Sprague, WA

Sprague is a Lincoln County city in eastern Washington, where the 2020 census counted 495 residents. Interstate 90 and State Route 23 meet near town, with Sprague Lake about two miles southwest. The lake crosses the Adams–Lincoln county line, while the surrounding plains support the wheat country that has long shaped Lincoln County.

William Newman first settled at the site and ran an inn for travelers and government express animals. The city was platted in 1880, incorporated in 1883, and named for John W. Sprague, a Union general and Northern Pacific Railroad superintendent. Sprague later marked the railroad's western endpoint in the late 1800s. The restored depot on Railroad Avenue preserves that rail history, connecting the city's wheat roads, lake, and old main line in one small Washington setting. The depot now opens as a small railroad museum, with Railroad Avenue and the old station grounds preserving a tangible piece of the line. The town's name remains tied to rail travel.