Add an Article Add an Event Edit

City Of Kelso

203 South Pacific, Suite 216
360-423-7420

Brief History Of Kelso :

In the 1840s, Kelso, Washington was founded along the banks of the Cowlitz River by a surveyor named Peter Crawford who named the town after his Scottish home. Kelso has a unique historical past -- a story of struggle against competition in businesses and professions, its disasters and its faith in itself to overcome all odds and to expand, grow and progress in every way possible.

The complete and colorful history of Kelso is recorded in detail in a book by local resident Camilla Summers, now deceased. Her book, About Kelso, takes the reader from the time before Peter Crawford platted his farm into the city he named Kelso in 1884, through to the effects of the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980.

The city of Kelso is the county seat of Cowlitz County, located in southwestern Washington. Kelso is located on Interstate 5, at the confluence of the Cowlitz, Coweeman and Columbia Rivers. Kelso is 48 miles north of Portland, Oregon and 125 miles south of Seattle,and only 80 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.

Whether you already live in our community, are anticipating starting a new business, or looking for a location to build, Kelso has it all. Kelso is known as the "Smelt Capital of the World".