Once a campsite of the Chehalis Tribe, is now a small, quiet farming center divided by the highway. By the 1940s the town featured a bank, a weekly paper, a creamery, and two tie-cutting mills. Cascara bark, gathered in the adjoining forests, was shipped in considerable quantities every year.
Today Oakville is still a small community, but with a lot of personality. The town’s dairy farms, prize-winning cattle, herds of llama, American buffalo and horses make for interesting family outings. Paved and winding country roads have made bicycle touring and camping popular here. Off-road cyclists will find Capitol Forest’s trails challenging.