Olequa, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olequa, Washington
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 Olequa, Washington
Location in Washington (state)
Olequa, Washington
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Cowlitz |
| Elevation | 31 m (102 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
98611
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| Area code(s) | 360 |
| FIPS code | 53-51130 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1511203 |
Olequa, also known as Olequah, is a small community in Cowlitz County, Washington. It is not officially a city or town. Olequa is located north of Castle Rock, right next to the Cowlitz River. You can get there by driving about 7.5 miles (12 km) north from Castle Rock on West Side Highway. Kids in Olequa go to schools in the Castle Rock School District, which has about 1,300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
What's in a Name? The Story of Olequa
Olequa got its name from Olequa Creek around 1872. General J.W. Sprague named it. There are two main ideas about what the Cowlitz Indian word "Olequa" means:
- One idea is that it comes from a word like "cametze." This word means "where the salmon come to spawn." Salmon are fish that swim upstream to lay their eggs.
- Another idea is that the name came from the sound of a nickname. This nickname belonged to an older, well-known member of the Cowlitz tribe, called "Old Laquash."
A Look Back: Olequa's History
The community of Olequa was once located on a main railway line. This was part of the Northern Pacific Railroad. A post office was opened in Olequa in 1875. It helped people send and receive mail. The post office stayed open for many years, until 1912.
