Sappho, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sappho, Washington
Unincorporated community
Sapho Homestead Document, 1895
Sappho, Washington Location in Washington (state)
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Clallam
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98305

Sappho is a small community in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It's not an official city, but a place where people live and work. You can find Sappho where two main roads meet: U.S. Route 101 and State Route 113. The area is mostly covered by forests and has places for fun activities and outdoor recreation.

History of Sappho

Sappho used to be a busy place for logging, which is when people cut down trees for wood. The community was started by a man named Martin Van Buren Lamoreux. In 1889, he left St. John, Kansas with most of his children and his second wife's children.

How Sappho Was Founded

When they first arrived in Seattle, some of the family settled near Lake Union. But Mr. Lamoreux thought that land wasn't good enough. So, he decided to explore the Olympic Peninsula. They traveled by boat from Seattle to an Indian village called Pysht. This village was on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. From there, they hiked about 20 miles through a thick rainforest to find their new home.

Mr. Lamoreux named the town after a famous Greek poet named Sappho, whom he admired very much. The community was set up so that everyone in the family had a job to do. Mr. Lamoreux became the postmaster. People called him "Judge" because he had studied law when he was younger. He was also chosen to be the Justice of the Peace for the area. This meant he helped solve local disagreements.

Early Days and Changes

Mr. Lamoreux's original home, or homestead, was established in 1895. It was first spelled "Sapho." It was located about 0.6 miles (1 km) from what is now U.S. Route 101, on Main Street (which is now State Route 113). Sadly, the original town of Sappho later burned down. Only the school house was left standing.

Over time, fewer people lived in Sappho. Because of this, the post office in Sappho closed in May 1972.

Climate in Sappho

Sappho has a very wet oceanic climate. This type of weather is common along the west coast of North America, especially from Aberdeen northwards. It's similar to the climate in Forks, which is further south and closer to the Olympic Mountains.

Rainfall and Temperatures

Sappho gets a lot of rain, though slightly less than Forks. It's much wetter than any place east of the Cascade Mountains in the United States. In fact, Sappho gets about four times more rain than the eastern part of Clallam County.

Images for kids

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  Sapho Homestead Document, 1895

See also

In Spanish: Sappho (Washington) para niños