St. John is a small, social town in Whitman County and the Palouse region; both now and in the days of carriages and horse-drawn farming implements, so it has grown plentiful and rich with history to be shared. St. John is a town that has been held together with strength and flourishes with individual dedication and community values.

Shortly after people arrived from the east came railroads, some of which have already been decommissioned and removed and now allow bikers, hikers, and equestrians the opportunity to travel the level John Wayne Trail to places that are otherwise inaccessible. One great example is the rail bed that perches precariously above Rock Lake, almost the entire length of the lake traveling through long tunnels and over a huge steel trestle. This area has a rich history to be gleaned. As towns grew and changed, and people came and went, the landscape has remained quite the same with an ever-changing quilt pattern of different farms laid over the gentle curves of the landscape. Until you reach the great Missoula Flood where huge tears are revealed, exposing the underlying basalt lava flows, providing deep lakes surrounded by strange cliffs, streams, waterfalls, potholes, small caves, lava tubes, and pinnacles, altering the terrain forever.

Lots of great old photos can be found here at the Washington Rural Heritage site!

Join us as we fill this page with old photos, lake stories and legends, Indian artifacts, the railroads and elevators, farming lore, country kid stories, and the weather.

Local Photos, Community Stories and Interviews coming soon!