Editing Castle Rock, Washington (section)

==History==
Castle Rock is named for a volcanic rock outcropping over the [[Cowlitz River]], "The Rock", rising 190 feet high on the south side of the city. The rock formation, resembling a castle, became a geographic landmark for [[Cowlitz Indian Tribe|Cowlitz Indians]] and [[Hudson's Bay Company]] traders as early as 1832. Today, it is the location of The Rock Community Park, with hiking trails, picnic tables, and a historical marker.<ref>[http://www.cowlitzonthemove.org/?home=castlerock "Cowlitz On The Move - Castle Rock". ]. Healthy Lifestyles Coalition. 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2011.</ref>

Castle Rock is centered primarily on the donation land claim of Eliza and William Huntington, who settled at the location in 1852. The city was platted December 12, 1888 and incorporated on June 20, 1890. Castle Rock prospered as a Cowlitz River steamboat port and trading center for valley farms. The local sawmill was the first to produce cedar shingles, using the [[Thuja plicata|Western red cedar]], which grows in abundance in the region.

By 1940, the population had reached 1,182 and was supported by dairy farming, [[truck farming]], and lumber manufacturing. Sword ferns, common in the region, were picked each year by several hundred people to be processed into medicine. In the spring, large quantities of [[Rhamnus purshiana|Cascara Sagrada]] bark were gathered, dried, and shipped.<ref>Washington - A Guide to the Evergreen State, WPA American Guide Series, Washington State Historical Society, 1941.</ref>