SKAMANIA COUNTY HISTORY

Skamania County was formed in 1854 and the county government functioned in the former quartermaster residence of Fort Cascades. The government offices were subsequently moved to the port hospital within the compound itself. This building then served as the courthouse until 1893. Three wooden benches, one drop-leaf table and a few chairs completed the list of furniture. The reason for the move from the Lower Cascades to Stevenson in 1893 is not clear. One story is that when the rent for the building was raised, the county commissioners objected. In the middle of the night, records were moved out by the portage railroad, then onto a fishing boat and arrived in Stevenson. As it turned out, this move saved the county records because in 1894 the greatest recorded flood on the Columbia River destroyed every remaining building at the Fort. The town of Cascades was never rebuilt.

Today our county consists of 1,672 square miles of the most scenic and diverse landscape in the world. We have the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and an abundance of wilderness areas in which to enjoy the great outdoors. You can wind surf, mountain bike, kayak, snowmobile, cross-country ski, hunt and fish, or rest and relax in one of our quiet hideaways. If you find that you are in need of the big city life you are only 45 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.