GEOCACHING THE PALOUSE

Pullman, Washington

Last Thursday (Feb. 11), Mike and I made a day trip north to the Palouse country to pick up some newly placed geocaches in Colfax (WA). Bess came along, but Nellie stayed in her kennel. Oh, I’m sure she snorted derisively as she hunkered down in her house, but it was best all round that she stayed behind.  

Most of the Colfax caches had an historic theme and imparted a little info about Belleville (or Bellesville), as James A. Perkins, the town’s founder, so named it in 1871 after a former girlfriend. However, when he married Jennie in 1873, the town leaders agreed to change the name to Colfax in honor of U.S. Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, a popular politician of the day.

Perkins' Original Cabin

Perkins House

From 1873 until 1886, Perkins and his family lived in a 20x15-foot one-room cabin which he erected on his property. In 1886, he built a beautiful house to be their home. The original cabin still sits on the property, and the contrast between the two dwellings is striking. Perkins died in 1920 and Jennie in 1935, and the house fell into decline. However, the Whitman County Historical Society rescued it in 1973. Perkins House now stands beautifully restored and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Finally found this one!

"Here it is."

Today Colfax is a town of 2,845 nestled into the agricultural country of the Palouse. Indeed, a crop duster was working overhead as Mike logged a cache on the outskirts of town. Though Colfax is small, it’s located on the main highway to Spokane, so naturally, there’s a Subway.

 

"A Tall Drink of Water"

Heading back to Clarkston mid-afternoon, we stopped in Pullman to pick up a few more caches before dusk. In all we  found 15 caches.

We arrived home about 5:00. Nellie, never one to hold a grudge, greeted us enthusiastically. It had sprinkled intermittently during the day, but now began to rain in earnest. Mike donned his rain gear and took the dogs for a walk. KW