Littell, Washington
Unincorporated community in Washington, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Littell is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, United States, located off Washington State Route 6 between the towns of Adna and Claquato.[1]
Littell, Washington | |
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Willapa Hills Trail pedestrian bridge, Littell, Washington 2023 | |
  Littell  Littell | |
| Coordinates: 46°38′12″N 123°02′07″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis |
| Elevation | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| zip code | 98532 |
| Area code | 360 |
The Willapa Hills Trail passes through the area.[2]
History
There are two stories of the town's origin. A manager of the Hill Logging Company, Harry J. Syverson, asserted in 1912 to have founded the town.[3] However, there are sourced claims that a local businessman, Curt Littell, agreed to call the post office by his name in 1902.[4]
A post office was moved from the nearby town of Claquato in 1903, and an opera house was built in the town in 1904.[5]
The community was known for its timber production, having two sawmills during its peak at the beginning of the 20th century. Littell grew large enough to contain a school and church, and had a large Japanese population, many of whom were employed by the mills. After a destructive fire to one mill in 1911, the second mill closed, and the town began to wane, leaving a few residents. Most of the original buildings and its downtown core are lost.[6]
A pedestrian bridge in Littell was built starting in 2021. The span would allow users of the Willapa Hills Trail to pass over the highway to lessen vehicular accidents.[7] The $3.3 million project[8] was completed in June 2023 and the overpass was named in honor of the community.[9]
Notable people
- Roy Huggins, producer, screenwriter, creator of television series The Rockford Files, The Fugitive and Maverick; born in Littell[10]
- James A. Wright, Wisconsin state senator and lumberman; president of the Wisconsin Lumber Company located in Littell; organized the company in 1904[11]
