George Washington (Washington pioneer)

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George Washington (August 15, 1817 – August 26, 1905) was the founder of the town of Centralia, Washington.^[1] He is remembered as a leading African American pioneer of the Pacific Northwest.^[2]

Born in Virginia, the son of a former slave and a woman of English descent, Washington was raised by a white couple named Anna and James Cochran.^[1] When he was young, the Cochrans moved west, first to Ohio, then to Missouri. George became a great rifleman. He taught himself how to read. George was given full rights as a citizen, after the Cochrans requested so by a special Missouri right. (No other black had these rights.) George Washington and Mr. and Mrs. Cochran moved to the Oregon Territory, hoping to find a place that made him feel free and really equal. But he could not claim the land himself, because he was black. The Cochrans claimed the land for him. George later paid them for the land. George took care of them. George started the city of Centerville (now Centralia ), on this land. He married Mary Jane Cooness (a widow).

The town grew and grew. A church was built. They had a park made with some land they dedicated. They helped find food and work for the people of the town, who might have starved to death. He died at the age of 88, when Centralia had grown to a huge town. The people in Centralia had a funeral in honor of him.