Along Hwy 7 southwest of Eatonville, the road suddenly takes a couple of sharp turns as it passes through a small hamlet dominated by a large power-generation facility.
Welcome to La Grande, population 30 (more or less). French explorers named this area for the narrow, sheer-walled canyon (350-feet deep) that runs for two miles along this stretch of the Nisqually River (and makes it a good spot for hydroelectric dams).
La Grande today has only one business, the powerhouse for the Nisqually River Project, Tacoma Power's second-largest hydroelectric source, which includes the Alder and LaGrande dams. But things were much grander 100 years ago...
Around 1900, an easterner named John L. McMurray raised 11 buildings here, along with a cable suspension bridge across the canyon to provide hiking and recreation for locals and curious visitors from the cities. By 1904, it was a stop on the Tacoma Eastern Railway en route to Mount Rainier, and in 1913 there were three passenger trains a day headed to the mountain. Car trips still took two days for those willing to jostle along the poor roads, but it was considered an adventure. Almost half way from Tacoma to Mount Rainier, La Grande became a natural stopping point by train or car.
In 1909, La Grande captured the attention of Tacoma citizens when they narrowly passed a bond to build a major hydroelectric plant on the Nisqually, with the powerhouse in La Grande. Many considered this a boondoggle as they couldn't imagine what would be done with all that power.
Having a major industry brought growth and change to La Grande. In 1910, the post office opened. A sawmill, nitrates plant, and other businesses soon provided jobs along with the power plant. The magnificent Canyada Lodge had a unique oriental style that drew visitors from across the country. The City of Tacoma provided housing for those working at the powerhouse, and the community blossomed.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! even recognized La Grande as "the town without a chimney."
But time and progress changed the fortunes of La Grande. In 1924, the tourist trains stopped coming, and by 1926 the Mountain Highway (Hwy 7) was paved all the way to Mount Rainier, so lengthy trips with stopovers in La Grande became a thing of the past. In 1927, the Canyada Lodge and the nitrates plant both burned down. Other businesses eventually closed, and Tacoma stopped providing housing for powerhouse employees.
Today, La Grande has 10 private residences and a few other houses for power plant managers and Pack Forest staff. And, of course, the Nisqually Project powerhouse.
Source: "La Grande History," by David Smith, Mineral Lake Ledger, January 2011.
The cache is at the historic post office, which has been in continuous operation for over 100 years and retains much of its original character and decor. Due to the lack of business, it's only open limited hours (8:00-10:00 a.m., and it may close soon). The land has been owned by a local family for generations, and they lease the building to the Postal Service, which staffs the post office out of Eatonville. The cache was placed with the permission of the current landowner, who chose the location.
2016 was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and to celebrate, Visit Rainier and WSGA hosted the Visit Rainier Centennial GeoTour - 100 caches placed in and around Mount Rainier National Park. The geocaches highlighted the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Rainier region. Participants received geocoin and pathtag prizes for finding all the caches.
