Edwall, Washington
Encyclopedia
Edwall is a small unincorporated village
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 located about 35 miles from the city of Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

 in Lincoln County, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Edwall is part of the Reardan-Edwall School District. The school district was closed for a record amount of days due to a big snow storm in the inland area in January 2008. The former Edwall School is now owned by the Parks and Recreation District and leased to Christian Heritage School, a private non-denominational school. Edwall also has a post office, an active United Methodist Church congregation, Men's Service Club, Women in Action Committee, volunteer fire/emergency medical crew, and a volunteer run library located in the original one room wood frame schoolhouse.

History

Peter Edwall was the first to settle in the area in 1881 where he began a ranch. He was followed by William Spence, from Medical Lake
Medical Lake, Washington
Medical Lake is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,060 at the 2010 census. It is home to two mental hospitals, Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village.-Geography:...

, who homesteaded on the site of the future town. Mr. Edwall bought Spence's land in 1887. When the Great Northern Railway laid its main line across his land in 1892, Edwall platted a town site and named it after himself.

Edwall's first buildings were constructed by the railroad and included a depot, water tank and other small storage buildings. These were soon followed by a church and a general store in 1893. Growth between The Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...

and 1897 was slow. In 1897, following a bountiful wheat harvest that boosted Lincoln County's economy, Edwall experienced a boom. A newspaper and bank were soon established as well as a large hotel and the population by 1903 had reached 275.
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