Napavine

History

Settlers began arriving in the Cowlitz area in the early 1850s. The earliest known pioneer family was the Cutting family in 1851, who settled south of the area of what became the town of Napavine, building a log cabin the following year. Horace Pinto arrived in 1852, setting up a general store. In 1853, James Urquhart purchased the Cutting land claim, platting the community in 1883. Napavine was officially incorporated as a town on November 21, 1913 after the populace voted for such in February of that year. Napavine's first mayor was A. M. McKinley. The Northern Pacific Railroad was established in Napavine late 1872. A sawmill under the railway company was built shortly thereafter. The town grew quickly, with a Methodist church constructed in 1885 and the community's first newspaper, the Western Washington Farmer, was begun the following year. Urquhart opened a general store and became the town's postmaster. He died in Napavine at the age of 80 in 1901. The duel between outlaws David Merrill and Harry Tracy, a convicted murderer, took place outside Napavine in late-June or early-July 1902, leading to Merrill's death. The pair were fugitives after escaping from the Oregon State Penitentiary weeks earlier, traveling into Southwest Washington. Merrill was found to have been shot in the back and his body, in a state of decomposition, was discovered by a local Napavine woman and her son while picking berries. The woman, known as Mary Waggoner, later sought to claim the $1,500 reward money based on a dead or alive decree for Merrill by the state of Oregon, but was denied. Waggoner eventually married Merrill's brother, Ben, in 1905. By 1908, Napavine had grown to include nine mills for lumber and shingle production, four general stores, and three hotels. A Western Union…

Geography

Napavine is located next to Interstate 5 (I-5), roughly halfway between Portland and Seattle. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The large hill that Napavine is sitting on is about 450 feet above sea level.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,059
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,005
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  1,630
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,601
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,498
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,475
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,469
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  1,351

Most recent

• M 2.68 — 2026-09-18
  25 km ENE of Yacolt, Washington
• M 3.75 — 2026-09-05
  20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
• 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