Boistfort, Washington

Coordinates: 46°32′06″N 123°08′01″W / 46.53500°N 123.13361°W / 46.53500; -123.13361
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Boistfort, Washington
Unincorporated community
Boistfort is located in Washington (state)
Boistfort
Boistfort
Boistfort is located in the United States
Boistfort
Boistfort
Coordinates: 46°32′06″N 123°08′01″W / 46.53500°N 123.13361°W / 46.53500; -123.13361
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLewis
Elevation
285 ft (87 m)
Population
 (2019)
 • Totalaround 300
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
zip code
98532
Area code360
GNIS feature ID1510831[1]

Boistfort (/ˈbɔɪstfɔːrt/)[2] is an unincorporated community in the northwest United States, in Lewis County, Washington, about twenty miles (30 km) southwest of Chehalis. The original one-room school in Boistfort was established in 1853 and was the first school district in Lewis County and the Territory of Washington.[3][4]

History[edit]

A post office in the area was established in 1857.[5] Originally named Baw Faw Prairie, it would be changed to Boisfort, then to an official spelling Boistfort, meaning "strong wood or heavy forest"[4] or "small valley surrounded by green hills".[6] The community took its name from nearby Boistfort Prairie (Valley).[6][7]

In 1900 Boistfort had a store, a barber, church, a blacksmith shop, and a meeting hall. Boistfort High School was built in 1912 and closed in 1976.

Boistfort was home to hop fields owned by Herman Klaber, who had a small mansion now known as the Boistfort Mansion. He died on the Titanic in 1912 and his hop yards shut down soon afterwards.[8][9]

Notable test pilot Scott Crossfield (1921–2006) moved to the area in his teens and graduated from Boistfort High School in 1939. He was the first to travel at twice the speed of sound (1953),[10][11] and piloted the first flights of the North American X-15 (1959).[12]

Government and politics[edit]

Politics[edit]

Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020[13] 71.54% 181 25.69% 65 2.77% 7

Boistfort has historically voted Republican and conservative. As this is an unincorporated community, there are no defined bounds, and the precinct may be incongruous with the census boundaries.

The 2020 election included 4 votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party and 2 votes for write-in candidates.

Infrastructure[edit]

Stillman Creek, which courses west of the town center and eventually joins the South Fork Chehalis River, was part of the Chehalis Basin Strategy plan to improve aquatic habitats and flood control throughout the watershed. The creek had lost salmon and plant habitats due to a combination of warming waters and erosion brought on by consequences of flooding and human activities. Severe flooding, particularly the 2007 floods, had shifted the outflow and floodplain of the creek. An $8.5 million, four-year project, known as the Stillman Creek Restoration Project, began in 2018 and was to restore the creek through a partnership of various government agencies and local landowners. The work culminated in slowing down the flow of the creek to prevent erosion and restoring the floodplain and course of the waters. The plan also restored 2.0 miles (3.2 km) of the creek habitat for a total of 38 acres (15 ha), and included the planting of native vegetation over 45 acres (18 ha).[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Boistfort, Washington
  2. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. p. 16. ISBN 0-295-95498-1.
  3. ^ Tiller, Priscilla (1991). The Wooden Bench: Inkwells, Slates and Coping Saws. ISBN 978-0962515101.
  4. ^ a b "Lewis County Towns, Bositfort". jtenlen.drizzlehosting.com. Lewis Co. WA GenWeb Project.
  5. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Pat (September 16, 2006). "Boistfort's Edward Harris Ministered to the sick". The Chronicle. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 24.
  8. ^ McDonald-Zander, Julie (April 7, 2012). "The Titanic Death of the Boistfort Valley's 'Hops King'". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  9. ^ McDonald-Zander, Julie (February 5, 2018). Herman Klaber 'King of Hops'. Chapters of Life. ISBN 978-0984601974.
  10. ^ "Airman flies twice speed of sound". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). United Press. November 21, 1953. p. 1.
  11. ^ "New plane mark set at 1327 mph". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 22, 1953. p. 1.
  12. ^ Spencer, George (Summer 2021). "Death Dodger". University of Washington Magazine. (Seattle). p. 38.
  13. ^ "Lewis County 2020 Election". Results.Vote.WA. Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  14. ^ The Chronicle staff (November 17, 2023). "Chehalis Basin Strategy progress in review: Bringing Stillman Creek back to life". The Chronicle. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
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