City of Montesano Grays Harbor County, Washington
Mapped Location
City of Montesano: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on City of Montesano
- Feature Type: Incorporated
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for City of Montesano
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| City of Montesano | Official |
| Montesano | Official |
Origin Notes and History of City of Montesano
References to City of Montesano that document the origin of its place name
MONTESANO, the county seat of Grays Harbor County. The first settler was Isaiah L. Scammon, who came from Maine by way of California, arriving in 1852. (H. H. Bancroff: Works; Volume XXXI., pages 36-37.) When the county of Chehalis (name later changed to Grays Harbor) was created on April 14, 1854, the Washington Territorial Legislature located the county seat "at the house of D. K. Welden (Laws of Washington, 1854, page 476.) On January 28, 1860, it was relocated "at the place of. J. L. Scammons." Mrs. Lorinda Scammon, wife of the pioneer was very religious and wished to call the place "Mount Zion." At a little fireside council Samuel James, pioneer of Mound Prairie, suggested that Montesano had a more pleasant sound and about the same meaning. The suggestion was approved and soon afterwards a postoffice was secured with the same name. A few years later, S. H. Williams, son-in-law of S. S. Ford, and one of the party shipwrecked on Queen Charlotte Island, enslaved by the Haidah Indians, ransomed and rescued by other pioneers, bought sixteen acres on Medcalf Prairie and recorded his plat of "Montesano." The Chehalis River and a mile and a half of swampy road lay between the two places. A town-site war resulted. The county seat remained at the Scammon place but population and business flowed to the prairie town. The people of the county voted in 1886 to move the county seat and the Scammon place became known as South Montesano. (M. J. Luark, in Names MSS., Letter 548.) One of those who platted and helped to build the new town was Charles N. Byles. (History of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington, Volume II., pages 239.) The new town had been incorporated by the Legislature on November 26, 1883.
Grays Harbor County
- City of Aberdeen
- Aberdeen Gardens
- Aberdeen Junction
- Alder Grove
- Aloha
- Amanda Park
- Artic
- Axford
- Balch
- Bay City
- Bel-Aire
- Brady
- Broadway Heights
- Burrows
- Carlisle
- Carlisle East
- Carlisle West
- Cedarville
- Central Park
- Chehalis Village
- Cohassett
- Cohassett Beach
- Copalis Beach
- Copalis Crossing
- City of Cosmopolis
- East Aberdeen
- East Hoquiam
- City of Elma
- Fuller
- Garden City
- Gray Gables
- Grayland
- Grays Harbor City
- Greenwood
- Grisdale
- Herbig Heights
- Highland Heights
- City of Hoquiam
- Humptulips
- Iron Springs
- Junction City
- Laidlow
- Lankner
- Malone
- Markham
- City of McCleary
- McCleary Junction
- Melbourne
- Moclips
- City of Montesano
- Neilton
- New London
- Newton
- Nisson
- North Aberdeen
- Norwood
- City of Oakville
- Ocean City
- Ocean Grove
- City of Ocean Shores
- Ocosta
- Onslow
- Oyehut
- Pacific Beach
- Pilgrim Heights
- Porter
- Quinault
- Rayville
- Rony
- Saginaw
- Sampson
- Satsop
- Sine
- South Arbor
- South Elma
- South Montesano
- Sunset Beach
- Taholah
- Township 21-9
- Tulips
- Vesta
- Weatherwax
- Weikswood
- Westhaven
- City of Westport
- Wishkah
- Woodlawn
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2017-06-30