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Swofford, Washington

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Coordinates: 46°30′18″N 122°23′18″W / 46.50500°N 122.38833°W / 46.50500; -122.38833
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Swofford, Washington
Unincorporated community
Swofford is located in Washington (state)
Swofford
Swofford
Swofford is located in the United States
Swofford
Swofford
Coordinates: 46°30′18″N 122°23′18″W / 46.50500°N 122.38833°W / 46.50500; -122.38833
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLewis
Established1890
Elevation
778 ft (237 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
zip code
98564
Area code360
GNIS source - Swofford Valley[1]

Swofford, also known as Swofford Valley, is an unincorporated community in central Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The town sits on the south shore of Riffe Lake, approximately 4.0 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Mossyrock.[2][3]

History[edit]

The valley was first settled by farmers Thomas and Jennie Swofford and their children in 1887 after a migration journey from Illinois. Thomas purchased 160 acres (65 ha) in the center of the valley. The family created the post office in their home and opened a drug store, thereby naming the town.[4][2][5][a] When the office and store were shut down, the building was converted into a dance hall.[6] The Swoffords eventually moved to nearby Mossyrock; Thomas died in early 1924[7] and Jennie died on August 1, 1932.[4] Their son, Harry, became a state representative and senator, and continued to live in the area until his death in 1970.[2][8] A valley pioneer farmer, postmaster, and father to a Centralia mayor, D.C. Davis lived in Swofford for 65 years.[9]

The first recorded airplane flight in Swofford Valley was reported in 1920 and there were joking concerns that farmers would get stiff necks if more aircraft were flown overhead.[10] In the 1920s, the community had an organized grange.[11]

Post office[edit]

A post office called Swofford was established in 1890,[2] and remained in operation until May 1922; mail was available for pick-up at the post office in the nearby community of Ajlune.[12][13] Indigenous people, using horses, helped to deliver mail in the surrounding area over existing Native American trails[6] before a county road connecting to the communities of Ajlune and Riffe was built.[14] Members of the Swofford family were postmasters continuously since its inception until Jennie Swofford resigned in 1909;[15] the postmaster job was routinely vacated by the late 1910s.[16]

Geography[edit]

The valley is known for farming and the land considered to consist of meadows amid rolling hills. Swofford Pond is fed by Sulphur Creek. In the early days of farming, the valley contained various orchards.[17]

Parks and recreation[edit]

Swofford is home to Swofford Pond, a 240-acre (97 ha) lake. Once known as Swofford Valley Pond, it increased in size after the flooding of the surrounding region due to the creation of the Mossyrock Dam.[18][19] The pond was first planned as a park in the late 1960s,[20] and the waters are accessible by boat launch. The shallow lake contains such fish species as bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, perch, and sturgeon. Trout, specifically brown and rainbow, are stocked and the pond is usually accessible throughout the year for fishing.[18][21]

Paralleling the south shore of the pond is the Swofford Pond Trail, established over an old logging road.[22] The mostly flat, approximately 3.0-mile (4.8 km) out-and-back trail courses through a mixed coniferous and hardwood forest with several open areas. The trail provides viewing of several species of birds, such as ducks, eagles and ospreys, and the area is visited by deer, elk, and otters.[23]

Additional recreation includes a campground at Riffe Lake and Mossyrock Park.[21]

Economy[edit]

A farming community, the early economy in Swofford centered on hog farming. Settlers drove the pigs, in a similar manner to that of cattle, to markets in Chehalis.[6]

Education[edit]

The Swofford school was part of district no. 66 and enrollment was small-to-moderate, with a 1903 report listing 37 students.[24] The one-room schoolhouse was located on a homestead farm.[25] The Swofford school building was still in use for religious gatherings in the 1950s.[26]

Infrastructure[edit]

In the early days of the Swofford community, a trip to Chehalis and other towns was accomplished by use of a dirt road and travel over a wooden bridge in Mayfield.[2] The main route to Chehalis was a 4 in (10 cm) thick, 8 foot (2.4 metres) wide plank road.[6] A county road was built beginning in 1915, connecting Swofford to local communities, such as Ajlune and Riffe, and continuing on to Morton.[27] Residents in Swofford undertook the construction of a 5,000 foot (1,500 metres) drainage ditch to siphon water off the valley for additional land for farming.[14] A county road, built over a logging route, was constructed in the mid-1950s to connect Swofford to nearby Winston Creek.[28]

Swofford Pond, beginning in 1966-1967, was originally a holding and rearing hatchery used to help offset fish losses due to difficulties in aquatic migration around the dams in the area.[29][30] The site was part of the larger Cowlitz Fish Hatchery project, considered at the time to be the largest such in the world.[31]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Thomas' son, Harry Swofford, is often given credit, in later news reports, for the valley and community being named after him rather than the Swofford family.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swofford, Washington
  2. ^ a b c d e "Swofford Valley, near Mossyrock, once had post office, drug store". The Daily Chronicle. July 1, 1976. p. C11. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swofford, Washington
  4. ^ a b "Mrs. Jennie Swofford, 87, Dies Monday". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 5, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 298.
  6. ^ a b c d e Blomdahl, George (December 30, 1963). "Harry Swofford, Early-Day Auditor Of Lewis County, Is 91 in February". The Daily Chronicle. p. 10. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Deaths Reported This Week - T.F. Swofford". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 8, 1925. p. 5. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Swofford Death Told". The Daily Chronicle. December 30, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  9. ^ "D.C. Davis Succumbs". The Daily Chronicle. April 25, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Swofford News". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 25, 1920. p. 6. Retrieved June 6, 2024. See fourth column
  11. ^ "Mossyrock Grange Is Crowded at Meeting". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 17, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "No Swofford P.O." The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 5, 1922. p. 13. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  13. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "To Dig A Ditch At Swofford". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. September 30, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "New Postmaster at Swofford". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. January 29, 1909. p. 9. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Swofford Postoffice". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. January 3, 1919. p. 9. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "From Randle to Cowlitz Bend". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 25, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Mohney, Russ (August 27, 1999). "Swofford Pond offers something for everyone". The Chronicle. p. A8. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "Second Mossyrock 'Lake" Slated". The Daily Chronicle. December 15, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  20. ^ "Mossyrock : New Look In Power". The Daily Chronicle. May 17, 1969. p. 2. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  21. ^ a b The Chronicle staff (March 29, 2011). "Swofford Pond Offers Year-Round Fishing Fun". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Rose, Buddy (November 18, 2005). "Lowland trails offer snowless walks". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  23. ^ Rose, Buddy (November 12, 2004). "Swofford Pond Trail". The Chronicle. p. C1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Swofford School Report". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 18, 1903. p. 2. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  25. ^ "Birthdays - Dorothy Powell". The Chronicle. June 4, 2005. p. D4. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  26. ^ "Sunday in the Churches - Mossyrock". The Daily Chronicle. February 9, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  27. ^ "Get Continuous Road". The Centralia Daily Chronicle-Examnier. April 23, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  28. ^ "From The Files Of The Chronicle". The Chronicle. January 10, 2006. p. B6. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "Cowlitz River - Fish Price : $12 million". The Daily Chronicle. July 21, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  30. ^ Federal Power Commission Reports (Volume 35 ed.). United States Federal Power Commission. 1970. p. 1048. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  31. ^ "Cowlitz Fish Hatchery World's Largest". The Daily Chronicle. September 25, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.

External links[edit]

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