Klickitat Klickitat County, Washington
Mapped Location
Klickitat: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Klickitat
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Klickitat
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Klickitat | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Klickitat
References to Klickitat that document the origin of its place name
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.)
KLICKITAT, a town in the western part of Klickitat County. The place was settled in the fall of 1890 by L. C. Wright and was called for him, Wrights. The postoffice name was changed to Klickitat in 1910 and the railroad station's name was changed also to Klickitat in 1913. (N. J. Young, in Names MSS., Letter 8.)
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