Klickitat County County
Klickitat County was created out of Walla Walla County on December 20, 1859. Samuel Hill was an early promoter of the area, promoting better roads and building local landmarks such as a war memorial replica of Stonehenge (Maryhill Stonehenge) and a mansion that would become the Maryhill Museum of Art. The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge across the Columbia River is named after him.
Mapped Location
Klickitat County: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Klickitat County
- Feature Type: County
- County Seat: City of Goldendale
- Established: Tuesday, December 20, 1859
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Klickitat County
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Klickitat County | Official |
| Clickitat County | Historical |
Origin Notes and History of Klickitat County
References to Klickitat County that document the origin of its place name
KLICKITAT COUNTY, established by the Legislature of Washington Territory on December 20, 1859. In the act the name was spelled "Clickitat." (Edmond S. Meany, History of the State of Washington, Appendix I)
KLICKITAT, an Indian word used extensively, with various spellings, as geographic names in Washington. It is the name of a tribe. Lewis and Clark, 1803-1806, encountered them and on April 23, 1806, recorded the name as "Wahhowpun," which editor, Elliott Coues, identifies as the Klickitat tribe. (History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Volume III., page 964.) On June 20, 1825, the botanist-explorer, David Douglas, mentions the tribe as "Clikitats." (Journal 1823-1827, page 129.) The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, recorded the name as "Klackatack." (Narrative, Volume IV., page 316.) General Hazard Stevens, using the work of his father and the railroad surveyors of 1853, said that the word means "robber." (Life of General Isaac I. Stevens, Volume II., page 22.) That definition was used by writers for many years. From 1902 to 1907, two United States Government publications were issued in which the meaning was given as "beyond." (The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, page 177 in the second edition, and Handbook of American Indians, Volume I., page 713.) Another recent investigator confirms this definition by showing that it originated with Lower Chinooks who called the falls near the mouth of a river beyond the mountains and the Indians living at the falls "Hladachut." A corruption of that name, Klickitat, is now applied to the river and to a tribe of Indians. (E. S. Curtis, The North American, Volume VII., page 37.)
Related Catalog Titles
A Bibliography for Klickitat County, County
So this is Klickitat by Selma M. Neils, Klickitat Woman's Club
Klickitat County
- Alderdale
- Appleton
- B Z Corner
- Bates
- Bickleton
- City of Bingen
- Blockhouse
- Bluelight
- Centerville
- Cleveland
- Dallesport
- Dot
- Firwood
- Gilmer
- Glenwood
- City of Goldendale
- Goodnoe
- Goodnoe Hills
- Gooseneck
- Guler
- Husum
- Klickitat
- Klickitat Heights
- Klickitat Springs
- Laurel
- Laws Corner
- Lyle
- Maryhill
- McCredie
- Moona
- Mountain Brook
- Murdock
- Pitt
- Pleasant Valley
- Roosevelt
- Sixprong
- Smithville
- Snowden
- Straight Point
- Sundale
- Swale
- Towal
- Trout Lake
- Wahkiacus
- Warwick
- City of White Salmon
- Wishram
- Wishram Heights
- Woodruff Mill
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2017-06-30