Pe Ell () is a town in Lewis County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 642 at the 2020 census.

Etymology

The community was almost named Mauermanna, named after one of the first non-indigenous settlers in the area, Joe Mauermann, who objected to the honor. The name Pe Ell was chosen and there are several versions of the backstory of the moniker, none of which can be authenticated. The more accepted version is that the name comes from the attempts of the local Indians to pronounce the first name of an early French-Canadian settler, Pierre Charles, who was an ex- Hudson's Bay employee. The account has it that the Indians could not pronounce Pierre, and their attempts turned it into Pe Ell. Another rendition is that P and L were the first initials for Pierre Charles and his Indian wife. Two words were made from the initials: "Pe Ell". A differing, distinct account is that Charlie Pershell, a Frenchman, settled in the area and married an Indian woman. The Indians found it difficult to sound out the "sh" in Pershell so it became Pe Ell. A separate story mentions the railroad map designated the spot as PL, and that became the name.

History

In 1897, the North Pacific Railway built a railroad depot in the town. In 1907, Pe Ell's population was around 1,000—larger than it is today. The rich agricultural and timber resources of the region attracted farmers, millworkers, and loggers. By 1909, the town had a

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

, three

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

stores, two

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

s, three

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...

s, two

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...

shops, five

saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francis ...

, four

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s, a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

, and even an

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

. Pe Ell was officially incorporated on March 9, 1906. The community was once home to the Rock Creek

sanitorium A sanatorium (from Latin ''wikt:sanare, sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a Hospital#Specialized, specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sa ...

in the 1930s. Owned by both Lewis and Pacific counties, it was overseen by Dr. Angus MacMillan who also managed a similar

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

hospital in Forest, Washington during the 1940s. The town lost its water supply, which was provided over the historic Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge, during the

Great Coastal Gale of 2007 The Great Coastal Storm of 2007 was a series of three powerful Pacific storms that affected the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia between December 1 and December 4, 2007. The storms on December 2 ...

. The Chehalis River in the Pe Ell area rose during the event, overcoming the bridge and wrecking the water main. The lost pipe system was estimated to have a repair cost of $800,000; the system was installed three years earlier for $1.6 million. The financial costs to replace the bridge and the water supply lines led the Pe Ell community to temporarily consider dissolving the town's government.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

State Route 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH6 (highway), Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * :de:Nationalstraße 6 (Albanien), National Road SH6 Argentina * P ...

passes through the town and connects it to Chehalis in the east and

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

in the west.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 632 people, 259 households, and 169 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 290 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.2% Native American, 1.7% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population. There were 259 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the town was 40 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 657 people, 248 households, and 174 families living in the town. The population density was 1,099.7 people per square mile (422.8/km²). There were 289 housing units at an average density of 483.7 per square mile (186.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.15%

, 0.30%

, 2.28% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.61%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.07% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.28% of the population. 23.5% were of American, 15.1% English, 12.8% German, 9.9% Irish and 8.5% Polish ancestry. There were 248 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 30.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,321, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $18,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,481. About 20.0% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Historic buildings and sites

Pe Ell was home to Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) in 1987. Constructed in 1916, it was the only known Polish church of its kind in the state. The building was razed in 2010 due to a combination of disrepair and lack of funding. A former existing site, the Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge, was designated an NRHP site in 1982 but removed in 1990.

Parks and recreation

The town is the starting point of the Pe Ell River Run. Begun as a birthday celebration between a local group of young men in 1978, the event consists of entrants buying or building water crafts and floating down the Chehalis River from Pe Ell to

Rainbow Falls State Park Rainbow Falls State Park is a public recreation area on the Chehalis River (Washington), Chehalis River. It is situated off Washington State Route 6, State Route 6 and is approximately east of Dryad, Washington. The state park's rests on gro ...

, where riders can float over a slight waterfall that still remains despite severe flooding damage due to the

. The

Willapa Hills Trail The Willapa Hills Trail is a intercounty rail trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling throu ...

bisects the town.

Government and politics

Local Politics

The city of Pe Ell has historically used local law enforcement staff, rather than the county sheriff's department, for policing. The last Pe Ell

town marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

formally retired on April 1, 2019. The town went through several years of intermittent local police coverage, with the county sheriff's department filling in when the marshal's office was vacant. In 2022, Pe Ell reached an agreement with the city of Morton to outsource police coverage. Since then, the Morton has provided part-time police coverage to the town, along with Mossyrock. The town is governed by an elected Mayor, along with a town council of 5 members. Similar to other towns within Lewis County, Pe Ell is recognized as being majority Republican and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Education

The Pe Ell School District provides public education from preschool to 12th grade. The Pe Ell School occupies a single campus and students attend from Pe Ell, as well as the nearby

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Doty and

Dryad A dryad (; , sing. ) is an oak tree nymph or oak tree spirit in Greek mythology; ''Drys'' (δρῦς) means "tree", and more specifically " oak" in Greek. Today the term is often used to refer to tree nymphs in general. Types Daphnaie Thes ...

. The first public education building erected in Pe Ell was a

one-room school One-room schoolhouses, or One-room schools, have been commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spa ...

constructed in 1882. The schoolhouse was built of split cedar and funded by donations; twelve students attended the first year. The growing population led to the construction of a new, larger Central school beginning in 1892 only to find an expansion necessary in 1913, with a gymnasium added in 1921. A wing for agricultural vocational education was added in 1936, a class popular enough to require an expansion by 1938. The combined Pe Ell elementary and high school, furnished with a library and athletic fields, was completed at the end of 1952. The Pe Ell high school boys' basketball team and the girls' softball team won state championships in 2010. The softball team also won a state title in 2012, and a combined championship with Willapa Valley in 2017.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Lewis County, Washington Towns in Washington (state)