Plaza is an

unincorporated community 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 ...

in Spokane 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. Plaza is situated in a valley formed by Spangle Creek, located approximately north of Rosalia. U.S. Route 195, a major north–south highway in the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

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 between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

rider who had operated throughout

Washington Territory The Washington Territory 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 most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

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