Montesano

Montesano was settled in 1852 at the confluence of the Chehalis, Satsop, and Wynoochee rivers. Log-toting team boats churned through the river passages from 1859 until railroad tracks arrived in 1885. When the town was incorporated in 1870, its population had reached about 1,500. The Vidette, which published its first issue in 1883, is still going strong, chronicling the times since Montesano became the Grays Harbor County seat in 1886. The town has a historic district with several buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.