Deer Park, Washington — Railroad Needed Wood and Got a Town

Deer Park grew because the Great Northern Railway needed enormous quantities of timber.

A sawmill supplied ties, bridge material and other lumber for railroad construction, drawing workers into the country north of Spokane.

The town's name is generally associated with deer seen around the construction camp.

Agriculture and timber remained important after the railroad's immediate appetite for wood diminished.

Modern Deer Park added an airport, schools and a growing commuter population.

Spokane is close enough to provide jobs and services without completely absorbing the city's separate identity.

The railroad's lumber demand was temporary.

The settlement it created was not.