Regional History
For over 9000 years, Native People gathered at the Kettle Falls on the Columbia to fish, trade, govern and celebrate nature’s bounty. At least seven local tribes including the Colvilles, Spokanes, San Poils, Okanagons, and Kootenais gathered at the falls to harvest the plentiful salmon. The Natives called the waters "Shwan-ate-koo", meaning "deep-sounding waters".
With the arrival of David Thompson and his party in July of 1811,British, Scottish and Eastern Native people brought new transportation, new goods and international trade to the region. The Hudson Bay Company established a trading post called Fort Colville, three miles above the falls.
The life of Kettle Falls changed to meet the demands of the newly arrived prospectors and settlers in the years 1860 to 1880. In 1888 Marcy H. Randall built his cabin on a flat three miles below the falls. Other settlers followed him and soon a town was formed. The town site was platted on August 14th, 1889. A library, fine houses, churches and schools were built—but even more impressive than that were the up-to-date water system and the electric lighting. The population grew to one thousand and the train and stagecoach were constantly bringing in more people.
Sawmills and ranches kept the town alive until the news hit that the Grand Coulee dam would force them to relocate their entire town.
Kettle Falls was the largest town in Stevens County to be relocated. Houses were bought and relocated by the government. Structures were dismantled or destroyed and Kettle Falls annexed itself a 60-foot strip of land leading to and including part of the town of Meyers Falls. The town moved to its new location and they voted to change the name of Meyers Falls to Kettle Falls. The new location was built around the railroad and soon became successful in its new location. Many people of the area welcomed electricity and irrigation provided by the new dam. But losing the 45-year-old town could be viewed as minor compared to losing the actual Kettle Falls and the beautiful Columbia River valley.
The Kettle Falls
Before the waters of Lake Roosevelt silenced it, the massive Kettle Falls were just north of the Bridge crossing the Columbia River / Lake Roosevelt on State Highway 20 just before the Republic turnoff. The falls were magnificent to look at, plummeting 40 feet into the mouths of huge stone caldrons. Some of the "kettles" were "three squaws deep".
The Falls have been an important site to Native Americans from time immemorial. At least seven local tribes including the Colvilles, Spokanes, San Poils, Okanagons, and Kootenais gathered at the falls to harvest the plentiful salmon. Their travels have long taken them to Kettle Falls to fish salmon. Numerous bands of Salish-speaking people gathered at the falls to harvest the plentiful salmon that struggled up the roaring falls of the wild Columbia River. The Natives called the waters “Shwan-ate-koo”, meaning “deep-sounding waters”. The falls may be seen in the spring when the water of Lake Roosevelt is lowered. Although these falls have been lost to the waters of Lake Roosevelt, Each year as the water is drawn down to allow for the spring run off from the surrounding mountains winter snowfalls, the top of the falls may become visible in late March early April depending on how low the lake level is allowed to fall.
Historic Photo showing the Kettle Falls before being lost to Lake Roosevelt