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Castle Rock and the Cowlitz River, Castle Rock, Washington.
View from park south of Castle Rock at The Rock Community Park.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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Castle Rock ...
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Castle Rock, Washington, is located on the east bank of the Cowlitz River at River Mile (RM) 16. Downstream are the cities of Kelso and Longview, located where the Cowlitz River meets the Columbia.
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Cowlitz River at Castle Rock ...
Cowlitz Rock is located at Cowlitz River Mile (RM) 16.
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Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, Washington.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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Early Castle Rock ...
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According to the City of Castle Rock website (2006), Castle Rock was settled in the early 1852 by William and Eliza Huntington. (Note: Edmund S. Meany in 1923 and Robert Hitchman in 1985 use 1853, see below.)
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"Castle Rock is centered primarily on the donation land claim of Eliza and William Huntington, who settled here in 1852. The city was platted December 12, 1888 and incorporated in 1890. Castle Rock was named after a large volcanic rock formation, which rises 190 feet high. The rock formation, resembling a castle, became a geographic landmark to early river travelers. The city has preserved this site and visitors can hike to the top of ‘The Rock’. The site is located at the intersection of Huntington Avenue South and Front Avenue. Historical markers are located at the base."
Edmund S. Meany wrote in "Origin of Washington Geographic Names" (1923, University of Washington Press):
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"Castle Rock ... a city in Cowlitz County. In 1853 William Huntington gave the name to a huge solid rock, 150 feet high, covering more than an acre and having the appearance of an old castle. The rock was on his government donation land claim. When a settlement and town developed there, it very naturally took the same name. (Mrs. E. B. Huntington, in "Names MSS.," Letter 158)."
Robert Hitchman wrote in "Place Names of Washington" (1985, Washington State Historical Society):
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"Castle Rock (T19N R2W, Sec.11) ... Town on the east bank of Cowlitz River, 10 miles north of Longview, northwest Cowlitz County. In 1853, it was named by William Huntington for a huge rock, 150-ft. high and covering an acre of ground directly south of town."
In 1930 the U.S. Board of Geographic Names made "Castle Rock" official over the variant "Castlerock".
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THREE "Castle Rocks" ...
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At the turn of the century there were THREE "Castle Rocks" along the Columbia River, with the most famous being the large basalt feature on the Columbia River east of Vancouver now known as Beacon Rock. There also was a Castle Rock in Oregon, located at Columbia River Mile (RM) 262, a small community which existed in the early 1900s.
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"The Rock ...
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"The Rock" of Castle Rock is a large basaltic feature located at Cowlitz River Mile (RM) 16, an was visible to early travelers of the Cowlitz River. Today it is heavily treed, and a treasured part of community life. The Rock Community Park exists south of the rock, and Riverfront Trail, a bike/hiking path, winds its way around the base. There is a trail to the top.
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Castle Rock as seen from The Rock Community Park, Castle Rock, Washington.
View from The Rock Community Park.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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Information sign, Castle Rock, The Rock Community Park, Castle Rock, Washington.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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Information sign, Castle Rock, The Rock Community Park, Castle Rock, Washington.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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Views ...
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Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, Washington.
"The Rock" of Castle Rock is on the right.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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"The Rock", Castle Rock, Castle Rock, Washington.
Image taken August 12, 2006.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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