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Cora, Washington

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Coordinates: 46°32′09″N 121°47′24″W / 46.53583°N 121.79000°W / 46.53583; -121.79000
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Cora, Washington
Former community, locale
Cora is located in Washington (state)
Cora
Cora
Cora is located in the United States
Cora
Cora
Coordinates: 46°32′09″N 121°47′24″W / 46.53583°N 121.79000°W / 46.53583; -121.79000
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLewis
Established1888
Elevation
948 ft (289[1] m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
zip code
98377
Area code360

Cora was a former farming community and is a locale in Lewis County, Washington, United States.[2] Cora is located off U.S. Route 12, next to the Cowlitz River between the towns of Randle and Packwood.

History

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Cora was established in either 1886 or 1888[a] by Levi A. Davis, son of the founder of Claquato, and was either named after Cora Davis, Levi's wife, or his niece, Cora M. Ferguson Patterson.[4][5][6] At the time, Cora was far removed from other settlements, necessitating the need for supplies to be delivered by foot trails to the homestead.[3] Levi Davis died in 1901.[7]

A large portion of the Davis landholdings were sold in 1906 for $32,000 to the Chicago and North Western railroad, with plans to convert the acreage into a townsite and rail headquarters.[8] The sons of Levi Davis were involved in lawsuits over ownership rights of coal lands near Cora in 1906 and 1907; successful in those proceedings, the coal disagreement reached the Supreme Court of the United States[9]

The community, situated near the Cowlitz River, experienced its first recorded flood in 1896.[10] In 1905,[4] the town began providing a cable ferry, known as the Cora Ferry, which supplied service over the Cowlitz. The operation of the ferry was based on a lease and bids to operate the transport was often done on an annual basis.[11] The ferry landing was moved in 1913 to another site within Cora,[12] and a new transfer system was built the same year.[13] A ferry accident involving the Cora occurred in 1915 that took 5 lives[14] and by the following year, the service was discontinued after the completion of the Cora Bridge.[4]

During World War I, a Red Cross auxiliary was formed in Cora in 1918.[15] By the 1920s, the growing community had a grange and held a variety of events and dances at its hall.[16] The grange building was converted into a community hall in 1923[17] which helped Cora accommodate a large gathering of regional grange members that same year.[18]

Post office

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A post office was established at Cora on June 11, 1890, and remained in operation until November 30, 1908.[4][19][20] Operated exclusively during its run by members of the Davis family,[4] the closure of the post office was due to a lack of anyone else in the community wanting to undertake the postmaster position.[21]

Geography

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The community shares its names with the nearby Cora Falls, a waterfall near the Nisqually Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, fed by Cora Lake.[22]

Education

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Cora had a school as early as 1903.[23] The log building[24] was replaced in 1915 after a new one-room school site, at a cost of $500, was constructed between Cora and Lewis (present-day Packwood).[25] The newer schoolhouse, which held summer classes, was reported as still existing by 1953.[26]

Infrastructure

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In February 1899, the Washington House of Representatives received a state senate bill that had passed enacting the establishment of a state road from Cora, or Sulphur Springs (present-day Packwood), through the Cowlitz Pass to Cowiche.[27] Later that month, the House Committee on Appropriations recommended that the project be indefinitely postponed.[28] At the turn of the 20th century, rail lines were being built at or near Cora.[29][30]

An overpass spanning over the Cowlitz River was first constructed in Cora in 1915 and became known as the Cora Bridge.[31][4] Major road improvements to the area began in 1925, which connected the Cora community to Randle.[32]

Notes

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  1. ^ Most news articles on Cora agree that 1888 was the original founding year, however some reports and other sources place the founding of the Davis homestead in 1886.[3]

References

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  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cora, Washington
  2. ^ "Cora, United States on the map — exact time, time zone, airports nearby". mw.utc.city. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Harry Davis, Early Pioneer, Dies Sunday". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. September 12, 1930. pp. 5, 47. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Pattison, Cap (April 4, 2002). "If Towns Could Talk - Roads help tell history of Randle". The Chronicle. p. 12. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Revisiting Washington — Cora". revisitwa.org. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Henry C. Davis". Lewis Co., WA GenWeb Project. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Died". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. November 29, 1901. p. 14. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  8. ^ "Is It The C. & N.W." The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 27, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Coal Lands Are Involved". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. October 4, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "Drowned In The Cowlitz". Lincoln County Leader. November 26, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  11. ^ "Last Of The Year". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 21, 1906. p. 3. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  12. ^ "Club Is Reorganized". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. October 24, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "The County Commissioners". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. April 22, 1913. pp. 1, 16. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "Near Accident At Cora Ferry". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 23, 1916. pp. 3, 19. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "Two New Auxiliaries". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 14, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Surveying At Lewis". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 11, 1922. pp. 2, 27. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  17. ^ "Lewis Items". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 13, 1923. pp. 16, 75. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "State Grange To Vancouver". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 22, 1923. pp. 10, 27. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  20. ^ "Mother of All Counties". Lewis County Genealogical Society, quoting Guy Reed Ramsey, "Postmarked Washington: Lewis and Cowlitz Counties".
  21. ^ "Cora Postoffice Discontinued". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. November 13, 1908. pp. 1, 15. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cora Falls, Lewis County, Washington". waterfallsnorthwest.com. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Cora". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 15, 1903. p. 10. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  24. ^ Tuttle, Myrtle (August 8, 1969). "Settling The Big Bottom". The Centralia Daily Chronicle. p. 7. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  25. ^ "New Schools Authorized". The Daily Chronicle-Examiner. March 10, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  26. ^ "First School In Packwood Had 11 Pupils". The Centralia Daily Chronicle. June 6, 1953. p. 14C. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  27. ^ House Journal of the Legislature of the State of Washington. State Printer. February 11, 1899. p. 348. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  28. ^ House Journal of the Legislature of the State of Washington. State Printer. February 23, 1899. p. 530. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  29. ^ "Many People Think It Northwestern". The Yakima Herald. August 8, 1906. p. 7. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  30. ^ "North Coast Part Of C., M. & St. Paul System". The Evening Statesman (Walla Walla, Washington). August 12, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  31. ^ "New Bridge For The Cowlitz". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 10, 1915. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  32. ^ "A Half Million Dollars For Good Roads In Eastern Lewis". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 14, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
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