Kettle Falls is a community and region that is rich in history. Through archaeological excavations, diaries, and ledgers, the lives and culture of the first people to live in Kettle Falls was discovered. Over 9,000 years of habitation in and around the falls has been documented. It was David Thompson’s arrival in 1811 that marks the beginning of the white man’s influence on the region. This was the first area settled in the State of Washington, east of the Cascade Mountains. The construction of the Hudson Bay Company’s gristmill at Meyers Falls has been documented back as far as 1826, although some say 1816 may have been the year when the settlement of the area began.

The town site of Kettle Falls was platted on August 14, 1889, covering three 40-acre tracts almost a mile from the falls for which the town was named. In 1904 historians wrote: “Where a few months before there was nothing but gloomy, sighing forests, in 1891 appeared a city! Pines, spruce, firs and tamaracks disappeared. In their places the most enterprising town in the western part of the United States made its magical appearance. Broad streets and avenues lined on either side by handsome business blocks, public buildings and princely residences sprung up to attract the attention of the entire state. Twelve miles of twelve-foot plank sidewalk were constructed. The handsomest and best-appointed hotel west of Helena, Montana, was located where in a few months before the foot of man had not trod. This hotel was constructed at a cost of $18,000. The furnishings, which are described as magnificent, were purchased in Saginaw, Michigan, at a cost of $9,200. Two houses of worship and a public school building of handsome architecture were built. A public library building of brick, containing several hundred volumes, was located in the central portion of town. A system of water works was established. An electric lighting system, conducted on a magnificent scale, was in operation.” They went on to say that, “There had been many 'boom' towns in the west, especially in mining camps, which had sprung up luxuriantly and acquired a large population in a remarkably short time. But there had never been anything in history to equal the spontaneity of this coltish town in the magnificence of its planning and the elaborateness of its buildings.”

The town prospered until the late 1930’s when the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam forced the town to relocate, ending an era and changing the quality of life for many. Many Kettle Falls residents decided to relocate their homes and businesses to the small community of Meyers Falls, 4 miles away, while others relocated to other parts of the county and state. In 1939 Kettle Falls merged with the community of Meyers Falls creating the town as you see it today.

Source: “Kettle Falls Express,” Kettle Falls Chamber of Commerce