Gifford was once a small town north of Davenport on the east bank of the Columbia River across from Inchelium. The place was named for James O. and Sarah Gifford, who founded it in 1890. There was a cable operated ferry, a post office which opened in 1896 and other town facilities. With the creation of a lake behind Grand Coulee Dam, the site was covered by almost 90 feet of water.