Tiger, Washington

Located near the intersection of Washington state routes 20 and 31, the Tiger Store is the last physical reminder of the town that once thrived here, which dates back to around the turn of the twentieth century. In the 1890s, the area experienced only sparse settlement. However, in 1899, George Tiger settled on the banks of the Pend Oreille River and established a river landing that bore his name, and the town grew around the transportation hub.

By 1902, enough people had settled in the area to warrant the opening of a school, which was the first in this part of the county. The original Tiger Store opened alongside a post office in a log building next to the river in 1906. In 1909, the post office and store moved to a building directly across State Route 20 from the current store.

Tiger was a prospering town by the 1910s, thanks to the arrival of the Idaho and Washington Northern Railroad and with the establishment of sawmills in the area. The building that houses the Tiger Store today was built in 1912 and served a variety of businesses. The town also included a hotel and even its own baseball team. However, during the 1930s and 1940s, Tiger fell on hard economic times due to declining timber activity in the area and the Great Depression. The store was one of the few structures that remained. In 1944, Barbara Smith purchased the Tiger Store and moved it to the building where it operates today. She became the town’s postmaster and operated the business until 1975, when it closed

Thanks to a grant-funded restoration project, the Tiger Store was reopened in 1999 and also serves as a museum. The Tiger Historical Center is open late May through September and each weekend in October to coincide with the Lions Club train rides.