Lyle has a rich heritage that extends from the Indians who chose the location for their villages to the pioneers who arrived by ox-drawn carts from states far to the east.
The Indians chose the location because it was eminently adapted for defense due to its panoramic views of the river, it never flooded, and it provided them with an unlimited supply of salmon from the falls on the Cataract River, now known as the Klickitat River. It is also located along the ancient trading route frequented annually by many Indian tribes.
The first known white men to visit the site were members of the Lewis and Clark expedition who recorded their visit to the Indian village on the knoll west of the Klickitat on October 29, 1805.
See Historical Photos of Lyle, Washington.
In 1876, the first Post Office east of the Cascades and north of the Columbia River was established at Klickitat Landing to service most of Eastern Washington. The mail arrived by steamship and was distributed by horseback. In 1876, James O. Lyle became the Postmaster and changed the name to Lyle.
Early settlers recognized the strategic importance of Lyle and platted a town site. A ferry boat run was developed to accommodated trade between Oregon and Washington. The first stores were built by James Lyle and Joseph Clark. In 1892, an English Lord Balfour purchased over a mile of river frontage and most of the land surrounding the town site of Lyle and built a mansion overlooking the Columbia west of the Klickitat River. The hillsides north of town were turned into vineyards and orchards.
In 1903, the Columbia River & Northern Railroad was completed between Lyle and Goldendale. In 1908, when the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad was completed between Pasco and Portland, the company purchased the town of Lyle and also made the CR&N Railroad a branch line.
In 1909, the present town of Lyle was platted. Two sheep sheds with a capacity of 30,000 sheep were constructed on the Point. With those in place, Lyle became an important sheep and wool shipping center. In 1912, many of the homes and businesses in old Lyle were destroyed by fire. Eventually, a public water system was developed to supply water to the town from a nearby pristine stream.
The 1920s were a period of prosperity and growth. There was a livery stable, two sawmills, two grocery stores, two banks, and a hotel together with construction of many homes for the new residents. A Delco electric plant owned by James E. West provided light from sundown to 10 P.M.
Until 1933, when the tunnels were blasted through the rock walls east of town and State Highway 14 was constructed, Lyle's only road access was by bridge over the Klickitat River, then up the hill toward White Salmon and other communities to the north.
Remnants of a highway can be viewed along the cliffs east of town. This highway is referred to as Convict Road because it was constructed by convict labor crews based in Lyle. The highway was never completed.
Memaloose Island is located about a mile downstream from Lyle. It was an Indian burial ground where bodies of the deceased were placed on platforms or enclosed in huts. The first white person to have occupied the site for more than a day was a white child who was adopted by an Indian to be a companion to his own son. When the Indian's son died, the white child was tied, alive, to a frame next to him to accompany him to the Hereafter. When white settlers learned of this, they immediately released the terrified child. The second white person to occupy the site was Victor Trevitt, an ex-Oregon State Legislator, who convinced the Indians to allow his burial there because he "preferred to be buried among honest people."
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