Waterville, Washington
| Waterville | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Waterville, Washington | |
 Location of Waterville, Washington |
|
| Coordinates: 47°38′52″N 120°4′22″W / 47.64778°N 120.07278°WCoordinates: 47°38′52″N 120°4′22″W / 47.64778°N 120.07278°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Douglas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.25 km2) |
| • Land | 0.87 sq mi (2.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,625 ft (800 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,138 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 1,171 |
| • Density | 1,308.0/sq mi (505.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 98858 |
| Area code | 509 |
| FIPS code | 53-76510 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1527848 |
| Website | Town of Waterville |
Waterville is a town in and the county seat of Douglas County,Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee-East Wenatchee metropolitan area. The population was 1,138 at the 2010 census.
Waterville was founded in 1885 and platted in 1886. The town was incorporated under the Territorial Charter in 1889 but after Washington gained statehood the town was officially incorporated on May 12, 1890.
Since its founding in 1889, Waterville, along with the designation of being the seat of Douglas County, boasts a rich history filled with farming, recreation destinations, and diverse economic trends.
In 1883, Stephen Boise placed a squatter's claim on the shrub steppe plateau in Eastern Washington, high above a big bend in the Columbia River. Soon, he built a cabin and dug a well. The well produced water, and lots of it…it was the only available water for miles around. Before long, the site was to become a county seat; the precious liquid would give the Town of Waterville its name.
A.T. Greene bought the Boise land claim in 1885, with visions of building a town. He deeded and platted 40 acres (160,000 m2) for use as the original townsite, which he called Waterville. Waterville boosters wanted the town to be the county seat of newly established Douglas County. The problem was, Douglas County already had a county seat, a small town named Okanogan, six miles (10 km) to the northeast. Okanogan, however, was dry… despite several attempts, not a single well produced a drop of water. So at a political convention in Okanogan, the Waterville contingent produced a barrel of water and insisted on moving the county seat to its source. Bowing to popular demand, the Commissioners did so on May 2, 1887, declaring Waterville to be the new county seat. On March 22, 1889, Waterville became an incorporated town in Washington Territory. That same year, town founder A. T. Greene built the first Douglas County Courthouse in Waterville and sold it to the newly formed county for one dollar. No trace remains of Okanogan, but the town of Douglas survives as an unincorporated hamlet.
Washington became the 42nd state in the union shortly thereafter, so the Town of Waterville was re-incorporated under the laws of Washington State on May 3, 1890. By 1892, the town boasted several hundred residents, and a number of merchants to serve them and the surrounding rural population.
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