Editing Latah, Washington (section)

==History==
Latah Valley saw its first wave of settlers about 1872, which included Richard and Lydia Wimpy family, Hosea and Harriette Harvey family, and Henry and Julia Coplan family. In those days, the settlement took the name of the nearby stream, [[Latah Creek|Hangman's Creek]]. The stream received its name from the tragic events of 1858, when [[George Wright (general)|Col. George Wright]] hanged several members of the local native tribes in retaliation for the defeat of [[Edward Steptoe|Lt. Col. Edward J. Steptoe]] at the [[Battle of Pine Creek]].<ref name=sullivan1989/> The exact jurisdiction seems to have been of question in the beginning, as the first postmaster of "Hangman's Creek" was Richard H Wimpy, appointed March 19, 1873, in [[Nez Perce County, Idaho]]. The post office was transferred to [[Stevens County, Washington|Stevens County, Washington Territory]], on May 5, 1873, with R. H. Wimpy still the postmaster. That section of Stevens County became [[Whitman County, Washington|Whitman County]], and finally [[Spokane County, Washington|Spokane County]]. Meanwhile, Hangman's Creek changed to "Alpha" on April 25, 1881, under postmaster Emery H. Averill, so named because it was the first settlement in the area. Alpha changed to "Latah", on December 11, 1883, under postmaster David T. Ham, again naming it after the nearby stream, [[Latah Creek]].<ref>Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.</ref> The legislature had decided to rename the stream Latah, from the native word "lahtoo," which means "stream where little fish are caught."<ref name=sullivan1989>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qm9OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7vkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5680%2C2356401 | title=Architect builds historical interest with trivia | work=Spokane Chronicle | date=March 16, 1989 | access-date=May 2, 2015 | author=Sullivan, Julie | pages=S9}}</ref> 
[[File:Woolly Mammoth-Field Museum.jpg|thumb|Coplan brothers Mammuthus primigenius skeleton on display at the Field Museum of Natural History.]]
This small farming community gained some fame a few years after the settlers arrived. The eldest sons of Henry Coplan/Copeland arrived in 1872, followed by the rest of the family in 1873. In May 1876, the Coplan brothers were examining a boggy piece of land near the creek when they discovered [[Woolly mammoth|mammoth fossils]], along with a collection of other animal fossils, and evidence of prehistoric human activity. The news attracted visitors and scientists to the area, and inspired another set of brothers, William and Thomas Donahoe, to search their own property on Pine Creek. The Donahoe brothers found a gargantuan mammoth skull and other fossils. After extracting a sizable collection, the Coplan brothers, Ben, Alonzo, and Lewis, took their prizes on tour through [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Idaho]], and [[Oregon]]. The Donahoe brothers sent theirs on tour to [[California]]. After passing through various other hands, the Donahoe collection was acquired by the [[American Museum of Natural History]] in New York City, where it still resides. The Coplan collection eventually came into the possession of the [[Field Museum of Natural History]] in Chicago where it remains.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nisbet |first1=Jack |title=The Palouse mammoths |journal=Inlander |date=April 5, 2001 |url=https://www.inlander.com/spokane/the-palouse-mammoths/Content?oid=2172745}}</ref>

Latah was officially incorporated on April 9, 1892, with Ben Coplan appointed as the first mayor in 1893. Ben's famous mammoth served as the centerpiece of the Washington Pavilion at [[World's Columbian Exposition|Chicago's World Columbian Exposition of 1893]].