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Montesano became the site of the county seat in July 1860. The county seat was originally on the site settled by I.L. Scammon on the south bank of the Chehalis River.
In 1886 it was moved north of the river to the present site of Montesano, and incorporated in 1883. The name Montesano comes from two Spanish words meaning "healthy mountain." The Satsop Valley east of Montesano was settled in the 1860s and '70s by French Canadians and Germans including the Schaefer family.
Founded in the 1850's, near the confluence of the Chehalis and Wynoochee rivers, Montesano is a trading center for regional farming and lumber businesses.
The Grays Harbor County Court House's indoor murals depict area history, including Captain Robert Gray's discovery of Grays Harbor in 1792.
Montesano is known as the birthplace of commercial forestry's tree farming system. Weyerhaeuser established the Clemons tree Farm in 1941, and today it sprawls over 200,000 acres.
Highway 8 passes through Montesano, connecting Aberdeen and the ocean beaches with Olympia and Interstate 5.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- The Chehalis Valley Historical Museum - is housed in a former 1906 church. Historical photographs and early logging equipment document the role of the area's forest product industry.Also displayed are pioneer utensils, toys, books and items from the 1912 high school.
- Lake Sylvia State Park - Lake Sylvia was formed by damming Sylvia Creek for the purpose of log ponding and power production. The power was originally used to operate a lumber mill that was located downstream from the dam. This mill began production in 1871 and was the first of its kind in Grays Harbor County. The mill ceased operations in 1930 and for a while the electricity was used by the city of Montesano.
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