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White Salmon

Located in step-like formation on a hillside; like Bingen, it is in the center of a former ranching and farming district. The town is sheltered from the east wind that sweeps down the gorge by Burdoin Mountain. Jewett Creek emerges from a canyon at the base of the mountain and flows through a small valley. While the terrain of the townsite is rocky, there is fertile alluvial soil in adjacent areas. White Salmon also was a logging and dairy products shipping point. It was a brisk little town with modern stores in brick buildings.

In recent years, White Salmon has attracted an artist community, tourists, and city dwellers looking for second homes in a picturesque setting. Its business district (Jewett Blvd.) is undergoing revitalization.

A post office was established in 1872 and was named for the White Salmon River, directly west, which was the spawning grounds for steelhead salmon, whose pink flesh was so much lighter, in comparison with the dark red flesh of the Chinook salmon, that the Indians spoke of the river as the place where the “white fish” came.  Rivalry with adjoining town Bingen, also on the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway line, caused the station to be marked with both town names. Efforts to combine the towns were made for many years, but were fruitless.

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