Washington State Route 409
Washington state highway in Wahkiakum County
State Route 409 (SR 409) is a short Washington state highway in Wahkiakum County. The highway runs north from the Wahkiakum County Ferry on Puget Island to SR 4 in the county seat of Cathlamet over a distance of 3.84 miles (6.18 km). The route connects Westport, Oregon, which is served by the county ferry, and Cathlamet. The highway was referred to as Secondary State Highway 12F (SSH 12F) from 1943 until 1964.
SR 409 crosses the Cathlamet Channel on the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge, completed in August 1939. The bridge is named after former U.S. representative Julia Butler Hansen, who served from 1960 until 1974 representing the third congressional district including Wahkiakum County.
Route description
SR 409 goes on a 3.84 miles (6.18 km) route north from the northern ferry dock of the Wahkiakum County Ferry on Puget Island, to SR 4, also referred to as the Ocean Beach Highway, in the county seat of Cathlamet. The route connects Westport, Oregon, which is served by the county ferry, and Cathlamet. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) found in 2007 that, on average, more than 2,800 motorists utilize the road daily south of the northern terminus in Cathlamet, making the highway the second busiest state route in the county, after SR 4 at Boege Road, which more than 4,100 motorists utilize daily.
SR 409 originates at the ferry dock on Puget Island which serves as the northern end of the Wahkiakum County Ferry.
“Washington State Route 409” enters the record as washington state highway in Wahkiakum County. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Washington, State and Route can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Washington State Route 409” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Washington, State and Route provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q836372. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1943, 1964, 1939 and 1960.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Washington State Route 409”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Washington State Route 409 primary sources, Washington State Route 409 archive and Washington research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Washington State Route 409”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Washington State Route 409” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.