Friends of Skamokawa's River Life Interpretive Center

Central Schoolhouse/Redmen Hall Building is more than 120 years old!

Visitors may enjoy our historic photographs and displays, gift shop, book store and exhibits

Stop by the RiverLife interpretive Center and marvel at historical photos, listen to knowledgeable docents and learn about the history of the once-bustling river town of Skamokawa. Climb the 88 steps up to the bell tower and experience a panoramic view of the Columbia River.

 

Admission is FREE - All donations are greatly appreciated to continue to provide events and maintenance on our historical 1894 school house.

Hours: Saturday and  Sunday - closed in Winter

12 Noon to 4:00 p.m.

 (360)795-3007

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MISSION STATEMENT

“FOS exists to promote, support, and enhance the Skamokawa Historic District through the

interpretation of its natural and human history.”

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From the Wahkiakum County Chamber of Commerce Website:

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History of Skamokawa

Skamokawa was listed on the National Register as a National Historic District in 1976, as one of the few surviving examples of a small water-based community once common along the lower Columbia River. The village is spread out along a system of creeks and sloughs which drain three valleys and once formed the only transportation network. Before 1917 there were no roads, all transportation was by water: by sternwheeler, sailing vessel and fishing boat.

Skamokawa was sometimes referred to as “Little Venice.” Houses and other buildings were built facing the water, usually with a dock and boat, and were linked by boardwalks. People rowed to church, to mercantile establishments, or to visit friends or family in other parts of the community.

The earliest pioneers settled in the Skamokawa area in the 1860s, drawn from all over the world by abundant natural resources, such as timber and salmon, as well as by the opportunity to establish farms. Early settlers took out donation land claims, fished, and worked in logging camps in order to provide incomes for their families. The Bayview Cannery, established in 1873 about a mile down river from the town, provided a market for commercially caught salmon from the Columbia River.

By the period of the 1890s, Skamokawa would boast of a draw-bridge linking the island church to the rest of the community, several lumber and shake mills, a ship-yard connected with the Columbia River Lumber and Manufacturing Company, a newspaper, the Skamokawa Eagle, still in business today as the Wahkiakum County Eagle.  In 1894 the community built the Central School, today known as the Redmen Hall and containing the River Life Interpretive Center.

The Skamokawa Creamery was renowned for the quality of its butter and won many prizes at state and regional fairs, it now the site of Skamokawa Resort.

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Today, commercial fishing on the Columbia River, logging and small scale farming still provide the economic sustenance for the community, along with several tourist-oriented activities and business such as Kayaking, fishing, Canoeing, Biking, bed-and-breakfasts, camping at Vista Park, Redmen Hall museum, Skamokawa Resort, Skamokawa Inn and the Julia Butler Hanson Game Refuse, and several  Lewis and Clark Heritage sites.

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