On June 20, 1890, Castle Rock's incorporation as a town of the fourth class takes effect when a certified copy of the county commissioners' order incorporating the town is filed with the Washington Secretary of State's office. The town, first settled in 1852, is located along the Cowlitz River in Cowlitz County about 10 miles north of Longview and Kelso. Residents overwhelmingly approved incorporation in a June 10, 1890, election, with only one vote opposed, and the county commissioners' order certifying the election results and ordering the incorporation was approved on June 18.
The Path to Incorporation
Homesteaders began settling in the area that would become Castle Rock in the 1850s. One of those early homesteaders, William Huntington (1816-1894), named a rocky castle-like hill near his homestead "Castle Rock." When Huntington became postmaster, the post office that opened in his home on June 1, 1854, was likewise named Castle Rock.
In early 1890, Castle Rock residents decided they wanted to organize a municipal government and incorporate their community. Growth in Castle Rock up to that point was flourishing. Businesses in the community included a shingle mill, a newspaper, doctors, dentists, a lawyer, stores of many kinds, a photography gallery, barber shops, lodging houses, restaurants, hotels, saloons, and more, in addition to the post office.
An election was held on June 10, 1890, to vote on incorporating Castle Rock with proposed boundaries that were accepted according to the previously approved and filed plat of the town. An estimated 1,000 inhabitants were within the boundaries. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of incorporation, with 136 votes for incorporating and only one against.
The Cowlitz County Commissioners approved the election results on June 18. Castle Rock was officially incorporated as a town of the fourth class two days later on June 20, 1890, when a copy of the county commissioners' order incorporating the town, as certified by Cowlitz County Clerk Joseph Smith, was filed with the Secretary of State's office.
Elected Officials
Castle Rock's first elected officials were chosen in the same vote. Albert Henry Goddard (1854-?) won the mayoral election and John Allen was elected as the first treasurer. Dealvo H. Gumm (1853-1934), Charles W. Stalder (1860-1902), William P. Linn (1846-1921), Oscar B. Caswell (1824-1915), and Enoch M. Shintaffer (1853-1919) were elected to the town council.
Not much is known about Massachusetts-born Albert Goddard, Castle Rock's first mayor, and his wife Minnie E. Goddard (1856-1925). Married in 1881, the couple had no children. They moved to Castle Rock and lived there between 1882 and 1903. By 1904, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Albert Goddard worked in real estate and for the Boston Bean Company.
Over the years, Castle Rock expanded its boundaries several times, with annexations of additional area approved in 1908, 1924, and 1973. In 1972, the council adopted an ordinance changing Castle Rock's municipal classification from that of a town to that of noncharter code city. The population increased slowly over the years, reaching 2,370 as of 2021 in the self-styled gateway to Mount St. Helens.
