I enjoy sun-and-surf vacations. (See Images from the Bahamas.) And I like travel that includes hiking and scenery. (See The Wet and the Dry of It.) But I also like back-roads travel and little bits of ordinary history.
During Holy Week, my daughter and I took one of those day trips. We drove from her house to the little town of Dayton, WA, population: 2427. Our first stop was the Old Manila Café. Since the Filipino population in Dayton is small, most of the menu items were typically American. They did have pancit bijon, though, and I ordered it.
Dayton is a quiet little town surrounded by farmland. Driving through it, we concluded that its most imposing structure was the Columbia County Courthouse. The courthouse, which serves a county of less than 4000 people, was built in 1886 when the town was just getting started.
Justice was important in those days. If you watched any of those old cowboy stories on TV, you would have noticed the central place of “the law” in every episode. There were farmers and the farmer’s daughter, gunslingers, and cattle rustlers, but the hero of every story was the “law man.” My dad was a big fan of tales of the Old West, both on TV and in print, especially the books of Louis L’Amour.
In 1886 Dayton County built their courthouse strong and under budget. The voters approved a $40,000 bond, but this lovely Italianate-style courthouse was completed for only $38,069.
If you know your tales of the Old West, you’ll remember that the other significant establishment in town was the saloon. And sure enough, a couple of years after the courthouse was finished, a young German immigrant, Jacob Weinhard, the nephew of Henry Weinhard, built a beautiful big saloon and lodge house on Main Street. It’s still there, but now it’s called the Weinhard Hotel.
The hotel maintains the Victorian look in the lobby and in the rooms.
Even the pictures on the walls conjure up an earlier time.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition and Sacajawea passed through Dayton in 1806. This life-size bronze of the Native-American guide was sculpted by Carol Grende. She named it “Arduous Journey.” Notice the baby carrier on Sacajawea’s back.
Was education less important in the Old West than justice and beer? Looking at the Smith Hollow Schoolhouse, you might think so. Built in 1900, it provided for children in grades 1-8. It served a small area, though, so that explains its less than imposing size.
One more bit of small town history that I found fascinating: The Dodge Quarantine Cabin.
While Jacob Weinhard was building the Weinhard Saloon and Lodge House, Wesley Dodge, another Dayton resident, was abroad fighting in the Spanish-American War. America fought the Spanish in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, all tropical countries. Many of the soldiers who weren’t killed in action, suffered from heat exhaustion and tropical diseases like yellow fever.
When Wesley Dodge returned to Dayton, he was required to remain in quarantine for a time in a cabin built by his parents. The cabin wasn’t open to visitors the day we were there, but I took this picture through the window.
Have you taken a day trip to a small, out-of-the-way spot lately?
I just happened upon this post while looking for a photograph of Jacob Weinhard for our latest newsletter (Blue Mtn Heritage Society in Dayton–museums are Smith Hollow Schoohouse, Quarantine Cabin, Veterans, and Native American). I hope you’ll visit again. We are always happy to give tours if at all possible. Our website, bluemountainheritage.org, has all the contact info, and we can often do it on very short notice. Call one of us! Our goal in having these museums is to SHARE them with anyone interested. For our county fair this year, we hauled nearly all the contents of the Quarantine Cabin to the fairgrounds and recreated the cabin in a fair booth. Loved reading your take on the town and its treasures.
I’m so glad you happened upon my post, Dallas. It gave me a chance to go back and re-experience that day again. Dayton is an amazing town. I enjoyed our visit so much. The town does such a good job of preserving and sharing its history. This little trip was back in April of 2018. Though I haven’t done much exploring during the past couple of years for obvious reasons, I’m looking forward to getting back to it. I live in Western Washington, but after college, my daughter lived first in Grant County and then in the Tri-Cities, so on my visits, I had a chance to get acquainted with beautiful Eastern Washington. There’s a lot to see on your side of the mts. If we do get back to Dayton, I will try to arrange a tour. Thank you for suggesting it.
Nicki, what a lovely fascinating post about Dayton! For such a small place it encapsulates a lot of mid western American history. (I guess). The justice house is impressive, the hotel is like stepping back in time. I’m impressed with the emotive statue! A great travel article – I bet the town would be very pleased to read it!
Thank you, Annika. I did enjoy writing this post. Writing helps us make more sense of the lives we rush through. Dayton’s sights may not be spectacular, but visiting this small town gives us a glimpse into life in the late 19th along a railroad line in the American far west. And I enjoyed the outing with my daughter.
As usual a great photojournalistic blog!
Thank you, Paddy.
Thanks for taking us on this historic jaunt. Looks like a lovely town. I could see myself living in that first house!
And very cool that the train photo has the old courthouse in the background.
I hadn’t noticed the courthouse with it’s tower still under construction. I like the man sitting on the cow catcher. So typical of those days.
I love these charming little historic towns, reminds me of my college town, Durango, Colorado. I haven’t gone on a little trip like this lately, but I’m hoping to hit up some small Thai towns nearby in the future! Won’t be quite the same though 😉
I don’t think I’ve ever been to Colorado or even to the US Southwest, except to drive through. My daughters and I are planning a trip to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Can’t wait.
Yes! The Am SW is one of the most awesome places in the world. Jealous! xo
Those houses are very cute! But what left me open-mouthed was the anecdote about the courthouse being finished under budget… that never ever happens anymore!
I’m constantly amazed when I look at buildings from that era. They’re sturdy and well built, and yet, in 1886 transportation was still by horse and buggy, ships, and old-fashioned trains with steam engines. The Model T Ford wasn’t manufactured until 1908. Lewis and Clark didn’t get back from “discovering” the western part of the United States until 1806. So I’m surprised at how fast the land was settled and how they built nice buildings. And … even under budget.
Thank you for sharing… There are so many interesting places in this world to go to and so few that we actually visit.
You’re so right, Jeri. We seldom get around to seeing the sights until we have out-of-town visitors.
Oh, I love that first house! Beautiful trim and colors. Great photos, with the white blossoms in the foreground.
I do love the Victorian look of houses built in that era. They can get away with interesting colors, some even more colorful than this one.
Fascinating history – I loved these photos, Nicki. Thanks for sharing.
Little road trips are fun; sharing them, even better.
Fascinating, well photographed, history
Our history here in the “New World” doesn’t go back very far, Derrick, especially here on the West Coast. The variation of people that contribute to our history somewhat makes up for the short span. Native American history does go back a long way, but in this part of America they didn’t leave any structures for us to see.
Thanks a lot, Nicki. They weren’t so property conscious
And they built their buildings with recyclable materials.
Yes, indeed
What a nice day trip for you and your daughter. So the first shot is the cafe? What a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing your day with us, Nicki.
The first shot was of a bed and breakfast. The cafe had recently moved from a quaint main street location to a new more modern building. It did had the benefit of being neighbors with a coffee roasting company and also a confectionery that made and sold the most delicious chocolates and caramels.
Sounds like a great day trip. Those buildings are cool. I’m glad they kept them repaired and didn’t tear them down.
The courthouse was really an impressive building. The materials and workmanship were top notch. The interior stairway, for example, was beautiful. It had the original balustrades. The banisters were made of white oak and the double handrails of black walnut. Amazing considering that it was not that many years after Lewis and Clark explored the area.
Wow, Nicki! Great photos and facts! That tiny log cabin makes me feel almost claustrophobic. But it undoubtedly was not that way for small children.
I love all of the care so evident in the preservation efforts. And how nice that you could take photos to show us.
Sorry. I never know whether to put the words above or below the photo. Either way, it’s bound to confuse some people. That white building is the little schoolhouse. The log cabin was built for a returning soldier from the Spanish American War. So many soldiers got sick during that war, that they were put in quarantine when they returned home. Ironically, most of the illness was from mosquito-born diseases like yellow fever, so it would have been useless to quarantine them.
I, too, am glad they’ve restored these historic buildings. It’s not cheap. The original courthouse was built for $38,069. The cost of the 1993-94 renovation was $1,800,000.