Communities and pioneer schools in this book

Alpine

Amboy

Barberton

Battle Ground (original)

Battle Ground (later)

Bee Tree

Brush Prairie

Bumcomb Hollow

Chelatchie Prairie

Charter Oak

Cherry Grove

Crawford

Dole

Dublin

Dunnigan

Etna

Eureka

Fargher Lake

Fifth Plain

Glenwood

Good Hope

Gravel Point

Green Mountain

Hockinson

Kumtux

Lucia

Manor

Maple Grove

Meadow Glade

Mountain View

Pleasant Valley

Rock Creek

Salmon Falls

Saint John

Tum Tum

Union

Venersborg

View

Yacolt

Where are the 41 communities included in this book?

The area covered is essentially the present day Battle Ground and Hockinson school districts. Geographically, BGSD is one of the largest school districts in the state of Washington encompassing about 300 square miles. Originally Clark County and much of rural Pacific Northwest was made up of hundreds small school districts with one and two-room school houses.

As the population grew, more classrooms were required. Children needed a broader education with expanded opportunities. The educational structure became inefficient. The state office of Superintendent of Education began allowing, in fact encouraging districts to consolidate with larger districts.

With consolidations small communities lost their community centers. With the loss of social life came the loss of community identity.

Battle Ground . . . In and Around provides photos and information about these early communities. Included is a listing of early school district consolidation dates and their changing state-assigned numbers. Most of the consolidations recorded here took place im the 1940s and 1950s. Nearly all small districts in north and central Clark County converged into what is now one expansive Battle Ground School District.

In the back of the book are mini-maps showing known locations of pre-consolidation schoolhouses.

Some small communities grew to become business centers

Not all communities lost their identity. Yacolt and Battle Ground became incorporated cities. Amboy and Brush Prairie are business centers. Fargher Lake, Manor, and Meadow Glade also offer services.  

BGSD schools receive books

The author recently presented 14 copies of Battle Ground . . . In and Around to the school board for distribution to each school in the district.

Battle Ground's naming

Because this volume is based on photos and there were none taken of the 1855 confrontation, the story of the "non-battle" is not included in this book. Pioneers had not yet inhabited the site for which the area was named.

With the purchase of each book, a pamphlet telling the story is often included - courtesy of Friends of the Battle Ground Library.

Mural replaces wooden sign

When the 1972 wooden sign began to deteriorate, it was replaced with a mural near Andersen Dairy's entrance. Left to right: Kara McGee, artist; Louise Tucker, author; and Valerie Huey and Terry Grendahl, members of GFWC-Battle Ground (financiers of the mural).