Benge, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benge, Washington
|
|
|---|---|
Benge main street as seen from the east
|
|
 Benge, Washington
Location in Washington (state)
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Adams |
| Elevation | 1,480 ft (450 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
99105
|
| Area code(s) | 509 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512002 |
Benge (pronounced 'BENJ') is a small, quiet community in Adams County, Washington. It's called an unincorporated community because it doesn't have its own city government. Instead, it's part of the larger county.
The community has its own school district, called the Benge School District. You'll find Benge Elementary School right in the downtown area. Back in the year 2000, the area around Benge had about 57 people living there.
History of Benge
The Mullan Road
Imagine a super long road built over 160 years ago! The Mullan Military Road was started in 1859 by a brave soldier named Lieutenant John Mullan. This road was a huge project. It connected the Missouri River in the east to the Columbia River in the west.
The road was 624 miles (about 1004 kilometers) long. It took three years to build and cost a lot of money. A part of this historic road actually passed right through where Benge is today. The section near Benge was finished on May 22, 1861. Even in 2008, you could still see the old wagon ruts northeast of town. This was near the site of the very first Benge School.
Even though it was built for the military, regular people used the Mullan Road too. Travelers and people moving goods used it until the Northern Pacific Railroad was completed in 1883. After that, trains became the main way to travel and transport things.
How Benge Got Its Name
The town of Benge is named after a man named Frank H. Benge. He was an important person in the area. In 1904, he represented Adams County in the state government.
Frank Benge and his wife were very generous. They donated the land where the town was officially planned out. This happened on May 13, 1907. That's how the community got its name!
The Benge Family Home
Frank and Mary Crouch Benge, along with their daughters, moved to Adams County in 1892. They lived on the land that would later become the town of Benge for 15 years.
One day, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway planned a new train line. Guess what? The railway was going to go right through their ranch house! The Benges were paid $5,000 to move their home.
They decided to build a brand new, much bigger house. It had 11 rooms! They used rocks dug out from a nearby railway construction site to build it. This large house became a boarding house, where people could stay. For many years, it was also a central gathering place for the community.
