A Bridge Across the Chehalis
Citizens in Claquato gather to replace a ferry boat with a permanent bridge.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
CLAQUATO, Oct. 19, 1861. Pursuant to public notice, the citizens of Lewis County met at the schoolhouse in Claquato for the purpose of devising some plan to build a free bridge across the Chehalis River at this place. The meeting was called to order by J. T. Browning; L. A. Davis was called to the chair and J. D. Clinger appointed secretary. A plan and estimate for a bridge was furnished by J. D. Clinger, which was adopted. The following resolution was adopted: Resolved, That in view of the great necessity of having a safer and better way of crossing the river than the old ferry boat, we hereby pledge ourselves to use every exertion in our power, both by a liberal expenditure of money and labor, to assist in building a free bridge across the river at this place, and that we will use due diligence in soliciting the aid of others who feel willing to have our country prosper, to come forward with their subscriptions in grain, stock, labor, or money. Austin L. Davis was authorized to act in soliciting subscriptions.
“Resolved, That in view of the great necessity of having a safer and better way of crossing the river than the old ferry boat, we hereby pledge ourselves to use every exertion in our power.”
The town of Claquato, once a thriving hub on the Chehalis River, has largely vanished from the map, leaving behind little more than its cemetery. This 1861 effort to move from a ferry to a permanent crossing mirrors the ongoing civic struggle to maintain infrastructure and connectivity in Washington’s rural river corridors.
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