Steptoe is a small unincorporated

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Whitman 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 United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The ZIP Code for Steptoe is 99111. A post office called Steptoe was established in 1875. The community is named after Colonel

Edward Steptoe Edward Jenner Steptoe (November 7, 1815 – April 1, 1865) was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He is primarily remembered for his defeat at the Battle of Pine Creek during the Spo ...

for a battle located north of Steptoe near

Rosalia, Washington Rosalia is a town in Whitman County, Washington, Whitman County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is an agricultural community in the Palouse region, at an elevation of Sea level, above sea level. Its population was 598 at the ...

. U.S. Route 195 runs through Steptoe, connecting it with the county seat, Colfax, 11 miles to the south and the region's largest city,

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, 43 miles to the north.

Steptoe Butte Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington, in the northwest United States. The butte is preserved as Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site, a publicly owned recreation ...

rises to a peak more than 1,000 feet above the otherwise rolling

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

grasslands four miles northeast of the community. CLASSIC PHILLIPS 66 VINTAGE STATION

References

Unincorporated communities in Whitman County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) {{WhitmanCountyWA-geo-stub