Colfax, city in and county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States
Colfax is a small city and county seat of Whitman County, located in the Palouse region of Washington State. Main Street runs along the river and is lined with brick, stucco, and granite buildings dating back to the town's early decades.
The area saw its first permanent settler, J. A. Perkins, arrive around 1870, and the town grew quickly from there. Over the following decades, the land shifted from open cattle range to a center for wheat farming, which shaped the character of the community.
The town takes its name from Schuyler Colfax, who served as Vice President under President Grant, a nod to the political ties of its early founders. Visitors today can find family-run shops and local events that reflect the farming roots of the surrounding Palouse region.
Walking along Main Street is the easiest way to take in the older buildings, as most of them are within a short distance of each other. Parks and trails along the river are nearby and easy to reach on foot from the town center.
The town was originally called Belleville before it was renamed, a fact that most visitors passing through never know. Despite fires and floods that erased many similar towns across the region, a good number of its 1800s buildings are still standing and in everyday use.
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