History of Waterville, Washington
History 1
J. W. Adams, whose specific goal was to form a town, was instrumental in the formation of Douglas County in 1883. Since it was the only "town" in the area, Okanogan (6 miles northeast of Waterville) was named the county seat.
Being a professional town builder from Kansas, Mr. Adams soon began to promote settlement here and encouraged people to open businesses in Okanogan. By the spring of 1884, a store and saloon opened and later that year a first class hotel and several houses, but no water had been found in the area.
Two wells had been dug to depths of 60 and 80 feet. Both provided dry holes. In a last ditch effort, Adams hired a well driller by the name of Jack Lockwood in the spring of 1885. Lockwood and crew drilled to the depth of 286 feet, and still no sign of water. Throughout Okanogan's history, it was not uncommon to see a sign on a settler's door with the message, "Gone for water - back in a week." All efforts to make Okanogan the hub of activity were doomed to failure because of the lack of water.
In 1886, the town site of Douglas (5 miles east of Waterville) was platted and took up the race for county seat honors. Following county seat removal from Okanogan, in 1887, Douglas fell heir to the Okanogan post office. Douglas is situated at the intersection of the Ritzville and Spokane Falls roads, and was the nearest route from Ellensburg to the Salmon River mines of the Okanogan county. The rush to those mines in 1887-88 made Douglas important as a stopping point. Fire destroyed much of the town at various times, but the German Lutheran Church, built in 1915, remains a conspicuous landmark today.
The building of a town on the location of Waterville was conceived by A.T. Greene, who is known as the "Father of Waterville." Mr. Greene relinquished one forty acre tract and he and surveyor J.M. Snow platted the town site. The town was named Waterville in consideration of the plentiful well in sharp contrast to the dry wells in Okanogan.
Boasting their "barrel of water", Waterville won county seat honors in the election of 1886 by a 56 vote majority. On May 2, 1887, the county commissioners officially declared Waterville the new county seat. In December of 1887, a post office was secured for Waterville and A.T. Greene was named postmaster. By the spring of 1888, eight buildings could be found on the town site. A.T. Greene built the original Douglas County Courthouse in September 1889 at a total itemized cost of $4,046.70.
The citizens of Waterville petitioned for incorporation under the District Court of Washington Territory, Fourth Judicial District in the fall of 1888. On March 22, 1889, the petition was granted. Washington became the 42nd State on November 11, 1889. On April 4, 1890, a petition was signed by thirty residents asking for a special town election to vote on the proposition of the Town of Waterville being organized and incorporated under the general laws of the state. The election was held on May 3, 1890 and although the vote was light, there was no opposition. Waterville was now a legal incorporated town under state law.
It was 1892 before water was turned into the town's mains for the first time. Waterville had lived up to its name and supplied ample water for its population which at the time was between 350 and 500 people.
History 2
In 1883, Stephen Boise placed a squatter’s claim on the shrub steppe plateau in Eastern Washington, high above a big bend in the Columbia River. Soon, he built a cabin and dug a well. The well produced water, and lots of it…it was the only available water for miles around. Before long, the site was to become a county seat; the precious liquid would give the Town of Waterville its name.
A.T. Greene bought the Boise land claim in 1885, with visions of building a town. He deeded and platted 40 acres for use as the original town site, which he called Waterville. Waterville boosters wanted the town to be the county seat of newly established Douglas County. The problem was, Douglas County already had a county seat, a small town named Okanogan, six miles to the northeast. Okanogan, however, was dry… despite several attempts, not a single well produced a drop of water. So at a political convention in Okanogan, the Waterville contingent produced a barrel of water and insisted on moving the county seat to its source. Bowing to popular demand, the Commissioners did so on May 2, 1887, declaring Waterville to be the new county seat. On March 22, 1889, Waterville became an incorporated town in Washington Territory. That same year, town founder A. T. Greene built the first Douglas County Courthouse in Waterville and sold it to the newly formed county for one dollar.
Washington became the 42nd state in the union shortly thereafter, so the Town of Waterville was re-incorporated under the laws of Washington State on May 3, 1890. By 1892, the town boasted several hundred residents, and a number of merchants to serve them and the surrounding rural population.
Early dreams of cattle farming on the plateau were dashed when the harsh winter of 1889-1890 killed most of the local stock. Thereafter, potatoes and wheat vied for supremacy as the dominant cash crop. Eventually, wheat farming won out and became the mainstay of the local economy. Blessed with fertile soil, plenty of winter snow and spring rain, dry summers, and high market demand, local wheat farmers prospered in the early years, and the Town of Waterville grew and prospered with them.
Fire wiped out many of the early wood frame commercial structures in Waterville. The commercial street was moved one block as new buildings sprang up, this time of fire resistive masonry construction. The buildings in this district became a lively and prosperous economic hub that served the entire region. Today, the one hundred year old Waterville commercial district is listed on the National Register of Historic places, as are the nearby Waterville Hotel and the Nifty Theatre, other buildings from the same era. In 1905, a stately brick courthouse, still in use today and listed on the State Historic Register, replaced the original wood frame courthouse built in 1889.
Over the decades, the economy of Waterville adapted to the vagaries of wheat farming and changes of life style. Farmers faced tough times when drought or disease caused crop failures, or when market prices bottomed out. Thanks to efficient machinery, labor intensive farming practices went by the wayside… but with them, a traditional source of local employment. Attracted to malls and big box stores in the valley, many local residents started shopping elsewhere. Because of these changes, sadly, Waterville’s business sector lost much of its former luster.
Recently, some historic commercial buildings have been lovingly restored and reopened, or converted to new uses. Other buildings wait patiently for new opportunities to serve the community. Today, fiber optics and cheap electricity show promise of attracting more entrepreneurs and creating new jobs. Attracted by clean air, sunny weather, and incredible local geography, visitors are also discovering that there are plenty of fun things to do in the area, away from crowds. Waterville is experiencing a revival as a small American town, and a good place to live, visit, and do business.