Washington’s youngest county is celebrating its 100th birthday.

Secretary Reed is shown above with Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman (left) and Pend Oreille County Auditor Marianne Nichols (right) Wednesday at an event in Newport to mark Pend Oreille’s centennial as a county. Both auditors wore attire from the 1910 era to help celebrate the occasion. The county’s oldest and longest voters were honored at the event.

Located in Washington’s northeastern corner, Pend Oreille officially became a county on June 10, 1911, thanks to a bill (HB 123) passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Marion E. Hay that March.

Prior to going it alone, Pend Oreille County was part of Stevens County.

“Pend Oreille” is a French term that means, literally translated, “hangs from ear,” reflective of the local tribal tradition of wearing heavy ornamentation on their ears. The term is attributed to early French–Canadian fur trappers who came to the area in the mid-1800s.

Four towns sought to be named county seat – Newport, Cusick, Usk and Ione. Newport, the hub for both river and rail transportation, had the largest population and was closest to Spokane and towns of northern Idaho. After being named temporary county seat, Newport’s position was confirmed in 1912 by popular vote.