Elbe (Washington)

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Elbe
Elbe, WA - former IOOF 03.jpg
Elbe in Pierce County
Pierce County Washington Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Elbe Highlighted.svg
Basic data
State : United States
State : Washington
County : Pierce County
Coordinates : 46 ° 46 ′  N , 122 ° 12 ′  W Coordinates: 46 ° 46 ′  N , 122 ° 12 ′  W
Time zone : Pacific ( UTC − 8 / −7 )
Residents : 54 (as of December 31, 2018)
Population density : 362.4 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 0.149 km 2  (approx. 0 mi 2 ) of
which 0.149 km 2  (approx. 0 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 370 m
Postal code : 98330
Area code : +1 360
FIPS : 53-20890
GNIS ID : 1519220
Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church 01.jpg
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elbe

Elbe is a small town on the Nisqually River in the US state of Washington in the district of Pierce County , with 54 inhabitants (as of 2018).

The postcode (English: ZIP Code ) of Elbe is: WA 98330.

history

In 1888 the first settlers came to the forests on the Nisqually River. It was the German emigrants Karl Lütkens and Adam Sachs. Karl Lütkens, who was only 19 at the time, was so enthusiastic about his new home that he persuaded his parents Heinrich and Christina Lütkens to come to America as well. They left their previous home in Todendorf in the Stormarn district in Schleswig-Holstein and arrived in America in 1891. The first settlers in this area also included Ferdinand Selle, Christian Fritz, Louis Schuffenhauer, Christian Kruse, Max Ogans, Hans Bartels, Fred Duke, W. Lawrence, Levi Engel, Vincent Rotter, R. Schmidt, Frank Salzer, Gus Stoll and Christian Weilandt. The small town grew and on June 4, 1892 a post office was set up here.

During this time, the place that was previously called Brown's Junction got its current name. It is no longer known exactly how the name was given. Many of today's residents believe that it was Heinrich Lütkens who suggested the name Elbe. However, everyone agrees that the name was chosen because the Nisqually River with its landscape was reminiscent of the Elbe in the old homeland.

The economic development of the place in the following years was good. The nearby Mount Rainier was the destination of many tourists who stopped on their way to Elbe. In 1894 Heinrich Lütkens and his son Karl built a tourist hotel with 48 rooms. A hotel had previously been built by Ferdinand Selle, but it burned down after a short time. At this time, the village blacksmith Levi Engel was temporarily the editor of a newspaper called "Elbe Union". Levi Engel followed village events for many years with his plate camera . In 1894 a town hall was also built, in which later various events, u. A. Dance events were held.

In 1895 there was a very special reunion for Heinrich Lütkens and his family. Carl Böttcher, the brother-in-law of Lütkens, emigrated with his family from Hamfelde in the Duchy of Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein and settled in a neighboring town to the Elbe.

In 1904 the Elbe was connected to the "Tacoma Eastern Railroad" network, after which the number of tourists here skyrocketed. Another large hotel and several restaurants were built. The local co-founder Adam Sachs opened a department store during this time. Two years later, the villagers built a church. The building material and the property were donated by Heinrich Lütkens. Until the opening of the church, the residents of Elbe had celebrated their services in private houses or in the town hall. In 1909 Elbe already had 250 inhabitants and in the course of the 20th century the number of inhabitants rose to 437.

In 1945, the Alder Dam was built on the Nisqually River, approximately 9.6 km northwest of the Elbe . As a result, the water of the river dammed up and the Alder Lake , whose eastern branch reaches as far as the Elbe area, was created.

geography

Elbe is about 76 km south of Seattle and about 140 km north of Portland in Oregon . The geographical coordinates are: 46.76 ° North, 122.20 ° West. The place has a total area of ​​only 0.149 km².

Mount Rainier, a volcano that is not active, is located northeast of the town about 34 km away. Experts do not rule out an eruption of Mount Rainier in the future.

Attractions

The Little White Church of Elbe Washington

A small church with the German inscription “Ev. Luth. CHURCH “, which was built in 1906 from wood by the residents according to the plans of Reverend Karl Kilian. The church is 7.32 m long and 5.49 m wide and seats 46 people. The height of the church tower is 14.02 m. The church has since been restored and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1976 .

Services are held in the church once a month from March to December.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

A railway line that runs from Elbe to Mineral and is operated by steam locomotives and historic wagons. The route passes through forests, crosses the Nisqually River, and ends at the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum in Mineral.

Mt. Rainier National Park

The Mount Rainier National Park can be reached from the Elbe via the National Park Highway after a drive of about 22 km.

Web links

Commons : Elbe, Washington  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Elbe CDP, Washington. In: American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau , December 31, 2018, accessed April 11, 2020 .
  2. ^ Origin of Washington Geographic Names. Edmond S. Meany, 1923, p. 77 , accessed July 20, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Elbe has namesakes in America . In: Salzgitter newspaper . July 25, 1988, p. 11 .
  4. ↑ Alder Dam. Tacoma Public Utilities, accessed July 19, 2017 .
  5. ↑ 2017 US Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau, 2017, accessed March 6, 2018 .
  6. ^ National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service , October 8, 1976, accessed April 11, 2020 .