History
Cora was established in either 1886 or 1888 [a] by Levi A. Davis, son of the founder of Claquato, and was either named after Cora Davis, Levi's wife, or his niece, Cora M. Ferguson Patterson. [4] [5] [6] At the time, Cora was far removed from other settlements, necessitating the need for supplies to be delivered by foot trails to the homestead. [3] Levi Davis died in 1901. [7]
A large portion of the Davis landholdings were sold in 1906 for $32,000 to the Chicago and North Western railroad, with plans to convert the acreage into a townsite and rail headquarters. [8] The sons of Levi Davis were involved in lawsuits over ownership rights of coal lands near Cora in 1906 and 1907; successful in those proceedings, the coal disagreement reached the Supreme Court of the United States [9]
The community, situated near the Cowlitz River, experienced its first recorded flood in 1896. [10] In 1905, [4] the town began providing a cable ferry, known as the Cora Ferry, which supplied service over the Cowlitz. The operation of the ferry was based on a lease and bids to operate the transport was often done on an annual basis. [11] The ferry landing was moved in 1913 to another site within Cora, [12] and a new transfer system was built the same year. [13] A ferry accident involving the Cora occurred in 1915 that took 5 lives [14] and by the following year, the service was discontinued after the completion of the Cora Bridge. [4]
During World War I, a Red Cross auxiliary was formed in Cora in 1918. [15] By the 1920s, the growing community had a grange and held a variety of events and dances at its hall. [16] The grange building was converted into a community hall in 1923 [17] which helped Cora accommodate a large gathering of regional grange members that same year. [18]
Post office
A post office was established at Cora on June 11, 1890, and remained in operation until November 30, 1908. [4] [19] [20] Operated exclusively during its run by members of the Davis family, [4] the closure of the post office was due to a lack of anyone else in the community wanting to undertake the postmaster position. [21]
Infrastructure
In February 1899, the Washington House of Representatives received a state senate bill that had passed enacting the establishment of a state road from Cora, or Sulphur Springs (present-day Packwood), through the Cowlitz Pass to Cowiche. [27] Later that month, the House Committee on Appropriations recommended that the project be indefinitely postponed. [28] At the turn of the 20th century, rail lines were being built at or near Cora. [29] [30]
An overpass spanning over the Cowlitz River was first constructed in Cora in 1915 and became known as the Cora Bridge. [31] [4] Major road improvements to the area began in 1925, which connected the Cora community to Randle. [32]
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