Appleton, Washington — Orchard Name in Forest Country

Appleton sounds as though an orchard ought to appear immediately after the road sign. Western Klickitat County has other ideas.

Much of the surrounding landscape is forest. Small farms and homesteads occupied openings where water and workable ground made settlement practical, while timber remained a far more obvious presence than the name suggests.

Modern homes are still dispersed among wooded and open parcels on rural roads connecting toward White Salmon, Trout Lake and the Klickitat country.

That mismatch gives Appleton much of its character. The name imagines orderly rows of fruit trees; the landscape keeps growing trees of its own choosing.