Editing Napavine, Washington (section)

==History==
Settlers began arriving in the Cowlitz area in the early 1850s. In 1883, Urquhart laid out the town<ref name ="HOTPN"/> and Napavine was officially incorporated as a town on November 21, 1913.

The duel between outlaws David Merrill and [[Harry Tracy]], a convicted murderer, took place outside Napavine in late-June or early-July 1902, leading to Merrill's death.{{efn|The date of the duel, based on conflicting reports from the community and Tracy, could have been as early as June 28th or as late as July 2nd. See sources listed.}} The pair were fugitives after escaping from the [[Oregon State Penitentiary]] weeks earlier, traveling into [[Southwest Washington]]. Merrill was found to have been shot in the back and his body, in a state of decomposition, was discovered by a local Napavine woman and her son while picking berries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Merrill's Bullet Ridden Body Found |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/bakersfield/the-daily-californian/1902/07-15/page-1 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=[[The Bakersfield Californian|The Daily Californian]] |date=July 15, 1902 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cudihee Hiding Out The Alleged Pursuer |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/arizona/phoenix/phoenix-arizona-republican/1902/07-17/page-1 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=[[The Arizona Republic|The Weekly Republican]] |date=July 17, 1902 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Pat |title=Looking back - 'One convict less' pretty much tells the story of Harry Tracy's death |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-chronicle/2006/09-09/page-3 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=September 9, 2006 |page=A3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bush |first1=Judd C. |title=Exciting Time 20 Years Ago |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/chehalis/chehalis-bee-nugget/1923/06-08/page-22 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=June 8, 1923 |page=13}}</ref> The woman, known as Mary Waggoner,{{efn|Early reporting lists Waggoner's last name as Wagner. See sources listed.}} later sought to claim the $1,500 reward money based on a [[dead or alive]] decree for Merrill by the state of Oregon, but was denied.<ref>{{cite news |title=Haggling About The Reward |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/chehalis/chehalis-bee-nugget/1902/07-25/page-1 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=July 25, 1902 |page=1}}</ref> Waggoner eventually married Merrill's brother, Ben, in 1905.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dickason |first1=Glen |title=Manhunt ends with suicide, marriage |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1976/06-09/page-6 |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=The Daily Chronicle |date=June 9, 1976 |page=6}}</ref>

A railroad depot was built in the late 1910s and provided passenger service until 1960. The Napavine Depot continued to serve the area until the station was permanently closed in April 1968 despite local protest. The [[Northern Pacific Railway]] station marked the highest elevation on the line between Portland and Seattle.<ref>{{cite news |title=Closure OF RR Depot Stirs Protest Letters |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1968/04-25/page-1 |access-date=October 3, 2024 |work=[[The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)|The Daily Chronicle]] |date=April 25, 1968 |page=1}}</ref>