Starbuck, Washington
town in Columbia County, Washington, United States
Starbuck is a town in Columbia County, Washington, United States. The population was 119 at the 2020 census.
History
Named for railroad official W. H. Starbuck, the town was originally a junction on the main line of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. The town was platted in 1894, and built its first bank ten years later. In 1886, the railroad completed a line eastward from Starbuck to Pomeroy and Pataha City in Garfield County; the line remained in operation until 1981. The town was officially incorporated on September 18, 1905. In 1910, a large brick school was built.
In 1914 a bridge over the Snake River was completed downstream from Lyon's Ferry, which greatly diminished the railroad traffic through the town. The economy of the town turned to agriculture, but in 1929 the bank failed. The town's population dwindled steadily until the mid-twentieth century.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Starbuck, Washington” is town in Columbia County, Washington, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Starbuck, Washington and town, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “town in Columbia County, Washington, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1507573. VIAF identifies the subject as 148945091. The Library of Congress control number is n82073499. Authority coordinates are 46.519, -118.127. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1894, 1886 and 1981.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. 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 “Starbuck, Washington”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Starbuck, Washington primary sources, Starbuck, Washington archive and Starbuck 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 “Starbuck, Washington”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Starbuck, Washington” 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.