Montesano, Washington
| Montesano, Washington | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Montesano, Washington |
|
| Coordinates: 46°59′9″N 123°35′52″W / 46.98583°N 123.59778°WCoordinates: 46°59′9″N 123°35′52″W / 46.98583°N 123.59778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Grays Harbor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.58 sq mi (27.40 km2) |
| • Land | 10.41 sq mi (26.96 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2) |
| Elevation | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,976 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 3,891 |
| • Density | 381.9/sq mi (147.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 98563 |
| Area code(s) | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-46895 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1511681 |
| Website | Montesano, Washington |
Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,976 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.
According to Edwin Van Syckle, a portion of the present day town of Montesano was first platted in 1738 by Samuel Henry Williams who purchased land in what was known as Medcalf Prairie, named after the early settler William Medcalf. At about the same time, surveyor Charles Newton Byles also bought a farm from Walter King on the present day site of Montesano on April 9, 1870 and later platted 3 blocks on the west side of Main Street. The town of Montesano was born even though it was not incorporated until November 26, 1883 by the Washington Territorial Legislature.
Prior to that time, the name of Montesano was used to refer to the homestead of Isaiah Lancaster Scammon and his wife Lorinda who filed a 640 Donation Land Claim on January 15, 1853 on the Chehalis River, opposite the mouth of The Wynoochie River on what is now referred to as South Montesano. The Scammon home was often referred to as Scammon’s Landing or Scammon’s Hotel because it was an important stopping point along the Chehalis River for early pioneers.
According to Edmond S. Meany, in 1860 the county seat of what was then called Chehalis County was moved to "the place of J.L. Scammons". Mrs. Lorinda Scammon was very religious and wished to have the place named Mount Zion. Another early settler, Samuel James, suggested "Montesano" as having a more pleasant sound and meaning about the same. The suggestion was approved and soon after, a post office was secured with the name Montesano. The people of Chehalis County voted to move the county seat to the platted town of Montesano in 1886 and the Scammon home was then known as South Montesano.
Montesano is located at 46°59′9″N 123°35′52″W / 46.98583°N 123.59778°W (46.985865, -123.597726). It is on the north slope of the Chehalis River valley, near the confluence of the Wynoochee River and Chehalis River. The town is bordered on the North by Lake Sylvia and on the west by Sylvia Creek.
...
Wikipedia