Colfax, Washington
Encyclopedia
Colfax is the county seat
of Whitman County, Washington
, United States.
The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census.
It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River
. U.S. Route 195, which forms the town's main street, intersects with State Route 26
at the north end of town; in the past, Colfax also lay at the junction of three railway lines. It was named after Schuyler Colfax
, the vice president
from 1869-73.
were the first known human inhabitants of the Colfax area. White settlers arrived in the summer of 1870, and soon built a sawmill. A flour mill and other businesses followed, and Colfax soon grew into a prosperous town. Originally, pioneer citizen James Perkin called the settlement "Belleville" in honor of his girlfriend; when he found a new love, he changed the town's name to Colfax for then-Vice President Schuyler Colfax
.
Colfax was officially incorporated on November 29, 1873. In 1889-90, the town vied with several other finalists to become the site of a new state agricultural college, present-day Washington State University
. The honor ultimately fell to nearby Pullman
, 15 miles (24 km) southeast.
The early history of Colfax was distinguished by prominent lynchings in 1894 and 1898.
Until passed by Pullman at the 1930 census, Colfax was the largest city in the county.
, Pullman
, Moscow
, and Lewiston
/Clarkston
. The area is geologically interesting, lying in the midst of the fertile Palouse country
in the middle of the Columbia River Plateau
, with the Rocky Mountains
to the east, the Channeled Scablands
to the west, and the Snake River
to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²).1.7 square miles (4.3 km²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
The Palouse River, confined for flood control to a concrete bed that reduces it to an eighteen-inch-wide stream during the dry season, runs through the middle of town, parallel to Main Street.
Colfax has a four-season continental climate
(Köppen
Dsb), with hot, dry summers, cold winters, and a rainy season that generally runs from autumn til spring. The annual rainfall averages less than 20 inches (508 mm) a year. This climate, together with the deep, rich palouse topsoil, makes for near-ideal wheat growing conditions.
and a mayor (currently Norma Becker, serving her fifth term).
There is a small assortment of businesses, including building and farm supply stores, a medium-sized grocery (Rosauers
), a pharmacy, a hotel, a Bed & Breakfast guesthouse, a fitness center, a florist, a coffee stall, four gift shops, a pawn shop, and ten restaurants. Local service-based businesses include lawyers, dentists, auto mechanics, banks, and retirement homes.
Switchboard.com lists nine churches in Colfax, including one Catholic Church, one congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS or Mormon), and various Protestant and non-denominational churches including, Colfax Assembly (Assemblies of God), Colfax Nazarene Church, First Baptist Church, United Methodist Church, and The Community Bible Church.
A weekly newspaper called Whitman County Gazette is published in Colfax. In addition, there is a daily newspaper called "The Daily Bulletin" which consists of a one page paper with daily news and advertisements that is published in Colfax.
, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.
There were 1,191 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years, well above the national average of 35.3—possibly due to the presence of several retirement communities. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,622, and the median income for a family was $47,589. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,349 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,519. About 6.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Whitman County, Washington
Whitman County, Washington
Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 44,776, with the majority living in its largest city, Pullman, home to Washington State University, the state's land-grant university. The county seat is at Colfax.Whitman County was...
, United States.
The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census.
It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River
Palouse River
The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River located in the U.S. states of Washington and Idaho. It flows for southwestwards, primarily through the Palouse region of southeastern Washington...
. U.S. Route 195, which forms the town's main street, intersects with State Route 26
Washington State Route 26
State Route 26 is a state highway in the Grant, Adams, and Whitman counties, in the U.S. state of Washington. It extends from Interstate 90 east of the community of Vantage, east to U.S. Route 195 in Colfax. SR 26 intersects SR 24, SR 17, US 395, and SR 261 before...
at the north end of town; in the past, Colfax also lay at the junction of three railway lines. It was named after Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
, the vice president
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
from 1869-73.
History
Palouse IndiansPalus (tribe)
The Palus are a Sahaptin tribe recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the Yakamas . A variant spelling is Palouse, which was the source of the name for the fertile prairie of Washington and Idaho.- Ethnography :...
were the first known human inhabitants of the Colfax area. White settlers arrived in the summer of 1870, and soon built a sawmill. A flour mill and other businesses followed, and Colfax soon grew into a prosperous town. Originally, pioneer citizen James Perkin called the settlement "Belleville" in honor of his girlfriend; when he found a new love, he changed the town's name to Colfax for then-Vice President Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
.
Colfax was officially incorporated on November 29, 1873. In 1889-90, the town vied with several other finalists to become the site of a new state agricultural college, present-day Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
. The honor ultimately fell to nearby Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
, 15 miles (24 km) southeast.
The early history of Colfax was distinguished by prominent lynchings in 1894 and 1898.
Until passed by Pullman at the 1930 census, Colfax was the largest city in the county.
Notable natives
Either born, raised, or made Colfax their home:- Dinsmore AlterDinsmore AlterDinsmore Alter was an American astronomer and meteorologist.He was born in Colfax, Washington, and attended college at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. After graduating in 1909 with a B.S. degree, he married Ada McClelland...
, astronomer and meteorologist - Ida Lou AndersonIda Lou AndersonIda Lou Anderson was a pioneer in the field of radio broadcasting. She was a professor at Washington State College in the 1920's and 1930's. One of Anderson's earliest and most impressive students was Edward R...
, radio pioneer, professor - Roland BaintonRoland BaintonRoland Herbert Bainton was a British born American Protestant church historian.-Life:He was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England and came to the United States in 1902. He received an A.B. degree from Whitman College, and B.D. and Ph.D.. degrees from Yale University. He also received a number of...
, professor of ecclesiastical history, Reformation scholar - Yakima CanuttYakima CanuttYakima Canutt , also known as Yak Canutt, was an American rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director.-Biography:...
, rodeo champion and Hollywood stuntman - Timothy ElyTimothy ElyTimothy C. Ely is a contemporary American painter, graphic artist and craftsman, known for creating single-copy handmade books as art objects....
, contemporary American artist - William La FolletteWilliam La FolletteWilliam Leroy La Follette was a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 1915 to 1919....
, politician, congressmanUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
from Washington - Abe GoffAbe GoffAbe McGregor Goff was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho, most notably serving a term in the U.S. House of Representatives....
, politician, Republican congressmanUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
from Idaho - John KitzhaberJohn KitzhaberJohn Albert Kitzhaber is the 37th Governor of Oregon. He served as the 35th Governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and became the first person to be elected to the office three times when he was re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2010...
, Governor of OregonGovernor of OregonThe Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
, 1995–2003, 2011 - - Morten LauridsenMorten LauridsenMorten Johannes Lauridsen is an American composer. He was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 30 years.-Biography:Lauridsen was born February 27, 1943, in...
, composer of classical music - Virgil T. McCroskeyVirgil T. McCroskeyVirgil Talmadge McCroskey was an American conservationist who spent most of his life in Eastern Washington...
, 1876–1970, an amateur conservationist who created two state parks: Steptoe ButteSteptoe ButteSteptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington. It is contained by Steptoe Butte State Park. The rock that forms the butte is over 400 million years old, in contrast with the 15–7 million year old Columbia River basalts that...
state park in Washington and Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park in Idaho. A pharmacist until 1920, McCroskey owned the Elk Drugstore on Main Street, the facade of which still bears his name. - Kate Bigelow Montague, (5 May 1885 - 30 October 1984) A novelist, author, and journalist. She also made amateur travel films of primarily southeast Asia, Europe and North America ca. the mid to late 1930s.
- Robert OsborneRobert OsborneRobert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
, Hollywood historian and journalist, prime-time host of Turner Classic MoviesTurner Classic MoviesTurner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
. As a teenager, he worked at The Rose, a long-defunct movie theater in downtown Colfax, and broke both arms while putting Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
's name on the marquee. - Mimi LaFollette SummerskillMimi LaFollette SummerskillMiriam LaFollette "Mimi" Summerskill was an educator, author, political activist, and vineyard owner.-Early Years and Education:Mimi was the eldest of four children...
, author, educator, political activist and vintner
Geography and climate
Colfax is located in southeastern Washington at 46°53′3"N 117°21′49"W (46.884033, -117.363668), at an elevation of 1962 feet (598 m). The nearest cities are SpokaneSpokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
, Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, and Lewiston
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city in and also the county seat of Nez Perce County in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA...
/Clarkston
Clarkston, Washington
Clarkston is a city in Asotin County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Lewiston ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,229 in 2010....
. The area is geologically interesting, lying in the midst of the fertile Palouse country
Palouse
The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes...
in the middle of the Columbia River Plateau
Columbia River Plateau
The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
, with the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to the east, the Channeled Scablands
Channeled scablands
The Channeled Scablands are a unique geological erosion feature in the U.S. state of Washington. They were created by the cataclysmic Missoula Floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch. Geologist J Harlen Bretz coined...
to the west, and the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²).1.7 square miles (4.3 km²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
The Palouse River, confined for flood control to a concrete bed that reduces it to an eighteen-inch-wide stream during the dry season, runs through the middle of town, parallel to Main Street.
Colfax has a four-season continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dsb), with hot, dry summers, cold winters, and a rainy season that generally runs from autumn til spring. The annual rainfall averages less than 20 inches (508 mm) a year. This climate, together with the deep, rich palouse topsoil, makes for near-ideal wheat growing conditions.
Tourist attractions
- The Codger Pole is a chainsaw-carved monument by master carver Jonathan LaBenne. It is located on Main Street and commemorates a 1988 rematch, 50 years after the original 1938 game, between archrival football teams from Colfax High School and St. John.St. John, WashingtonSt. John is a town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 537 at the 2010 census. St. John is the birthplace of the twentieth governor of Washington, Mike Lowry.-History:...
At 65 feet (19.8 m) tall, it is the largest sculpture of its type in the world, and consists of portraits, carved into five upended red cedar logs, of the 51 players involved. The players are shown in old age but are wearing the football uniforms of the thirties. - The Perkins House, on Perkins Avenue, is a meticulously restored Victorian home built in 1886. The original owner was James Perkins, a leading pioneer citizen. The Perkins family occupied the home until 1968, by which time it was sadly dilapidated and slated for demolition. In 1970, the Whitman County Historical Society assumed ownership and began restoring the house, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Behind the house is a log cabinLog cabinA log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, built in 1870, where Perkins lived for sixteen years. This cabin is the oldest standing structure in Whitman County. The house is open for tours from May to September, on Thursdays and Saturdays. - Colfax Golf Course and Country Club is a nine-hole course beside the river on North Palouse River Road.
- McDonald Park, located immediately north of the golf course, consists of playing fields surrounded by a paved walking/jogging path. Regional baseball and softball tournaments are hosted here.
- The Colfax Trail is a three-mile (5 km) path converted from a disused railway line. It begins at a gravel quarry off Highway 26, just beyond the town's western limit, and follows the Palouse RiverPalouse RiverThe Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River located in the U.S. states of Washington and Idaho. It flows for southwestwards, primarily through the Palouse region of southeastern Washington...
westward, traversing cow pastures, pine woods, wetlands, and basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
cliffs.
Public services, businesses, and churches
Among the town's other amenities are a public school, a hospital, several city parks, a skateboard park, a swimming pool and a public library that was recently named among the best in Washington State. As the county seat, Colfax is also home to the Whitman County Courthouse and the Whitman County Jail. The local government consists of a seven-member City CouncilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
and a mayor (currently Norma Becker, serving her fifth term).
There is a small assortment of businesses, including building and farm supply stores, a medium-sized grocery (Rosauers
Rosauers
Rosauers Supermarkets, Inc. is a chain of supermarkets based in Spokane, Washington. After the company's founder, J. Merton Rosauer, sold Rosauers to Spokane-based URM Stores in 1984, it eventually grew to 21 stores under the Huckleberry's Natural Market, Rosauers, and Super 1 Foods brands...
), a pharmacy, a hotel, a Bed & Breakfast guesthouse, a fitness center, a florist, a coffee stall, four gift shops, a pawn shop, and ten restaurants. Local service-based businesses include lawyers, dentists, auto mechanics, banks, and retirement homes.
Switchboard.com lists nine churches in Colfax, including one Catholic Church, one congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS or Mormon), and various Protestant and non-denominational churches including, Colfax Assembly (Assemblies of God), Colfax Nazarene Church, First Baptist Church, United Methodist Church, and The Community Bible Church.
A weekly newspaper called Whitman County Gazette is published in Colfax. In addition, there is a daily newspaper called "The Daily Bulletin" which consists of a one page paper with daily news and advertisements that is published in Colfax.
Annual Colfax events
- Palouse Plowing Bee and Palouse Empire Threshing Bee– held respectively on the third weekend in April and the first weekend after Labor DayLabor DayLabor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. Farmers demonstrate traditional plowing and harvesting methods in a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) field five miles (8 km) west of town. - Perkins House Ice Cream Social – Held on the last Sunday in June on the lawn of the Perkins House; ice cream, pie, live DixielandDixielandDixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
music, displays, and free house tours. - Concrete River Days – A summer festival held on the second weekend in July, with a parade, sidewalk sales, and many outdoor activities; so named because the Palouse riverbed in downtown Colfax has been lined with concrete for the sake of flood control, and the water descends into a narrow central channel during the dry season.
- Palouse Empire Fair – Held in early September five miles (8 km) west of town; a midway, a rodeo, live music, and barns full of livestock and handicrafts.
- Lighted Christmas Parade– a night parade held in downtown Colfax, Mill Street, on the first Thursday in December. Festive floats, free candy, special programs at the public library, and Santa Claus.
- Autumn Harvest Hullabaloo The Hullabaloo is an a fall festival similar to Colfax's Concrete River Days.
Demographics
The population has hovered near 3,000 since 1910. As of the 2000 census, there were 2,844 people, 1,191 households, and 740 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,705.6 people per square mile (657.5/km²). There were 1,357 housing units at an average density of 813.8 per square mile (313.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.16% White, 0.25% African American, 0.84% Native American, 2.07% Asian, 0.60% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.
There were 1,191 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years, well above the national average of 35.3—possibly due to the presence of several retirement communities. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,622, and the median income for a family was $47,589. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,349 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,519. About 6.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Colfax information from the Chamber of Commerce
- History of Colfax at HistoryLinkHistoryLinkHistoryLink is a website that is an encyclopedia of Washington State history. The site has more than 4,500 stories. There are 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images....