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Brookfield was a salmon-canning and fishing town located on the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States, from 1873 to 1957. It was the home of the J.G. Megler Company. == History == Brookfield was established in 1873, when J.G.Megler built a salmon cannery in the sheltered bay on the Washington side of the Columbia River between Jim Crow Point and the mouth of Jim Crow Creek (then part of Pacific County, later part of Wahkiakum County). He named the cannery "Brookfield Fisheries", after his wife Nellie E. Megler's birthplace of North Brookfield, Massachusetts.〔Names Manuscripts, Origin of Washington Geographic Names, University of Washington Accession 106-3-80-16〕 The Brookfield post office opened on February 24, 1874〔Daily Pacific Tribune, March 5, 1874, p.3, col 1; Postmarked Washington: Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties, Guy Reed Ramsey, edited by Alan H. Patera, copyright 1987〕 with Joseph G. Megler as postmaster. The majority of the residents were workers at the cannery and fishermen for the cannery. J.G. Megler & Co imported Croatian fishermen from Komiza to fish for them, and these families formed many of the Brookfield residents. The company also hired a Chinese canning crew seasonally to work at the cannery. Around 1880 the Finke Brothers opened a barrel manufacture plant on Jim Crow Creek at Brookfield. The mill burned in 1923 and the brothers moved the plant to Kalama, Washington. The first one-room school was established in Brookfield in 1888. Around 1924, a new two-room school was built, and a second teacher added.〔Sou'wester, Vol 43, pge. 43〕 The large, multi-docked salmon cannery commanded the bay. The Megler Mansion, a large turreted mansion, dominated the town, sitting on a ridge that provided a view across the Columbia River; the gardens featured trees from every state in the union, brought by visiting dignitaries. A street of houses ran along a road that encircled the bay, then led along Jim Crow Creek back into valley behind. The town was only accessible by boat, and was a regular stop on the ferry routes from Astoria to Portland.〔State of Washington, 1907 - Its Resources, Natural, Industrial and Commercial. Published by the Bureau of Statistics, Agriculture and Immigration. Olympia, Washington.〕 After a number of years of decline, the cannery burned on July 17, 1931〔Astorian Evening Budget, Friday, July 17, 1931, pg 1: "Fire Wrecks Megler Cannery At Brookfield"〕 and was not rebuilt. With the end of salmon canning in Brookfield, families continued to move away. By the late 1930s only a few families remained, but the school apparently remained open until 1945.〔 The land was purchased by Crown Zellerbach Company in 1951 for its timber. The logging company built a road into Brookfield that finally connected the town to the state road system.〔Oregon Journal, 13 October 1957, p.D1, "Farewell to Old Brookfield"〕 The post office finally closed on September 30, 1954.〔Postmarked Washington: Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties, Guy Reed Ramsey, 1987〕 At the time only three families remained living at Brookfield. In 1957, Crown Zellerbach bulldozed the remains of the town, in order to protect the timber from the risk of fire.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brookfield, Washington」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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