Pe Ell, WA

Pe Ell is a Lewis County town on State Route 6, halfway between Chehalis and Raymond in southwest Washington. The North Pacific Railway reached town with a depot in 1897, and by 1907 the population was around 1,000—larger than today's small-town scale. The railroad is gone, but its line survives as part of the Willapa Hills State Park Trail, which crosses town and follows the old route through the Chehalis Valley.

Pe Ell has a surprisingly specific cultural landmark in the Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church story. Built in 1916, the church was listed on the National Register in 1987 and was the only known Polish church of its kind in Washington. The town also starts the Pe Ell River Run, a July birthday tradition that sends homemade watercraft down the Chehalis River toward Rainbow Falls State Park. Pe Ell School covers preschool through 12th grade, so the local map brings together a rail trail, Polish history, a river race, and one all-ages school campus.