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Coulee City

This is the only point between the site of Coulee Dam and Soap Lake, where the Grand Coulee can be crossed. In the early days of the region, Coulee City, incorporated in 1890, was the junction point of the railroad and stage lines running to points along the Columbia River and to the Okanogan country. Guy Waring, in My Pioneer Past, comments: β€œAt Coulee City the branch train arrived too late for the stage which took you to Bridgeport on the Columbia River, Train and stage were scheduled to miss each other, and were invariably faithful to schedule. Had they connected the hotel would have died.” It was the headquarters of the Grand Coulee Dam engineering staff. In 1889, the site was settled by Philip McEntee, who subsequently established a station at this junction point of railroad and stage travel. The first name was McEntee’s Crossing. The post office name was operated as McEntee and later as Coulee. In 1937, the official name was changed to conform with that of the town, which had been platted as Coulee City in 1890.