Cathlamet, Washington

Cathlamet
Town
Cathlamet, Washington
Julia Butler Hansen Bridge connecting Cathlamet to Puget Island (foreground)
Location of Cathlamet, Washington
Coordinates: 46°12′14″N 123°23′2″W / 46.20389°N 123.38389°W / 46.20389; -123.38389Coordinates: 46°12′14″N 123°23′2″W / 46.20389°N 123.38389°W / 46.20389; -123.38389
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Wahkiakum
Area
• Total	0.495 sq mi (1.283 km2)
• Land	0.488 sq mi (1.264 km2)
• Water	0.007 sq mi (0.019 km2)  1.46%
Elevation	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	532
• Estimate (2015)	532
• Density	1,085.7/sq mi (419.2/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	98612
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-10635
GNIS feature ID	1503862
Website	Town of Cathlamet

Cathlamet /kæθˈlæmᵻt/ is a town located along the Ocean Beach Highway in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States, where it is the county seat. The population was 532 at the 2010 census, though it has an additional rural population outside of the town limits.

From time immemorial, Cathlamet was the largest, or one of the largest, villages of Columbia River Indians west of the Cascade Mountains, and the home of the Kathlamet people. "Cathlamet was sighted in 1792 by Lt. W.R. Broughton, while verifying Capt. Robert Gray’s reported discovery of the Columbia River." This village of cedar houses included 300-400 inhabitants when visited by Lewis and Clark.

In 1846, James Birnie became the first permanent white settler at Cathlamet, moving there after a career with the Hudson's Bay Company. He set up a trading post, remnants of which were reported still standing in 1906. "Birnie named the area Birnie’s Retreat. The name was later changed to Cathlamet in 1851."

Cathlamet was officially incorporated on February 18, 1907. In 1938, the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge was built to carry what is now State Route 409 across the Columbia River's Cathlamet Channel to Puget Island.