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History · Cougar

Cougar’s post office opened in 1902, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on.

1902first post office
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Steven Baltakatei Sandoval · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Cougar began

When was Cougar founded?

1902

The Cougar post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 118124 years
Founding year: the first Cougar post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Cougar’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cougar are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cougar’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cougar’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Cougar, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cougar yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Cougar is an unincorporated community and former town in Cowlitz County, Washington. Cougar is located around 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Vancouver on Washington State Route 503 and along the northwest bank of Yale Lake, a reservoir on the Lewis River. The population of Cougar was 122 at the 1990 Census, when it was still incorporated as a town, but disincorporated before the 2000 Census. As of the 2020 census, the population is 118. The Cougar community is part of the Woodland School District, a K-12 school district of about 2,200 students. Cougar is the nearest community to Mount St. Helens, which lies 13 miles (20.9215 km) to its northeast. The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1…

Its first post office opened in 1902.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Cougar, decade by decade

Today10 recent
A nonstandard 9½ MPH speed limit sign in2024A nonstandard 9½ MPH speed limit sign inUntitled photo2015Untitled photoHeading up to Mount St Helens crater - Flickr - brewbooks2011Heading up to Mount St Helens crater - Flickr - brewb…Heading into Mount St Helens crater - Flickr - brewbooks2011Heading into Mount St Helens crater - Flickr - brewbo…Auto fractured rock - Flickr - brewbooks2011Auto fractured rock - Flickr - brewbooksArriving at Mount St Helens Crater Glacier - Flickr - brewbooks2011Arriving at Mount St Helens Crater Glacier - Flickr -…Approacing Mount St Helens Crater Glacier - Flickr - brewbooks2011Approacing Mount St Helens Crater Glacier - Flickr - …Damaged Area in Washington2009Damaged Area in WashingtonLewis River Lower Falls2006Lewis River Lower FallsJacki @ Ape Cave2006Jacki @ Ape Cave
On the map

Cougar on the map, 1953 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cougar. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cougar on the 1953 USGS mapCougar on the 1983 USGS mapCougar on the 1998 USGS map1953Cougar sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cougar.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cougar

Nobody well known was born in Cougar itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Phil SpencerAmerican business executive · b. 1968
Richie FrahmAmerican basketball player · b. 1977
David MayoAmerican football player · b. 1993
Edward AllworthUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1895
G
Grant SittonAmerican basketball player · b. 1993
J
Jackson GillisAmerican screenwriter · b. 1916

Questions about Cougar’s history

What year was Cougar founded?

The Cougar post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.