Cowlitz County Historical Museum

Longview, Washington is the largest city in Cowlitz County. It also has an unusual history. In 1918 lumber tycoon, Robert A. Long had depleted the forestland that he owned in the eastern US so he moved west and bought a large tract of land along the Columbia River. He soon realized that the local population of just a couple thousand was too small to provide workers for the two mills he planned to build so he hired a city planner. Longview was built as a complete city with Long-Bell Lumber Company as the chief investor. Long paid for some of the buildings himself - the Monticello Hotel, the Public Library, R.A. Long High School, and the YMCA building. By 1930 almost 11,000 people lived in the city.

I was hoping the this story would be covered in depth in the museum but it was just touched on. Other exhibits cover early pioneers. the logging industry, Columbia River floods, the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the changes faced by the Native American community.

This is the car that KOMO News photographer, Dave Crockett, left behind as he ran through Mt St Helens ash toward a dim light at the top of a hill. He survived.

The museum is accessible with a long ramp to the entrance.

 

The parking lot is small but there are a few spots where RVs will fit if pulled through two spaces. Parking is also available on the surrounding streets. Left turns onto 4th Ave when driving west on Allen Street aren't permitted. The easiest thing to do is turn right on 4th and go around the block to cross over Allen to get to the entrance of the parking lot.  Museum  46.14497, -122.90893