Colfax, Washington

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Colfax is a city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. It is located in a valley at the confluence of the North and South forks of the Palouse River, in the midst of steeply rolling wheat-covered hills. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. It is the Whitman County^GR6 seat and was named after Grant's Vice President, Schuyler Colfax.

1 History
- 1.1 Colfax notables
2 Geography and Climate
3 Tourist Attractions
- 3.1 Schools, Parks, and Businesses
4 Demographics
5 Footnotes
6 External links

[edit] History

Palouse Indians were the first known human inhabitants of the Colfax area. White settlers arrived in the summer of 1870, and soon built a sawmill. Originally, pioneer citizen James Perkin called the settlement "Belleville" in honor of his girlfriend; when he found a new love, he changed the town's name to Colfax.^[1]

Colfax grew rapidly and was officially incorporated on November 29, 1881. In 1889-1890, the town vied with several other finalists to become the site of a new agricultural college, present-day Washington State University; the honor, however, ultimately fell to nearby Pullman.

The population reached its maximum in the 1890s, and has hovered near 3,000 since the early 20th century.

[edit] Colfax notables

_{Either born, raised, or made Colfax their home.}

Dinsmore Alter, astronomer and meteorologist
Yakima Canutt, rodeo champion and Hollywood stuntman
Reverend Cushing Eells, founder of Whitman College, a missionary.
Tobby Hatley, TV news reporter for KHQ TV in Spokane, Washington
William La Follette, politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Washington
Abe Goff, politician, Republican U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho
John A. Kitzhaber, Governor of Oregon, 1995-2002.
Morten Lauridsen, composer of classical music
Virgil McCroskey, an amateur naturalist who created two state parks: Steptoe Butte state park in Washington and McCroskey State Park in Idaho.
Kate Bigelow Montague, (5 May 1885 - 30 October 1984) novelist, author, and journalist (also: amateur travel films of primarily southeast Asia, Europe and North America taken by Kate Bigelow Montague ca. mid to late 1930s) [1]
Robert Osborne, Hollywood historian and journalist, prime-time host of Turner Classic Movies. As a teenager, he worked at The Rose, a long-defunct movie theater in downtown Colfax, and broke both arms while putting Elizabeth Taylor's name on the marquee.

[edit] Geography and Climate

Colfax is located in southeastern Washington at 46°53′3″N, 117°21′49″W (46.884033, -117.363668)^GR1, at an elevation of 1962 feet. The nearest cities are Spokane and Lewiston/Clarkston. The area is geologically interesting, lying in the midst of the fertile Palouse country, with the Rocky Mountains to the east, the Channeled Scablands to the west, and the Snake River to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 km² (1.7 mi²). 4.3 km² (1.7 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water. The Palouse River, confined for flood control to a concrete bed that usually reduces it to an eighteen-inch-wide stream, runs through the middle of town, parallel to Main Street.

Colfax has a four-season climate, with hot, dry summers, cold winters, and a rainy season that generally runs from autumn til spring. The annual rainfall averages less than 20 inches a year.

[edit] Tourist Attractions

The Codger Pole is a chainsaw-carved monument by master carver Jonathan LaBenne. It is located on Main Street and commemorates a 1988 rematch, 50 years after the original 1938 game, between archrival football teams from Colfax High School and St. John. At 65 feet tall, it is the largest sculpture of its type in the world, and consists of portraits, carved into five upended red cedar logs, of the 51 players involved. The players are shown in old age but are wearing the football uniforms of the thirties.
The Perkins House, on Perkins Avenue, is a meticulously restored Victorian home built in 1886. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more than one hundred years, it belonged to James Perkins, a leading pioneer citizen, and his descendents; it is now maintained by the Whitman County Historical Society. Behind the house is a log cabin, built in 1870, where Perkins lived when he first arrived in Colfax. This cabin is the oldest standing structure in Whitman County. The house is open for tours from May to September, on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Colfax Golf Course and Country Club is a nine-hole course beside the river on North Palouse River Road.
The Colfax Trail is a three-mile path located just beyond city limits on the northwest side, off Highway 26. It begins at a gravel quarry and follows the Palouse River westward, traversing cow pastures, pine woods, wetlands, and basalt cliffs.

[edit] Schools, Parks, and Businesses

Among the town's other amenities are a public school, a library, a hospital, various city parks, and a swimming pool. There is a small assortment of businesses, including building and farm supply stores, a medium-sized grocery, and several restaurants. As the county seat, Colfax is also home to the Whitman County Courthouse and the Whitman County Jail.

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2000 census^GR2, there were 2,844 people, 1,191 households, and 740 families residing in the city. The population density was 657.5/km² (1,705.6/mi²). There were 1,357 housing units at an average density of 313.7/km² (813.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.16% White, 0.25% African American, 0.84% Native American, 2.07% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

There were 1,191 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years, well above the national average of 35.3--possibly due to the presence of several retirement communities. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,622, and the median income for a family was $47,589. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,349 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,519. About 6.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.