Edwall 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 ...

located about 35 miles from the city of

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

in Lincoln County,

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 ...

, United States. Edwall is part of the Reardan-Edwall School District. The former Edwall School is now owned by the Parks and Recreation District and leased to Christian Heritage School, a private non-denominational school. In February 2014 record rain caused the small Creek to overflow and flood the center of town and causing permanent damage and closure to Edwall's post office. Edwall also has an active United Methodist Church congregation, Men's Service Club, Women in Action Committee, volunteer fire/emergency medical crew, and a volunteer-run library located in the original one-room wood-frame schoolhouse.

History

Peter Edwall was the first white man to settle in the area in 1881, where he began a ranch. He was followed by William Spence, from

Medical Lake Medical Lake is a small city in Spokane County, eastern Washington, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 5,060. The city is the site of a psychiatric hospital, Eastern State Hospital, and of Fairchild Air Force Base, two major ...

, who homesteaded on the site of the future town. Mr. Edwall bought Spence's land in 1887. When the Great Northern Railway laid its main line across his land in 1892, Edwall platted a town site and named it after himself. Edwall's first buildings were constructed by the railroad and included a depot, water tank and other small storage buildings. These were soon followed by a church and a general store in 1893. Growth between The

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

and 1897 was slow. In 1897, following a bountiful wheat harvest that boosted Lincoln County's economy, Edwall experienced a boom. A newspaper and bank were soon established as well as a large hotel and the population by 1903 had reached 275.

Education

Reardan-Edwall School District Reardan-Edwall School District is a school district in Washington, headquartered in Reardan. It serves Reardan and Edwall. Its schools are Reardan Elementary School and Reardan Middle/High School. Notable alumni * Sherman Alexie Sherman Jos ...

serves Edwall.

Notable people

Bill Moos William H. Moos (born circa 1951) is an American former college athletics administrator and college football player. He served as the athletic director at the University of Montana from 1990 to 1995, the University of Oregon from 1995 to 2007, Wa ...

, athletic director at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

Wendy Ward Wendy Ward (born May 6, 1973) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Early life, education and amateur career Ward was born in San Antonio, Texas. She attended Arizona State University where she had a successful Nationa ...

, professional golfer.

References

* ''An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties''. Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1904. Print.
Edwall History - a site maintained by the Edwall WIA organization
Unincorporated communities in Lincoln County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) {{LincolnCountyWA-geo-stub