Colville, founded in 1859, is one of Washington’s oldest cities and began as a small settlement known as PinkneyCity, named for Fort Colville ‘s Major Pinkney Lugenbeel. Colville has a rich history with ties to the Hudson ‘s Bay Company and Fort Colville, and was county seat for a large area of eastern Washington, Idaho, and a part of Wyoming. In 1868 the legislature changed the name of the county seat from Pinkney City to Fort Colville. Visit Colville’s large museum and the Keller House, and take a walking town of downtown for a historical perspective of the town. Today Colville is eastern Washington ‘s second largest city, after Spokane.

“We had a wonderful two weeks out west and spent 5 days driving and exploring some of the Selkirk Loop.  The scenery was spectacular.  We were amazed at the amount of deer that we saw and I enjoyed all the wildflowers along the roads.” -J. Tone, Brampton, Ontario

Natural riches and recreational opportunities abound in the local countryside. There is plenty of hiking, biking, camping and huckleberry picking in the mountain. Just east of town on Highway 20 is theLittle Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, the only mountainous, mixed-conifer forest refuge in the national Wildlife Refuge system and where you can find towering older forests of pines and other conifers. This extensive area of forests, stream and wetlands is a haven for nesting and foraging migratory birds species, as well as many mammal, reptile and amphibian species. There are numerous picnic and bird watching opportunities in this area.

Nearby Lake Roosevelt is a summer favorite and the area’s largest water sports playground. The surrounding streams, rivers, alpine lakes and reservoirs provide an a wide variety of fishing opportunities. Enjoy Colville ‘s locally-grown fruit and vegetables, available throughout the growing season from nearby orchards and farms. For golfers, Dominion Meadows, is an 18-hole public golf course. Colville is four seasons of fun!

For more information on the area visit the Colville Chamber of Commerce.