Disautel, Washington
Encyclopedia
Disautel was a logging town
in Okanogan County (Washington). Established around 1919, the community was located about 15 miles east of present-day Omak, Washington
along what is now Highway 155
, on the south side of Omak Creek. With a population of only about 100 people in 1929, the Biles-Coleman logging operations headquarters were moved to Disautel. The population increased, and soon boasted a school with two teachers and at least two stores. When the highway to Nespelem
was improved, workers in the sawmill
began commuting from Omak, and the town population begain to dwindle. After the sawmill closed at the beginning of the Great Depression
, the town shrank further. For some time, the Highway Department used the empty warehouses in the town to store roadworking equipment, but even that did not last, and the town died.
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
in Okanogan County (Washington). Established around 1919, the community was located about 15 miles east of present-day Omak, Washington
Omak, Washington
Omak is the largest city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is just south of the Canadian border where more populated cities are located ....
along what is now Highway 155
Washington State Route 155
State Route 155 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, running from U.S. Route 2 in Fordair over Disautel Pass to U.S. Route 97 and State Route 20 in the city of Omak. It is the main north–south route through the area around Grand Coulee Dam.-Route description:State Route 155...
, on the south side of Omak Creek. With a population of only about 100 people in 1929, the Biles-Coleman logging operations headquarters were moved to Disautel. The population increased, and soon boasted a school with two teachers and at least two stores. When the highway to Nespelem
Nespelem Community, Washington
Nespelem Community is a census-designated place in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 253 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Nespelem Community is located at ....
was improved, workers in the sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
began commuting from Omak, and the town population begain to dwindle. After the sawmill closed at the beginning of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the town shrank further. For some time, the Highway Department used the empty warehouses in the town to store roadworking equipment, but even that did not last, and the town died.