Goldendale is the county seat of Klickitat County, Washington. Goldendale is a rural agricultural community near the Columbia River Gorge. The population within city limits was 3,407 in 2010.
A nationally known point of interest is north of town, Goldendale Observatory State Park. The valley area in which Goldendale is located offers a sweeping and dramatic views of the Cascade Range 40 mile to the west and the Simcoe Hills to the north.
History[]
In 1872 the town was given its name by the early homesteader John Golden. The Golden House is still viewable at Columbus and Collins St. in downtown Goldendale. In 1878 Goldendale became the county seat. Other early towns in the county were White Salmon, Lyle, Bingen, Glenwood, Dallesport and Bickleton, all still in existence. Goldendale was officially incorporated on November 14, 1879.
Goldendale has remained the employment, business, commercial and banking center for the valley and, as the county seat, is the location for Klickitat County's courts and government offices. In recent years this small community has suffered from severe economic decline. After a local aluminum plant that once employed many residents closed, the small community struggled economically. The loss of tax base has taken its toll on the funds available for maintaining the city's infrastructure. In recent years there has been an interest in installing wind turbines that would generate power. While it has provided some jobs, this industry has not been the economic solution for which many residents hoped.
On June 9, 1918, William Wallace Campbell, Director of the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California, and astronomer Heber Curtis journeyed to Goldendale to view a total eclipse. The purpose of the observation was to photograph the sun's corona and the apparent distorted placement of stars due to the sun's gravitational pull on those star's rays while passing by the sun. Lacking proper equipment and instead only using multiple cameras Campbell and Curtis were unable to confirm stars' deflection. However, by November 1919, their efforts would be vindicated by British astronomers and Einstein's Theory of Relativity was confirmed Goldendale was also the site of another total eclipse that drew national attention. On February 26, 1979, hundreds of people and all major news networks converged on the town for a total solar eclipse that was the last visible from the continental United States until 2017.
On October 13, 1973, the Goldendale Observatory, the main attraction of the city, was dedicated. It is one of the larger free, public observatories.
In 2008 Goldendale hosted the International Gravity Sports Association's 'Festival of Speed,' on a segment of the historic Maryhill highway.
Geography[]
Goldendale's elevation at the Klickitat County Courthouse is 1,634 feet.
The Little Klickitat River flows roughly east-to-west across the northern portion of the city. Bloodgood Creek, an entirely spring-fed year-round water source, runs through the northwest part of town and intersects with the Little Klickitat just west of the city. Both are sources of rainbow trout as well as being home to waterfowl such as the great blue heron and several species of duck. Bloodgood Creek provides a portion of Goldendale's drinking water and is capped at the source for that purpose.
US Highway 97 runs along the eastern boundary of the city and connects Goldendale with Interstate 84, 13 miles south in the state of Oregon and State Route 14, which is 12 miles south and runs along the Washington side of the Columbia River. State Route 142 creates a major east-west route through Goldendale, beginning at US 97 on the north end of town.
The rain shadow of the Cascades creates distinct and visible difference between the arid and dry areas south of the community, and the more lush treed areas to the north. This produces a landscape of open bunch-grass prairies dotted with sagebrush and rabbit brush containing the occasional juniper tree, while the more sheltered areas consist of ponderosa pine and oak savannahs.
Climate[]
Goldendale has a continental mediterrean climate (Köppen Dsb). The town is within the Cascade Range rain shadow.
Overcast days are rare, occurring mostly in late fall and throughout winter. Summer temperatures can reach well over 100 °F, while winter, when most of the annual precipitation of around 17 inches occurs, can see temperatures below 0 °F, particularly in January.
Summer thunderstorms occur intermittently, particularly in July and August, but due to high cloud bases, rain seldom reaches the ground in any appreciable amount. Lightning-caused range and forest fires are a common occurrence during this time of year. Spring flowers and green meadows and prairies make Goldendale a particularly beautiful site. Spring and summer can be very blustery since the Chinook winds off the Pacific Ocean are funneled through the Columbia Gorge. Fall tends to be almost windless, and the autumnal oak leaves add a lovely touch of golden rust red to Observatory Hill on the north side of town.
Culture[]
Goldendale has many annual civic activities including the Klickitat County Fair & Rodeo, the Goldendale Community Days, held on the Goldendale Courthouse lawn, and holiday parades.
Goldendale's tourist attractions include the Goldendale Observatory, the nearby Maryhill Museum with a collection of 87 works by Auguste Rodin & a contemporary architectural construction by Portland-based firm Allied Works Architecture, and the Maryhill Stonehenge, a life-size cement replica of the original Stonehenge, situated ten minutes south of Goldendale. The replica, completed in 1930, is a memorial of those who died in World War I.
In downtown Goldendale, the Presby Mansion, now the Presby Museum, is also a tourist attraction featuring a newly restored 1898 Russel Steam Tractor and housing the Klickitat County Historical Society.