The small town of Cusick is located in the center of Pend Oreille County int he northeast corner of Washington State, and reflects the rich history of lumbering in the region. Joe Cusick platted the town site in 1902 and installed a waterworks system and electric lights in 1909. The town was officially incorporated in 1927.

Several companies operated sawmills in Cusick during the early 1900s, capitalizing on Cusick’s location along the Pend Oreille River, which provided a primary means of transportation for early twentieth century logging operations. The Lewis and Miller Company built Cusick’s first sawmill in 1902 followed by the Empire State Lumber Company and the Phelps Lumber Company. By 1920, the Willis Lumber Company had purchased the Phelps operation, but the company’s owner, Burton Willis, died in an accidental drowning that year, and the Diamond Match Lumber Company, which became one of the largest lumber companies in the county, gained control of the sawmill.

In May 1923, fire destroyed the Diamond mill, but company officials immediately built a new sawmill. The following year, the company commissioned the construction of a water tower for the mill. Standing at about 80 feet and holding 50,000 gallons, the tower became a local landmark. The Diamond Match Company utilized the tower until the company closed the sawmill in 1961. The company dismantled its operation and donated the property to the community.Town leaders abandoned their old wooden water reservoir and used the Diamond water tower to hold their drinking water until 1990, when a new system was built.

Currently, about 240 residents call Cusick home. The Pend Oreille County Fair, held every August, is one of Cusick’s main annual events.

Credits and Sources:

Bamonte, Tony, and Susan Schaeffer Bamonte. History of Pend Oreille County. Spokane:

Tornado Publications, 1996.

Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. Historic Property Inventory Report.

Diamond Match Company Water Tower. 2006.

Pend Oreille County Historical Society. Resource Files—Diamond Match.

Photographs courtesy of Pend Oreille County Historical Society and Historical Research Associates, Inc.