adapt well to a wide variety of ecosystems. The northeastern part of Washington is often called "the forgotten corner" of the state. Those who have discovered the memorable wildness, beauty, and rich history of the Colville National Forest may want to change the nickname. Perhaps "the unforgettable corner" is more appropriate.
Recreation Opportunities
Recreational opportunities include motorcycle trails, snowmobile trails, lake with boat launches, interpretive trails, fishing derbies, and scenic drives. Thirty-two campgrounds on the Colville National Forest provide a wide array of overnight stays, from lakeside-developed camps to wide spots on logging roads way back in the woods.
Hiking and Riding-there are 486 miles of trails open to hiking in the Colville National Forest. Many of thee trails rise from low elevation trail heads to the magnificent ridge and peaks along the Kettle and Selkirk mountain ranges. The trails transect crystal-clear streams and magnificent forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, sub-alpine fir and Engelmann spruce. Most hiking trails are also open to horseback riding. Some are open to mountain bikes. Motorized vehicle use is prohibited along many of these hiking trails so that re creationist can find solitude in the forest for a peaceful experience....away form the din of civilization.
Interpretive Trails-Near Sullivan Lake and Kettle Falls tell the story of early logging, saw milling, and mining on the Colville National Forest. Signs at an archaeological dig at Pioneer Park Campground on the Pend Oreille River describe early Indian life. An interpretive set among burned-out snags along Washington Highway 20 near Sherman Pass dramatives and explains the White Mountain Fire of 1988.
Camping-Twenty-three campgrounds for tents, recreational vehicles, and trailers are provided in the Colville National Forest. Dispersed camping is allowed in most of the national forest.
Fishing-You can angle for some 23 different fish species in the areas high mountain lakes, rivers and streams. Some species are walleyes, various trout, including Dolly Vardon, fresh-water salmon, bass and sturgeon.
Skiing-The 49 Degrees North Ski Area, near the town of Chewelah, operates privately on national forest land under a special permit. The ski area has a variety of runs on its 1,845 vertical feet of slopes. Bille as a comfortable, family ski area, it offers several chairlift and more than twenty ski runs.
Sixty miles of marked and groomed cross-country ski trails are found in the forest. The most popular trails are Nelson-Calispell, Boulder-Deer Creek Summit, rater Lake and Geophysical.
Snowmobiling- More than 300 miles of signed trails, including Lake Butte-Kelly Mountain, Chewelah Mountain-Power Peak, Paupac-LeClerc Creek, and Quartz Mountain-Eagle Rock.
Kettle Crest-Arguably the best hike in the Colville Nation Forest, this well-maintained trail through road less mountains runs along high ridges and through meadows of wildflowers, attains the highest peak in the area (7140 feet), and provides superb views of the area. The trip can be done as a round trip (30 miles) or, with two vehicles, as a one-way trip.
Hall Mountain-This short day hike, which begins 10 miles north of Sullivan Lake in the Colville National Forest, passes through prime bighorn sheep habitat. Near the top of the ridge, an intersecting trails leads to Grassy Top Mountain, allowing of expanding hiking trip into an overnight backpacking adventure. There are a number of campgrounds, trails, bike rides, paddle routes, and other attractions in the Sullivan Lake area.
Hike the Stage Trail-Follow in the footsteps of the original pioneers on this 10-mile hike between Albian Hill and Lambert Creek. It follows the pine wood forest of the Republic Ranger District and is the only wagon trail within Colville. It passes historic Lust Spring and connects to the Kettle Crest National Recreational Trail.
Wildlife-Wildlife listing make the Colville National Forest sound like Alaska; bighorn sheep, caribou, moose, wolf, lemming, grizzly bear. The northeastern corner of the Colville National Forest seems, in some ways, like a little piece of the arctic.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists two threatened species--the grizzly bear and bald eagles--and three endangered species--the caribou, wolf, and peregrine falcon--on the Colville National Forest. The forest Service cooperates with the Washington and Idaho game departments and the Canadian government to develop and put into effect recovery plans for the grizzly and caribou.
Campground-
Northeast Washington is a camping paradise...and it is all inside the Colville National Forest. You can take your pick of camping experiences from an array of settings from dry pronderosa pine to high-country subalpine fir. Set up your tent at a dispersed site along crystal-clear streams of the Kettle Range or the beautiful Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area. If you are in the mood for a less rustic experience, stay at one of the Colville National Forest's 28 developed campgrounds.
Wherever you stay, remember that you are responsible for helping care for the land and facilities. Most non-fee campgounds do not have garbage service, so please 'pack it out.' Be sure to take your own water to campsites where water is not available.