Curtis, Washington

Not to be confused with Curtis Washington.

Curtis, Washington
Unincorporated community
The Curtis Store
Curtis Show map of Washington (state) Curtis Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 46°35′13″N123°06′36″W / 46.58694°N 123.11000°W / 46.58694; -123.11000
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Lewis
Elevation [1]	230 ft (70 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
zip code	98538
Area code	360
GNIS feature ID	1510904 [1]

Curtis is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Washington. ^[1] It is located less than 3 miles north of Boistfort, and is south of Washington State Route 6. The South Fork Chehalis River flows through the town.

History

A post office has been in operation since 1901 inside the Curtis General Store. Benjamin L. Curtis, the first postmaster of the area, built the store and gave the community his name. ^{[2] [3]}

At its founding, the town's economy was based on logging and farming, ^[4] particularly hops. The Klaber Hop Fields (Farm) once existed in Curtis, overlapping with the communities of Boistfort and Klaber. Recorded at 360 acres (150 ha), it was the largest hops field in the world for a time. ^[5]

Arts and culture

Historic buildings and sites

Curtis is home to two listings on the National Register of Historic Places, the Boistfort High School and the Wolfenbarger Site. ^[6] A railroad covered bridge existed in Curtis but was removed in 1975 in favor of a steel girder crossing. ^[7]

The Boistfort Valley Farm, also known as the Lewis County Barn, was constructed approximately in 1913 by the Beall family and is listed on the Washington State Heritage Barn Register (WSHBR). The 34 ft × 46 ft (10 m × 14 m) structure was originally used to raise rabbits to provide fur for clothing; it was later converted to a dairy barn. A grant from WSHBR helped to repair the foundation and roof of the barn, which was completed in 2009. ^{[8] [9]}

Education

The community once had a two-room schoolhouse. ^[4] Curtis students are now served by the Boistfort School District and the Boistfort Consolidated School. ^[10]

Government and politics

Presidential Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2008 [11]	67.5%139	30.6% 63	1.9% 4
2012 [12]	73.1%136	25.8% 48	1.1% 2
2016 [13]	66.7%138	23.7% 49	9.7% 20
2020 [14]	72.9%180	26.3% 65	0.8% 2
2024 [15]	69.8%206	28.5% 84	1.7% 5

Politics

As Curtis is an unincorporated community, there are no defined bounds, and the precinct may be incongruous with the census boundaries.

The 2020 election included two votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party and two votes for write-in candidates. ^[14] In the 2024 election, there were 2 votes cast for write-in candidates and 3 votes were tallied for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. ^[15]

Notable people

• Warren A. Taylor, first Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives ^[16]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Curtis, Washington
2. Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 62.
3. "Postoffice Is Still at Curtis". The Daily Chronicle . June 6, 1953. p. 24C. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
4. Alleva, Paul (March 30, 2002). "Stories from Curtis residents recall days of glory". The Chronicle. pp. 14–15. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
5. The Chronicle staff (April 27, 2007). "Enjoy Some Roadside History". The Chronicle. p. 14. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
6. McCracken, Gordon (June 18, 1977). "Boistfort site hops on register". The Daily Chronicle. p. W3. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
7. Hoxit, Eric (January 17, 1975). "Covered bridge threatened". The Daily Chronicle. p. 1. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
8. Honeyford, Jerri (2010). "Heritage Barns of Washington State: Heritage Barn Advisory Committee Report 2010" (PDF). Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. pp. 19–20. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
9. "Heritage Barns of Washington State: 2007 - 2019" (PDF). Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. pp. 11–12. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
10. "Boistfort School District". boistfortschool.org. Boistfort School District.
11. "November 04, 2008 General Election - Lewis County". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
12. "November 06, 2012 General Election - Lewis County". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
13. "November 8, 2016 General Election - Lewis County". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
14. "November 3, 2020 General Election - Lewis County". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
15. "November 5, 2024 General Election - Lewis County". Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
16. "Town Talk". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 9, 1933. p. 7. Retrieved August 28, 2024.