Beverly, Washington, United States, is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

along the banks of the

Columbia River The Columbia River ( Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia ...

in central

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

state. The community, which consists of a few hundred residents, is a few miles downriver from Wanapum Dam and is nestled at the base of

Sentinel Gap Sentinel Gap is a water gap formed by the Columbia River in the Saddle Mountains, near Mattawa in Washington state. The gap is "a water gap where erosion by the Columbia River was able to keep pace with folding, faulting and uplifting across the ...

, a water gap in the

Saddle Mountains The Saddle Mountains consists of an upfolded anticline ridge of basalt in Grant County of central Washington state. The ridge, reaching to 2,700 feet, terminates in the east south of Othello, Washington near the foot of the Drumheller Channe ...

that predates the Columbia River.

History

Beverly was named around 1905 by H.R. Williams, after

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...

. Beverly played host to hundreds of railroad workers from 1905-1920s when the Milwaukee Railroad was being built. The Milwaukee constructed a million-dollar

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

across the Columbia just north of Beverly, which was completed in 1909. Supplies to build the bridge were shipped via steamboat from points upstream, and were hauled in on other rail lines. The bridge took nearly two years to complete. Beverly's early success depended partially on steep grades on the railroad, which meant helper locomotives were required to drive the trains. Colorful brochures were printed and distributed back east by companies touting Beverly's long growing season and sheltered location. In 1977, the Milwaukee Road filed bankruptcy, and in the early 1980s Washington State removed the rail from east of Beverly to a junction near

Royal City Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

, although the hundred-year-old black iron bridge still stands today crossing the river. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and continuing up to the 1980s, thousands of rail cars moved thorough Beverly en route to the nearby Hanford facility. During that time the station in Beverly (now vacated) was remodeled and enhanced. Sometime in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the train station was demolished.

Beverly today

Beverly remains unincorporated, although it does have its own ZIP code. The old post office was burned down in 2003 due to

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

, the only arson of a post office in the last 50 years in Washington State. Today, the community is served by a temporary post office building. The building was intended to serve Washington communities in the event of forest fires and other such calamities. The current mobile facility has been in place the last six years to serve the 99321 ZIP code. Although residents have lobbied to keep their post office, residents in the nearby town of Mattawa have suggested that the post office combine the historical ZIP code with Mattawa's.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Beverly has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Beverly, Washington
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References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Grant County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River

History

Beverly today

Climate

See also

References