Washington's Garfield County Courthouse gleams in sun

Garfield County Courthouse, Pomeroy, Washington

The Garfield County courthouse in Pomeroy, Washington, is an interesting structure, portions of it looking almost castle-like.

Made of brick and stone, it stands out from the other stone bounty courthouses built in that era because it’s painted a gleaming white. The official architectural style is Late Victorian.

The courthouse was built in 1901 after the previous wood courthouse was destroyed by fire a year earlier; the fire also destroyed much of this small city’s business district. Built at a cost of $18.783, the courthouse was constructed primarily of local products: stone from the Snake River region, Bricks made locally and roof shakes from the nearby Blue Mountains.

A statue of Justice stands atop the clock tower. It is one of only 20 Justice statues nationwide where Justice is not wearing a blindfold. The statue lost its arm in a windstorm in 2006, with the arm being replaced.

The courthouse has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974. A courthouse restoration project, which cost $2 million, was completed in 2011. The project’s scope was to stabilize the aging building and restore its historic character that was lost over the years.

Pomeroy was named the county seat in 1882. Garfield County, created in 1881, is named from US. President James Garfield who died that year. Pomeroy is the county’s only city.

Pomeroy is located in eastern Washington.  The courthouse is located on Pomeroy’s main street, also known as U.S. Highway 12.

Stagecoach stop reverts to meadow status

Sled Springs

Sled Springs once offered respite for weary travelers headed west to Elgin, Oregon. These travelers arrived on wagons, stagecoach or horses beginning sometime before the turn of the 20^th century and continuing until about 1925.

It also was a railroad logging camp, inhabited by about 300 people, after that. Today it is a quiet meadow, part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Sled Springs is located on the highway that connects Asotin, Washington, with Enterprise, Oregon. The highway is called 129 in Washington and 3 in Oregon.