On March 9, 1906, Pe Ell in western Lewis County is officially incorporated as a town of the fourth class when a certified copy of the county commissioners' order approving the incorporation is filed with the Washington Secretary of State's Office. Homesteaders began settling the Pe Ell area in the 1850s, and by the early 1900s the growing town was home to flourishing timber mills and other businesses. In 1906 residents petitioned to incorporate the town, and on March 1 voters overwhelmingly approved the measure, with 78 votes in favor and 14 opposed, and elected the first town officers. On the 5th, county commissioners approved an order certifying the election results and ordering the incorporation.
The Path to Incorporation
Homesteaders began settling in the area that would become Pe Ell in the mid-1850s, many families arriving through the 1870s. The area's first post office, which Austa Wheeler Hendricks (1840-1931) opened in her home on July 21, 1886, was named "Pe Ell."
As early as January 1903, some citizens of Pe Ell had petitioned the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners to incorporate their community. It did not happen immediately but, by early 1906, Pe Ell residents were ready to organize a municipal government and incorporate the town. Growth in Pe Ell up to this point was increasing. Businesses in the community included sawmills, shake mills, a bank, a depot, grocery stores, saloons, real estate offices, hotels, restaurants, livery stables, blacksmith shops, harness shops, a furniture store, a hardware store, a drugstore, a jewelry store, lodging houses, grain warehouses, a physician's office, and two newspapers, and there were three churches, several schools, and the post office.
On February 6, 1906, a meeting was held for the purpose of asking the incorporation question. Professional and business leaders attended and the idea was accepted by 60 qualified electors of Lewis County. A petition was drawn up and presented to the Board of County Commissioners. The board set March 1 as the date of the election for those living within the boundaries that were accepted to vote on incorporating the Town of Pe Ell.
The results were overwhelmingly in favor of incorporation. When the 92 votes were tallied, there were 78 in favor and 14 against. The results were returned to the board and the commissioners certified the election and approved an Order of Incorporation of Pe Ell, Washington on March 5. Lewis County Auditor J. E. Stearns certified the transcript and order for filing with the Secretary of State's Office. Pe Ell was officially incorporated as a town of the fourth class on March 9, 1906, when the certified documents were filed in the office of the Secretary of State.
Elected Officials
Pe Ell's first elected officials were chosen in the same March 1 election in which the incorporation was approved. German born Judge August Frank Meyer (or Mayer) (1868-1962) was elected mayor. Frank McKnight (1867-1950) was chosen as town clerk and John G. Dunlap (1867-1943) as treasurer. Lewis Ratkowski (1877-1955), Wallace C. Yeomans, James Donahue (or Donahoe) (1877-1968), Byron G. Austin (1840-1910), and Joseph Peter Duckett (1866-1938) were elected to the town council.
Not much is known about August Meyer, the first mayor of Pe Ell, although it is reported that he had little interest in becoming mayor. Meyer and his wife Rosie (1875-1968), who married in 1892, had 8 children. The family later moved to Oregon.
Over the years, Pe Ell expanded its boundaries several times, with annexations of additional areas approved in 1952 and 1953. The population increased and decreased slowly over the years, reaching 655 as of 2023.
