Wilson Creek

History

The area around Crab and Wilson creeks were inhabited by Native American peoples until the arrival of settlers in the late 19th century. The town was originally known as "Nanum Creek" and was renamed after one of the first pioneers to the area, who settled there in 1886. John Marlin and the Urquhart Brothers established their homes in the area in 1870s and were followed by a military road connecting Fort Walla Walla to Camp Chelan that passed near the area. A railroad was built through the area in 1892. Wilson Creek was platted in 1903 and officially incorporated on May 8, 1903. When Grant County was created in 1909, Wilson Creek was its largest town with around 600 people. The town grew little, however, and by the mid-20th century had been surpassed by Ephrata and Quincy. Despite the slowing of growth, Wilson Creek established a port district in March 1960. The Port of Wilson Creek is home to an airport, which was renovated in 1984 and again in the 2000s when updates were made to the runway.

Geography

Wilson Creek is located alongside a creek of the same name. Crab Creek, into which the aforementioned creek flows, runs along the southern side of the town. Just west of town along Crab Creek are Billy Clapp Lake and the Pinto Dam, both of which are part of the extensive Columbia Basin Project. State Route 28 passes immediately south of the town site as it follows the valley of Crab Creek, connecting Wilson Creek to Soap Lake to the west and Odessa to the east. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wilson Creek has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  166
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  129
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  124
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  123
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  123
• Western Kingbird

  Tyrannus verticalis Say, 1823 · Aves
  100
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  99
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  93

Most recent

• M 2.52 — 2025-09-10
  4 km NW of Waterville, Washington
• M 2.62 — 2025-06-06
  10 km WNW of Entiat, Washington
• M 2.77 — 2021-06-26
  12 km NE of Sunnyslope, Washington
• M 2.87 — 2020-05-01
  10 km WNW of Entiat, Washington
• M 2.51 — 2020-03-31
  12 km NE of Sprague, Washington
• M 3.48 — 2019-11-18
  19 km NW of Hartline, Washington