Remote road sees name change

Drivers can no longer travel the county’s Mail Route Road, after commissioners Monday changed its name to Cayuse Lake Road.

The new name was requested by Jeremy Smith, who owns the only residence along the 6.8-mile road that runs east-to-west south of Ewan.

“We were thinking we need a little facelift in the area,” said Smith. “So why not change the road name to something a little more hip?”

Smith’s family has lived in the area since his great-grandfather moved there in the late-1930s.

He said they have a field named Cayuse Flat, and in that field is a large, snow-fed puddle they affectionately call Cayuse Lake. The “lake” usually dries up in early June.

The road intersects with Cherry Road about three miles south of Ewan and runs southwest to Texas Ferry Road. Smith said he liked the idea of having the lake-themed road name in the scarcely populated area.

The new name means the county will have to change the signs on the road and update maps. Whitcom’s database will also have to be updated.

Public Works Director Mark Storey said he will introduce a resolution to commissioners later this month that would make applicants for road name changes pay the associated costs.

He estimated signage and staff time would cost about $300 to $500.