The Battle for the Stevens County Seat
Colville fights to remain the seat of government as the county commissioners attempt to move it to Kettle Falls.
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The question of the location of the Stevens County seat has escalated into a legal battle. Despite the county seat having been located at Colville since the county's inception, towns including Kettle Falls, Chewelah, and Springdale sought an election to move it. Kettle Falls received the most votes, but failed to reach the required three-fifths majority of all votes cast. Nonetheless, the county commissioners have ordered the removal of the seat to Kettle Falls. Colville residents are now organizing to block this action in court, with attorneys Thomas Griffiths, John B. Slater, and C. A. Mantz retained to challenge the commissioners' interpretation of the law.
“Notwithstanding the fact that it required a three-fifths majority... the county commissioners, contrary to the advice of the prosecuting attorney and the law as well, held that the prize should be awarded to such town.”
County seat fights were common in the 19th century as towns jockeyed for political power and the economic benefits of government presence. This incident captures the era's fierce townsite promotion culture, where civic status was often as much a product of legal maneuvering as it was of population growth.
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