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History of
Ravenwood
For many thousands of years, present day Ravenwood, Washington, was home to the Oaxaciian (Oh-ah-ha-kee-en) people, a small tribe that settled in the meadow of a large, mostly forested and remote area. Nearby tribes were miles in any direction, due in part by the dense forest covering the land. Other reasons were the lack of rivers or streams for miles. The closest body of water is Silver Leaf Lake, 15 miles south of the city, and too far from the settlement for every day needs. However, a lack of fresh water on land did not mean that they had no water at all. This small civilization had somehow tapped into the earth and created water wells from the fresh water below the ground. One of these wells has been preserved and can be seen in Ravenwood's Central Park, along with a plaque telling its history. Not only did they have water wells, the native tribe also built bathing ponds and small streams & ponds for fisheries for fish caught at Silver Leaf Lake.
Unfortunately, this flourishing tribe mysteriously died off rather quickly, somewhere between the late 1770s and early 1780s. In late 1792, about the same time as Lt. William Broughton, serving under Captain George Vancouver, was exploring the Columbia River, a British settler named Edmund William Blaire and his men arrived in the area. There was a single teepee located to the north, and when his men reached it, they were greeted by a man who told them of his people and their deaths. The sole survivor of the Oaxaciian was their chief, Ravenwood.
E.W. Blaire found Chief Ravenwood's story hard to believe, a tale of vampire and prophecy, and how his own son, Song's End, had been responsible for the deaths, and thus, he was responsible for them too. Although Blaire and his men had decided Ravenwood must have gone crazy from the isolation, the two struck a friendship at once.
1792 - E.W. Blaire names the area Blaireville, immediately setting up camp and getting settled into the new land.
1807 - The small town of Blaireville, now boasts a population of 120.
1825 - Chief Ravenwood dies of natural causes.
1826 - E.W. Blaire, still living, and for the most part governing the town, decides to rename Blaireville to Ravenwood.
1829 - The town of Ravenwood begins booming thanks to the Blaire Saw Mill.
1831 - E.W. Blaire succumbs to death at the age of 69.
1860 - The City of Ravenwood is incorporated.
1861 - E.W. Blaire, Jr. voted in as the first Mayor of Ravenwood.
1892 - Remembering Ravenwood's son, Song's End, from stories his father was told by his father, Mayor E.W. Blaire III dedicates a street in his name, building his own residence on the street.
1894 - Mayor E.W. Blaire III dies of small pox and James Pearson takes his place as mayor.
1900 - The Six Month Winter kills off most of the livestock and 77 people.
1911 - A massive earthquake destroys the city's only source of income, the Blaire Saw Mill, and kills over 100 people.
1949 - Finally, after many years of decline, the rundown city of Ravenwood begins to clean up and rebuild.
1951 - The small schoolhouse is torn down and a new Elementary School and Middle School are built in its place to accommodate the growing city's population.
1957 - Ravenwood High School opens, saving kids from having to commute to Fairview High School 12 miles away.
1960 - Ravenwood celebrates its centennial.
1995 - Work begins in Downtown Ravenwood to remodel or rebuild city buildings.
1999 - As part of the city's 10 year project, all three schools are remodeled and updated with the latest technology.
2000 - A proposal to be included in the city's project is passed to build a statue of Chief Ravenwood in Downtown's Blaire Park.