Kapowsin is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometers) southeast of

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

in Pierce County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The 2020 Census placed the population at 249. Kapowsin, originally Kapousen Precinct, was named for its

shallow lake Shallow Lake is an alpine lake in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the White Cloud Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. While no trails lead to the lake, it can be accessed from Sawtooth National Forest trail 04 ...

. The ancient glacial drainage channel provides a nearly level connection between the

Puyallup Puyallup may refer to: * Puyallup people, a Coast Salish people * Puyallup Tribe of Indians, a federally-recognized tribe * Puyallup, Washington, a city ** Puyallup High School ** Puyallup School District ** Puyallup station, a Sounder commuter ...

and

Nisqually River The Nisqually River is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southeast of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of ...

s, and formed a natural travel route at the base of the Cascade foothills. Chief Kapowsin was a fictional leader with an iron fist who lived on the lake's shores, a folklore told by the

Nisqually tribe The Nisqually are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. They are a Southern Coast Salish people. They are federally recognized as the Nisqually Indian Tribe, formerly known as the Nisqua ...

that lived in the nearby village of bacálabc (or bišál; southwest of Eatonville) prior to the area being settled in 1888. Kapowsin was founded in 1901 when the Kapowsin Lumber Company built a sawmill at the community's present site. Located on the north end of

Lake Kapowsin Lake Kapowsin is a lake in Pierce County, Washington, about halfway between Tacoma on Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier in the Cascade Mountains. The lake is long and wide, lying in a channel formed by meltwater from the Puget lobe of the Vashon ...

, the community was a thriving

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

town in the early part of the 20th century, with a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, shops, and trades, and a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of about 10,000. After a decline in the timber industry, the town diminished in size into a neighborhood center, with a store, tavern, post office (US ZIP code 98344),

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

and grange hall. Kapowsin High School was abandoned in 1949 after being damaged in an earthquake. The 2010 Census placed the population at 333. Kapowsin is located partially in the Bethel School District and partially in the Eatonville School District, and Kapowsin Elementary School is located nearby. Secondary students attend Frontier Junior High and

Graham-Kapowsin High School Graham-Kapowsin High School is a high school in the Bethel School District, Pierce County, Washington, United States. Its doors first opened to grade 10 and 11 students in September 2005. GK added grade 12 students beginning Fall 2006. Gra ...

, which opened in 2005. Tacoma Rail's

freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...

line to

Morton, Washington Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 1,036 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History 19th century A village of the Cowlitz people, Upper Cowl ...

, runs through the town.

References

External links

* Census-designated places in Washington (state) Census-designated places in Pierce County, Washington {{PierceCountyWA-geo-stub