Riparia is an
extinct town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in
Whitman County, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
. The
GNIS
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the associated states of the Marshal ...
classifies it as a populated place.
A post office called Riparia was in operation between 1882 and 1963. The community most likely took its name from a nearby
riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...
.
Riparia was a railway stop along the Snake River approximately 81 miles Northeast of Pasco, WA. The town featured a bridge across the Snake River and a hotel.
From April 6th, 1917 (coinciding with the declaration of war on the German Empire) till October 16th, 1917 a detachment of Company F 2nd Idaho Infantry garrisoned Riparia to guard railroad and waterway infrastructure from sabotage concerns. September 19th, 1917 the unit was redesignated Company F, 116th Engineer Regiment, 41st Division.
[General Orders, No. 2. Headquarters 41st National Guard Division, Camp Grene, N.C. September 19, 1917]
References
Ghost towns in Whitman County, Washington
Ghost towns in Washington (state)
Geography of Whitman County, Washington
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