Day 143: Lavender Town, Selleck, Washington

📌APIA Every Day (143) - Lavender Town, located within the Selleck Historic District and west of the Northern Pacific tracks, was established to accommodate Japanese American mill workers and their families with segregated housing. The town was named after John Lavender, who operated several businesses in a location between Selleck and Kangley, which eventually became the housing area for Japanese mill workers. During its peak in the 1920s, Selleck flourished as a hub of timber production. The introduction of innovative logging methods, such as sky-line logging, increased efficiency and output for the Pacific States Lumber Company.

Following the 1923 earthquake that devastated Tokyo, the Pacific States Lumber Company, which oversaw Selleck and Lavender Town, received its largest order to restore the city. The order was so large that Japanese workers were brought to Selleck to help with production. As a result, Japanese American families who were not living in Lavender Town built makeshift shanties beyond the mill and railroad tracks.

The closure of the mill in 1939 marked the beginning of a decline in Selleck's population and economic activity. World War II brought about further changes as Japanese residents were forcibly moved into American concentration camps. Few of the mill complex structures remain in the area as the buildings, including the workers' housing, have been demolished or removed. The Selleck Historic District, which mentions Lavender Town in its nomination form, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

LEARN MORE:

National Park Service: Selleck Historic District NRHP Form

Black Diamond History: Mill town of Selleck still exists; remnants of Lavender town next door

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