Pe Ell, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pe Ell, Washington
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Town
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Location of Pe Ell, Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2) |
| • Land | 0.59 sq mi (1.53 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 420 ft (128 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 642 |
| • Density | 1,142.13/sq mi (440.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
98572
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| Area code | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-53930 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1507338 |
Pe Ell (/piːɛl/) is a town in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 642 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
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Pe Ell was officially incorporated on March 9, 1906.
There are several versions of how Pe Ell was named, 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.
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, three dry goods stores, two general stores, three grocery stores, two barber shops, five saloons, four hotels, a newspaper, a blacksmith, and even an opera house.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2), all of it land. State Route 6 passes through the town and connects it to Chehalis in the east and Raymond in the west.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 838 | — | |
| 1920 | 861 | 2.7% | |
| 1930 | 891 | 3.5% | |
| 1940 | 825 | −7.4% | |
| 1950 | 787 | −4.6% | |
| 1960 | 593 | −24.7% | |
| 1970 | 582 | −1.9% | |
| 1980 | 617 | 6.0% | |
| 1990 | 547 | −11.3% | |
| 2000 | 657 | 20.1% | |
| 2010 | 632 | −3.8% | |
| 2020 | 642 | 1.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 632 people, 259 households, and 169 families living in the town. The population density was 1,071.2 inhabitants per square mile (413.6/km2). There were 290 housing units at an average density of 491.5 per square mile (189.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.3% White, 0.2% African American, 3.2% Native American, 1.7% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic 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.
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 (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, where riders can float over a slight waterfall that still remains despite severe flooding damage due to the Great Coastal Gale of 2007.
The Willapa Hills Trail bisects the town.
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 of Doty and Dryad.
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.
See also
In Spanish: Pe Ell (Washington) para niños
