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36-566: Skamania County ( / s k ə ˈ m eɪ n i ə / skə- MAY -nee-ə ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington . As of the 2020 census , the population was 12,036. The county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson , although the Carson River Valley CDP is more populous. Skamania County is included in the Portland - Vancouver - Hillsboro , OR -WA Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county

72-675: A county executive . Councils in the other three charter counties appoint a manager to administer the government. Voters may also elect a clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor, coroner , auditor (or recorder), and prosecuting attorney. Elections are nonpartisan in non-charter counties, but charter counties may choose to make some positions partisan, though all elections are by top-two primary . Four counties changed their name between 1849 and 1925. During Washington's territorial period, Washington split off from an Oregon county, three counties were disestablished, and three split into separate territories. Several counties were proposed prior to or during

108-489: A 'Sasquatch', 'Yeti', 'Bigfoot', or 'Giant Hairy ape'", subject to a maximum penalty of a $ 10,000 fine and five years imprisonment. Although its passage coincided with April Fool's Day, Ordinance 69-01 was real, was amended in 1984, and has not been repealed. Its purposes included protection of residents and visitors from in the county from a very real concern, "an influx of scientific investigators as well as casual hunters, many armed with lethal weapons", who had been attracted to

144-567: A household in the county was $ 39,317, and the median income for a family was $ 44,586. Males had a median income of $ 36,732 versus $ 25,130 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 18,002. About 10.00% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line , including 18.10% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over. In the year 2000 there were more Seventh-day Adventists in Skamania County than adherents of any other religious group. Skamania County

180-695: A taxing dispute with the Oregon Steam Navigation Company . The dissolution was repealed in 1867 after intervention from the U.S. Congress. After that, Skamania County retained its shape, including through the period after Washington became the 42nd state of the Union in 1889. Fort Cascades , built to protect the Columbia River, served as an early county seat, but the county seat has been in Stevenson since 1893. Skamania County

216-517: Is 1,830 square miles (4,700 km ), with 200,330 people. Seventeen counties have Native American–derived names, including nine names of tribes whose land settlers would occupy. Another seventeen were named for political figures, only five of whom had lived in the region. The last five are named for geographic places. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties,

252-588: Is also known for enacting what has been described as the "Bigfoot Ordinance", passed by the Board of County Commissioners at its meeting of April 1, 1969, and published twice in the Skamania County Pioneer , the newspaper of highest circulation in the county, as required by law. The ordinance forbids the slaying of any "nocturnal primate mammal variously described as an ape-like creature or a sub-species of Homo sapiens ... generally and commonly known as

288-761: Is named after the first chief of the United States Forest Service , Gifford Pinchot . Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Cougar , Randle, Packwood , Trout Lake, and Carson . In August 2024, the Williams Mine fire burned over 11,900 acres of land within the Gifford Pinchot forest. In response, firefighters with the Mount St. Helen’s Forest District deployed protective wrappings to preserve several historic buildings that were more than 100 years old. This included

324-589: Is noted for its complex topography and volcanic geology. About 65 percent of the forest acreage is located in Skamania County . In descending order of land area the others are Lewis , Yakima , Cowlitz , and Klickitat counties. The Pacific Northwest brings abundant rainfall to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, feeding an extensive network of rivers. The forest has only one river currently designated as Wild and Scenic ,

360-616: Is only by incorporated cities and towns , as well as by 29 Indian reservations , while unincorporated areas are governed only by the county. There are 242 census county divisions for statistical purposes only. The default form of county government is the non-charter commission, with three to five elected commissioners serving as both the legislature and executive. Seven counties have adopted charters providing for home rule distinct from state law: King, Clallam, Whatcom, Snohomish, Pierce, San Juan, and Clark. Of these, King, Whatcom, Snohomish, and Pierce, four major counties on Puget Sound , elect

396-550: Is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census data pages for each county. Washington's FIPS state code is 53. Counties provide a broad scope of services, including court operation, parks and recreation, libraries, arts, social services, elections, waste collection, roads and transportation, zoning and permitting, as well as taxation. The extent of these vary, and some are administered by municipalities. Counties are not subdivided into minor civil divisions like townships; sub-county local government

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432-696: Is the only county in the United States for which this is true. Currently, this honor belongs to the state of Walla Walla, Washington. Skamania County is a fairly competitive county in presidential elections. The Republicans and Democrats won the county four times each between 1988 and 2016. 46°02′N 121°55′W  /  46.03°N 121.91°W  / 46.03; -121.91 List of counties in Washington The U.S. state of Washington has 39 counties . The Provisional Government of Oregon established Vancouver and Lewis Counties in 1845 in unorganized Oregon Country , extending from

468-651: The Columbia National Forest on July 1, 1908. In 1855, the US government commissioned Washington Territory to negotiate land cession treaties with tribes around the forest. The Yakama tribe signed a treaty agreement that stipulated their moving to a reservation while maintaining off-reservation resource rights; however, the original treaty was then broken in 1916 when the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that Yakamas hunting off

504-568: The Columbia River north to 54°40′ north latitude . After the region was organized within the Oregon Territory with the current northern border of 49° north, Vancouver County was renamed Clark , and six more counties were created out of Lewis County before the organization of Washington Territory in 1853; 28 were formed during Washington's territorial period, two of which only existed briefly. The final five were established in

540-856: The White Salmon River , fed from glaciers high on Mount Adams . The Gifford Pinchot National Forest recommends four rivers to be added to the Wild and Scenic System. They are the Lewis River , the Cispus River , the Clear Fork and the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River . There are an additional thirteen rivers in the forest being studied for consideration into the national Wild and Scenic River System. The following listed are

576-401: The bull trout (threatened 1998), chinook salmon (threatened 2011), coho salmon (threatened 2011) and steelhead (threatened 2011). People for over 6,000 years have made an impact in the ecology of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Native Americans hunted in high meadows below receding glaciers. The natives then began to manage the forest to meet their own needs. One method they used

612-478: The "majority of the voters" in that area. A number of county partition proposals in the 1990s interpreted this as a majority of people who voted, until a 1998 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court clarified that they would need a majority of registered voters . No changes to counties have been made since the formation of Pend Oreille County in 1911, except when the small area of Cliffdell

648-492: The 22 years after Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Article XI of the Washington State Constitution addresses the organization of counties. New counties must have a population of at least 2,000 and no county can be reduced to a population below 4,000 due to partitioning to create a new county. To alter the area of a county, the state constitution requires a petition of

684-633: The Gifford Pinchot National Forest. On August 26, 1982, congressional action established the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument , after the cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Congressional action since 1964 has established the following wilderness areas: The forest also offers the following special areas and points of interest: The forest supervisor's office is located in Vancouver, Washington . There are local ranger district offices in Randle , Amboy, and Trout Lake . The forest

720-576: The Gotchen Creek Guard Station - the oldest building in the forest. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 198,000 acres (80,000 ha), some of which is contained within its wilderness areas. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the native habitat for several threatened species which include the spotted owl (threatened 2012) as well as multiple species of Northwest fish like

756-530: The area by reported sightings of a creature. Mt. St. Helens, which is located in Skamania County, erupted in 1980 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,684 square miles (4,360 km), of which 1,656 square miles (4,290 km) is land and 28 square miles (73 km), or 1.7%, is water. 90% of Skamania is forested and 80% is a part of Gifford Pinchot National Forest . The highest elevation in

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792-481: The county is 8,920 feet (2,720 m), on the slopes of Mount Adams , although prior to its eruption, Mount Saint Helens was the highest point at 9,677 feet (2,950 m). As of the 2020 census , there were 12,036 people, 4,748 households, and 3,199 families residing in the county. The population density was 7.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.8/km). There were 5,796 housing units at an average density of 3.5 inhabitants per square mile (1.4/km). The racial makeup of

828-452: The county was 85.6% White , 0.6% African American , 1.6% Native American , 1.0% Asian , 0.3% Pacific Islander , 2.4% from some other races and 8.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.4% of the population. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 3.7% were under 5 years of age, and 25.8% were 65 and older. As of the 2010 census , there were 11,066 people, 4,522 households, and 3,072 families living in

864-435: The county. The population density was 6.7 people per square mile (2.6 people/km). There were 5,628 housing units at an average density of 3.4 units per square mile (1.3 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 1.6% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.0% of

900-494: The existence of Washington Territory and nine counties were proposed within the first 16 years of Washington's statehood, but none were established. Works Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the older national forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, 941,440 acres (3,809.9 km ) were set aside as

936-668: The major streams and rivers of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Many of these provide excellent fishing. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest includes many popular and secluded backcountry lakes. Most of the lakes offers excellent fishing. Goose Lake is known for the best fishing in the State of Washington. The following table lists the major lakes of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Congressional action since 1964 has established one national monument and seven wilderness areas in

972-504: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.7% were of German , 12.5% English , 12.1% Irish , 11.2% United States or American and 5.2% Norwegian ancestry. There were 3,755 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.60% had someone living alone who

1008-441: The population. In terms of ancestry, 20.6% were German , 15.7% were Irish , 11.0% were English , 6.3% were Norwegian , and 5.0% were American . Of the 4,522 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.1% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

1044-618: The region to be an Anglo-American condominium . During this period, the future Washington Territory was divided into two administrative zones: Clarke County (now Clark County) and Lewis County (made official in 1845). The condominium was unwieldy and led to continual argument, and occasional conflict. The status of the Washington area was settled in 1846, when the Oregon Treaty ceded the land south of North latitude 49 degrees to American control. On March 9, 1854, Skamania County

1080-462: The reservation had to subscribe to state fish and game laws. Many tribes in the area have continued to use the area's resources while encountering non-Native hunters, fishers, and recreation users. It was later renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on June 15, 1949, in honor of Gifford Pinchot , one of the leading figures in the creation of the national forest system of the United States. His widow, fellow conservationist Cornelia Bryce Pinchot ,

1116-589: Was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 44.0 years. As of the 2000 census , there were 9,872 people, 3,755 households, and 2,756 families living in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2.3 people/km). There were 4,576 housing units at an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 92.11% White , 0.30% Black or African American , 2.20% Native American , 0.54% Asian , 0.17% Pacific Islander , 2.43% from other races , and 2.25% from two or more races. 4.03% of

Skamania County, Washington - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-458: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males. The median income for

1188-564: Was founded in 1854 and derives its name from the Cascades Chinook word sk'mániak , meaning 'swift waters'. The area delineated by the future Washington state boundary began to be colonized at the start of the nineteenth century, both by Americans and British subjects. However, the majority of British exploration and interest in the land was due to the fur trade, whereas American settlers were principally seeking land for agriculture and cattle raising. The Treaty of 1818 provided for

1224-509: Was moved from Kittitas to Yakima County in 1970. King County , home to the state's largest city, Seattle , holds almost 30 percent of Washington's population (2,271,380 residents of 7,812,880 in 2023), and has the highest population density, with more than 1,000 people per square mile (400/km ). Garfield County is both the least populated (2,363) and least densely populated (3.3/sq mi [1.3/km ]). Two counties, San Juan and Island , are composed only of islands. The average county

1260-434: Was one of the speakers who addressed the audience assembled that day. In 1985 the non-profit Gifford Pinchot Task Force formed to promote conservation of the forest. Gifford Pinchot National Forest is located in a mountainous region approximately between Mount St. Helens to the west, Mount Adams to the east, Mount Rainier National Park to the north, and the Columbia River to the south. This region of Southwest Washington

1296-625: Was split from the original Clarke County and stretched east to the Rocky Mountains in present-day Montana. Walla Walla County was split from the portions of Skamania County east of the Deschutes River on April 24. The county lost its eastern edge during the creation of Klickitat County in 1861. The territorial legislature dissolved Skamania County and divided its land between Clarke and Klickitat counties in January 1865 during

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