1984 Map of Onalaska

About this map

The Newaukum River watershed dominates this part of Lewis County, where the Middle, South, and main forks converge near the settlement of Onalaska. Historically a timber-driven hub, the landscape by the early 1980s is defined by a mix of agricultural clearings like Alpha Prairie and the industrial remnants of earlier eras, such as the Sewage Pond and Carlisle Lake. Farther south, the terrain descends toward the Cowlitz River, where the Barrier Dam and a local Fish Hatchery mark the management of the river's resources. Small communities like Ethel and Salkum line the southern transit corridors, while the presence of the Alpha Cem and a central High Sch point to the established local centers of this rural valley. The grid is anchored by the Willamette Meridian, which runs north-south through the western portion of the map near Cowlitz Prairie.