Editing Klickitat, Washington (section)

== History ==
The site where the town is located was originally called "Wrights" after one of the original settlers. This was the name given to the rail stop there. The rail stop down the river at milepost 7.2 was named "Klickitat", after the [[Klickitat people]] and the railroad later switched the two signs when the carbonated beverage company Klickitat Pop (operating near the town) gained fame. On February 7, 1910, the name of the town post office was officially changed to "Klickitat".<ref>Niels, Selma. ''So This Is Klickitat'' (1967) [p. 62]</ref>

The first non-native settlers arrived in 1890 seeking land to homestead. The abundance of timber drew in other settlers during the early 1900s. Travel through the Klickitat canyon and up to the plateau was arduous until the completion of a rail line in 1903.[4, p.&nbsp;47] The rail line eased travel and facilitated the transportation of people, crops, livestock and timber. The lumber mill was the primary employer in town, with the first major mill formed 1909, until 1994 when the mill was permanently closed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historylink.org/File/7800|title=Klickitat County -- Thumbnail History|website=www.historylink.org}}</ref> The naturally carbonated [[Klickitat Mineral Springs]] just east of town gave rise to health spas, a carbonated beverage company, and a large dry ice plant which operated until 1957.<ref name="walkaboutmag.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.walkaboutmag.com/19footpaths.html |title=Klickitat Mineral Springs History |website=www.walkaboutmag.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305024600/http://www.walkaboutmag.com/19footpaths.html |archive-date=5 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>