Plaza is an
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 ...
in
Spokane County
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...
,
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 on ...
, United States. Plaza is situated in a valley formed by Spangle Creek, located approximately north of
Rosalia
Rosalia or Rosalía (with diacritic) may refer to:
Persons
* Saint Rosalia (1130–1166), the patron saint of Palermo in Italy
* Rosalia (given name)
* Rosalía (born 1992), Spanish singer
Places
* 314 Rosalia, an asteroid
* Rosalia, Pisidia ...
.
U.S. Route 195
U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.02 miles (1.05 of 151.95 km) are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city ...
, a major north–south highway in the
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 ...
region, ran through the settlement until it was relocated to a
bypass in 1974.
The highway now passes a couple hundred feet west of the settlement. There are no services in Plaza, and the community itself is only a few square blocks in size, but the grain elevators in town make it a landmark for drivers on the highway.
History
Plaza was founded by Robert Patterson, a former
Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
rider who had operated throughout
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
. He built a general store along the rail line that ran between
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 ...
and
Colfax, and a small community of farmers and tradesmen cropped up around it. Agriculture was the primary industry, but goods and services were also made available to railway passengers.
References
Unincorporated communities in Spokane County, Washington
Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)
{{SpokaneCountyWA-geo-stub