Mendota 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 Lewis 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 ...

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 community began as a mining town, growing to included a post office, hotel, and school in the early 20th century. A destructive fire in 1926 closed mining operations and the town began to wane. A lone ranch remained by the 1950s. Attempts to reinvigorate coal mining in the region did not materialize and by the early 1970s, buildings were in disrepair and the townsite had begun to be lost to encroaching plants and wildlife. No buildings were standing by 1979.

History

The community was built after the creation of the Centralia Eastern rail line, which terminated at the site. The town was first known as Packwood, after William Packwood, who built a homestead and farm in the area in 1883. The community took its name from the Mendota Coal and Coke Company who began operations in the area after leasing over from the landholdings of Western Railway and Lumber Company. Tracks for the Centralia Eastern Railroad were built into the new town and a depot was built. The community was formed by 1907 with a post office called Mendota was established in 1909, which remained in operation until 1923. Mendota was a

dry town In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties no ...

, and as it grew, contained a three-story hotel and a mixed-use church and school building. Mendota peaked with a total of approximately 60 homes in the town and 200 employees of the coal company. A large, underground fire in 1926 shut down the plant and by the 1950s, Mendota was considered a former community, and the area supported a lone sheep ranch. Despite renewed hope of reviving Mendota after findings of additional coal beds in 1951, the community became a ghost town and was a site for the placement of a Pacific Power & Light steam-powered plant in 1969. By 1972, Mendota was described as containing ruins, with homes and buildings falling down though the school structure remained. Flourishing flora and fauna had already begun to take over the site, though some roads were still accessible. No structures were reported standing by 1979.

Geography

Mendota was located around Packwood Creek near Kopiah, Washington, northeast of Centralia.

Notes

References

External links

Lewis County Historical Society and Museum - Mendota school ruins, photo, 1971
{{Lewis County, Washington Ghost towns in Lewis County, Washington Ghost towns in Washington (state)