Paha, Washington — Spring, a Railroad and a Very Optimistic Newspaper

Paha began as a Northern Pacific station in a narrow Adams County coulee.

The name has been associated with an Indigenous term for “big water,” referring to a reliable spring—an unusually valuable feature in dry country.

A post office opened in 1886, and the settlement eventually supported a weekly newspaper called The Hub.

The title displayed more confidence than the population ultimately justified.

Railroad track and modern U.S. 395 use the same coulee because the surrounding hills leave transportation little room to improvise.

Agriculture spread across higher ground while Paha remained tied to the corridor below.

The post office closed in 1943.

The newspaper's hub never quite materialized, but the spring, route and name all survived.