CogKnoSys

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Physical

Skamania County, Washington

Skamania County is a county in Washington whose county seat is Stevenson and whose land is 90% forested.

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The idea

Skamania County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. Its county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson. A county seat is the town where a county's government is based. The county is included in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metropolitan area. Its name comes from the Cascades Chinook word sk'mániak, which means "swift waters."

The county covers 1,684 square miles, and 90% of it is forested. In the 2020 census, all of its residents lived in rural areas. Visitors come to hike, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the county. Anglers fish for rainbow trout, steelhead and bass. Kiteboarding and windsurfing are seasonal sports popular in the Columbia River Gorge. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the county, and visitors can still see some of their campsites. Historical markers stand at Fort Cascades and Fort Raines, built in the 1850s to protect the portage road around the Cascades Rapids.

The county is also known for its "Bigfoot Ordinance." Passed in 1969, it made killing a Sasquatch a felony, punishable by up to a $10,000 fine or five years in prison. In 1984 the ordinance was amended to make the crime a misdemeanor, and the whole county was declared a "Sasquatch refuge." Its purposes included protecting people from an influx of investigators and armed hunters drawn by reported sightings of the creature.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

What does the county's name, from the Cascades Chinook word sk'mániak, mean?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Stevenson — The county seat and largest incorporated city.
  • North Bonneville — One of the county's two cities, along with Stevenson.
  • Gifford Pinchot National Forest — A national forest that includes the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
  • Mount Adams slopes — The county's highest point, at 8,920 feet.
  • Columbia Gorge Museum — A museum in Stevenson about the gorge's geologic and human past.

Connection

how it relates

Under Lower Columbia Counties

In place

  1. Mount St. Helensstrength 80 of 100

    Mount St. Helens is an active volcano located in Skamania County.

  2. Gifford Pinchot National Foreststrength 80 of 100

    Eighty percent of Skamania County is part of Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

  3. Columbia River Gorgestrength 70 of 100

    Skamania County has many hiking trails in the Columbia River Gorge.

  4. Beacon Rockstrength 60 of 100

    Beacon Rock State Park, in Skamania County, offers hiking, camping and rock climbing.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
On March 9, 1854, Skamania County was split from the original Clarke County. The territorial legislature dissolved Skamania County in January 1865 during a taxing dispute. The dissolution was repealed in 1867 after the U.S. Congress stepped in. The county seat has been in Stevenson since 1893.
Now
In the 2020 census, the county had 12,036 people.
Next
The county will likely keep drawing hikers, anglers and windsurfers to its forests and river.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Skamania County, Washington

Skamania County is a county in Washington whose county seat is Stevenson and whose land is 90% forested.

See it on the map

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Skamania County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. Its county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson. A county seat is the town where a county's government is based. The county is included in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metropolitan area. Its name comes from the Cascades Chinook word sk'mániak, which means "swift waters."

The county covers 1,684 square miles, and 90% of it is forested. In the 2020 census, all of its residents lived in rural areas. Visitors come to hike, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the county. Anglers fish for rainbow trout, steelhead and bass. Kiteboarding and windsurfing are seasonal sports popular in the Columbia River Gorge. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the county, and visitors can still see some of their campsites. Historical markers stand at Fort Cascades and Fort Raines, built in the 1850s to protect the portage road around the Cascades Rapids.

The county is also known for its "Bigfoot Ordinance." Passed in 1969, it made killing a Sasquatch a felony, punishable by up to a $10,000 fine or five years in prison. In 1984 the ordinance was amended to make the crime a misdemeanor, and the whole county was declared a "Sasquatch refuge." Its purposes included protecting people from an influx of investigators and armed hunters drawn by reported sightings of the creature.

Check yourself

3 quick questions, instant feedback.