When it grew up around the Seattle Portland and Spokane Railway station, the name was selected because of a sweeping view of nearby hills and mountains. The first name of the place was Staggerweed Mountain for the wild larkspur that grew there which, when eaten by animals, “made the livestock stagger.” The place was named by John Tompkins, the first settler, A post office was established in May of 1890 and closed in September of 1926. The town was composed of a service station and a few houses along the railroad track. A grange built around 1890 was used as a theatre and meeting hall and is still in use as a private residence.