Tuesday, June 19 - We woke up to a rainy day today so we scrapped our plans to explore Mount St. Helens. Instead, we dodged the raindrops and visited the sights of Longview, Washington.
Founding father Robert A Long began planning for the world's largest lumber mill. He immediately approved for his employees a modern city called Longview, what is known as the first truly planned city of the 20th century.
Thank you Mr. Long
In the middle of town is Lake Sacajawea. It is named after the Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition through this area over 200 years ago.
Sacajawea, also known as Janey, and Jean Baptiste, her son, aka "Pomp"
Lake Sacajawea is a huge, man-made lake covering is 120 acres on Longview's Historic Westside.
Used for all types of local events, this beautiful park has 3.5 miles of trails, two fountains, three playgrounds, and numerous benches for resting.
Best Friends
Japanese Island
Bridge to island.
Lovely Japanese garden.
In another park in the center of the town is Squirrel Monument/Tree City USA. Longview's abundance of oak trees means a healthy population of squirrels. There is even a Squirrel Festival held each year.
Giant wooden squirrel statue
Nutty Narrows Squirrel Bridge. Don't forget to look up as you drive around town to see the numerous and unique bridges built over the streets just for squirrels. As it goes, the road is too wide for the little legs of the squirrels to get across safely, so the residents decided to build bridges for their furry friends. At Christmas time, they adorn the bridges with colorful lights and Christmas trees.
Running to get to the bridge.
Monticello Hotel. This is one of the first buildings built in Longview as a showcase for the “Planned City.” At the center of town, “the Hotel” has long been the focal point of community and social activities. It has a ballroom, lounge, and restaurant.
Longview Public Library. Founding father Long donated the library. This represents the importance he placed on the city's cultural and intellectual growth. It has one of the few rooftop cupolas in the region.
Storybook Time, our favorite statue…why? The cat!
R.A. Long Park & Terrace. This green space in the center of the circle is named after Longview's founder R.A. Long. Here you find several monuments.
North to Olympia. This stone is dedicated to the pioneers who blazed the way through here to Olympia, the end of the Oregon Trail.
Veteran's Memorial. This Memorial commemorates the sacrifices of local members of the Armed Services.
We did a short visit to the downtown area.
The Columbia Theatre was dubbed the "Crown Jewel of Southwest Washington" when it was built in 1925. It hosts national, international, and regional artists and is home to many community arts partners.
Despite the nasty weather, we enjoyed our visit to Longview and see all the hidden treasures it holds.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
