Columbia County (pop. 4,078) is the third-least-populous county in Washington. It reached its peak population of 7,128 in 1900.

Columbia County in 1909

The county is named for the Columbia River; the Snake River, a Columbia tributary, is the county’s northern boundary.

Snake River Bridge at Lyons Ferry (1927)

The county seat of Columbia County is the city of Dayton (pop. 2,526).

Washington’s oldest working courthouse (1887)

Dayton has the oldest surviving railroad depot in the state. It dates from 1881.

Now a museum

The restored Liberty Theater in Dayton was built in 1921. It now has a mixture of films and live performances.

147 seats and a balcony

In the town of Starbuck (pop. 129), the former Bank of Starbuck (1904) is now City Hall.

The coffee company is named for the character in “Moby Dick.”

The Blue Mountains and Umatilla National Forest are in the southern part of the county.

Oregon Butte Lookout

Ski Bluewood is an alpine ski area in the Blue Mountains, southeast of Dayton. It has a vertical drop of 1,125 feet.

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