In the Beginning

Evidence suggests that the Fishery at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River has been occupied for at least 9,000 years. The Fishery was the gathering place for many tribes. Tribes traveled from far away to catch and trade for salmon. After the arrival of horses in the early 1700s Indians traveled from the Fishery into Montana and the plains to trade salmon for buffalo.

In the early 1800s, Europeans began to arrive in the area. Notable was David Thompson, an employee of the Northwest Company. He came to explore the Columbia River and to make friends with the Indians in hopes of getting them to trap for the company. He also hoped to claim large areas of land for England. He picked Kettle Falls as a good site for a trading post and fort. He originally established his fort, Spokane House, near the mouth of the Little Spokane River. It was subsequently moved to Kettle Falls in 1825. By then, the Hudson's Bay Company had taken over the Northwest Company and Fort Colville was a HBC fort. It flourished until the supply of furs diminished and the fort closed.

In addition to furs, the area provided fertile soil for growing crops. The fort farms supplied itself and exported crops as well. The fort also had its own grist mill and ground flour for itself and for sale.

By the mid 1800s, the area began to change with the arrival of miners, missionaries and settlers. Catholic and Presbyterian missionaries came to the area and built missions. The British and U.S. Boundary Commissions were both housed in the area as they established the border between Canada and the United States.

After the Whitman Massacre, it was felt that there should be a strong military presence in the area. In 1859, another Fort Colville was built, this time by the U.S. Military. It was on a plateau above the marshy Colville River valley. Pinkney City sprang up next to the fort. When the fort closed in 1882 several of the local businessmen had already found the current site of Colville to be more desirable, so in the dark of night they moved the official records and Colville became a town and shortly the county seat.

Many family names found throughout northeast Washington had their roots in the HBC trade and in the military. Many men from both forts stayed on and helped develop the area.

Colville and the surrounding area is rich with history and innovation. At the site of the HBC grist mill and dam, a power plant was built, several early grist mills operated, and a water system was built for the city of Colville. Representatives of the area were at the first territorial legislature.

Colville area citizens are proud of and cherish their heritage. They hope you will enjoy it as well. If you are interested in additional information on area history, there are several museums in the area. Among them is the Stevens County Historical Society Museum at the Keller Heritage Center. The Jim McMillian Research and Reference Library is located in the museum and is available for research.