Elberton is an uincorporated community on the north fork of the Palouse River northeast of Colfax and northwest of

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

Whitman County, Washington Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,973. The county seat is Colfax, and its largest city is Pullman. The county was formed from Stevens County in 1871. It is named ...

, United States. Due to the town's disincorporation in the 1960s, and a low-level population, it is also classified as a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Geography

The nearest cities to Elberton are Spokane and Pullman in Washington,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, and the Lewiston/Clarkston metropolitan area that spans the two states. It is in the middle of the Columbia River Plateau, in a region called the

History

Elberton was first settled by C.D. Wilbur. The townsite was platted in 1886, and named by S.M. Wait for his deceased son Elbert. Elberton was incorporated as a fourth class

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

on 24 April 1896. It grew to have a population of 500 and at one time had a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

, a flour mill, a railroad (the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company) that passed through and the world's largest prune dryer. A major fire started in the town in the 1930s and due to the Great Depression, many of the businesses and homes destroyed by the fire were too costly to rebuild. The fire, along with the Depression hurt the town greatly and it started to decline in population, with people packing up what they could carry and abandoning their homes that they could no longer afford to keep and maintain. In November 1966, residents of Elberton voted 15–5 in favor of dis-incorporation. Elberton became part of unincorporated

again within four years, when the county acquired the property of the town. , Eleberton is the last instance of a municipality in Washington voting to disincorporate. Currently, about 15 people live in the area that once was Elberton. Many of the original homes and buildings have gone or are partially collapsed. Remaining landmarks include United Brethren Church (built in 1913) and the Elberton Cemetery.

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Former municipalities in Washington (state) Ghost towns in Whitman County, Washington Ghost towns in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Geography of Whitman County, Washington Populated places established in 1886

Geography

History

See also

References

External links