Fords Prairie

History

The area was originally called "Tasunshun", meaning "resting place", by the Upper Chehalis tribe, the Quiyaisk. The tribe kept a permanent village on the lands, often used during the winter. Dwellings were usually huts in a tipi-style construction of cedar planks. Fords Prairie was named after Judge Sidney S. Ford Sr. and his wife Nancy, who were among the earliest white pioneers who settled north of the Columbia River in 1846 in what was then a part of Oregon Territory. The Fords followed the wagon trail created by Michael T. Simmons, founder of what would become Tumwater and George Waunch, of Waunch Prairie. Receiving permission from the Quiyasik, their {{efn|The Ford family land donation claim varies in size based on the source, in some cases listed as . The log cabin home was two-stories, with an exterior stairwell to the top floor, and boasted a rock fireplace large enough to burn logs. Ford owned an indigenous slave, purchased for a pony that saved the person's life; Ford released the unnamed man from servitude two years later. Ford's relationship with local tribespeople were friendly and he was called "Sintah" or "Mr. Poots"; other family members were given Chehalis language monikers as well. During the Puget Sound War in 1855, over 200 residents moved to Fort Henness in Grand Mound for 16 months. A temporary school was started at the fort. The community was notified in late 2024 by the city of Centralia and several Lewis County departments that drinking water within Fords Prairie may be unsafe. Nitrate levels had been recorded as increasing in wells in 2023, leading to additional testing of private well water which confirmed a regional issue. No official announcement of contamination was issued but potential causes that were considered included seepage of…

Geography

Fords Prairie is often considered a neighborhood of Centralia, which borders the community to the south. Grand Mound, in Thurston County, borders Fords Prairie to the north. Interstate 5 forms the eastern edge of the CDP, with access from Exit 82 (Harrison Avenue) in Centralia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Fords Prairie CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.27%, are water. The community sits on the east side of the Chehalis River, which flows northwest to the Pacific Ocean at Grays Harbor.

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,474
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  3,301
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,673
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  2,589
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  2,442
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,353
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,327
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,283

Most recent

• M 2.61 — 2026-07-31
  18 km NE of Amboy, Washington
• M 2.84 — 2026-05-27
  4 km W of Wauna, Washington
• M 2.52 — 2026-03-17
  7 km SE of Mineral, Washington
• M 2.86 — 2026-03-11
  2 km W of Home, Washington
• M 2.6 — 2026-01-25
  1 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
• M 2.82 — 2025-12-25
  5 km W of Gorst, Washington