Editing Pe Ell, Washington (section)

==History==
In 1897, the North Pacific Railway built a railroad depot in the town. In 1907, Pe Ell's population was around 1,000—larger than it is today. The rich agricultural and timber resources of the region attracted farmers, millworkers, and loggers. By 1909, the town had a [[bank]], three [[dry goods]] stores, two [[general store]]s, three [[grocery store]]s, two [[barber]] shops, five [[Western saloon|saloons]], four [[hotel]]s, a [[newspaper]], a [[blacksmith]], and even an [[opera house]].

Pe Ell was officially incorporated on March 9, 1906.

The community was once home to the Rock Creek [[sanitorium]] in the 1930s. Owned by both Lewis and Pacific counties, it was overseen by Dr. Angus MacMillan who also managed a similar [[tuberculosis]] hospital in [[Forest, Washington]] during the 1940s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Point Man Medical Director At Sanatorium In West |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/stevens-point/stevens-point-daily-journal/1939/05-25/page-1 |access-date=October 24, 2024 |work=[[Stevens Point Journal]] |date=May 25, 1939 |page=1}}</ref>

The town lost its water supply, which was provided over the historic Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge, during the [[Great Coastal Gale of 2007]]. The [[Chehalis River (Washington)|Chehalis River]] in the Pe Ell area rose {{convert|50|ft|m|1}} during the event, overcoming the bridge and wrecking the water main. The lost pipe system was estimated to have a repair cost of $800,000; the system was installed three years earlier for $1.6&nbsp;million. The financial costs to replace the bridge and the water supply lines led the Pe Ell community to temporarily consider dissolving the town's government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schreiber |first1=Dan |title=Facing Flood Costs, Pe Ell Mulls Town Status |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/facing-flood-costs-pe-ell-mulls-town-status,199392 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=June 21, 2008}}</ref>