|
Morning Star Balloon Company and Clark County, WA have many adventures in store for you. So many things to see, so many places to go, to eat, to drink, be merry, etc. When planning on a balloon flight, how about spending the weekend and enjoying a little part of SW Washington. Below is a little history of our flight area, along with a listing of accommodations, healthy eateries, cool things to do, and great wineries to visit.
Call us at (360) 601-2433.
Captain Crystal, Dr. Don, Charlie, & Kuma
CAMPING
BED & BREAKFAST INNS
HOTELS
EATERIES
RIDGEFIELD
VANCOUVER
WINERIES
(By Proximity)
BATTLE GROUND
VANCOUVER
|
HISTORY of our Flight Area Morning Star Balloon Co. calls Battle
Ground, WA her home-base for hot air balloon flights. Battle Ground is located
in middle Clark County, WA between the East Fork of the Lewis River and Salmon Creek and
has a most unique historical background. The Battle Ground area was first occupied
by groups of the The amended Homestead Act of 1862 allowed urban homesteaders to own the land if improvements were made for a five year period. In the 1870s a community had begun to form and regular mail service was established in 1871. The first school was located at the entrance of Battle Ground Lake State Park. The completion of the Vancouver, Klickitat, and Yakima Railroad took place in 1901 and created a surge of development. In the 1900s a telegraph line linked Battle Ground with the rest of Clark County and Portland, OR. In 1903, the railroad finished construction of warehouses, storehouses, and a hotel. The town was first plotted in 1902-1903. In 1904 Battle Ground boasted 101 in population including children and boarders. By the 1920s, Battle Ground established several dairy cooperatives for processing milk and cheese, a cannery, grain elevator, and an ice plant. Records show 1/3 of all dairy consumed by Portland came from this farming community. By 1928 logging in northern Clark County was a way of life, as well as farming and improved transportation. In 1942 incorporation was presented to the townspeople of Battle Ground and failed. It was rekindled in 1950 and finally passed on May 28, 1951. Terrain in Battle Ground is relatively flat with few trees. This is great for hot air ballooning and, since the landowners are so friendly, permission to launch and land is easy to acquire. It is nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains with an elevation of 280' above sea level. Average rainfall is 48 inches with mild to moderate winters averaging 42 degrees Fahrenheit. Average summer temperatures are around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Once a hot air balloon is above 2,000', the view is spectacular with Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens to the north, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood to the east, and The Three Sisters and Mt. Washington to the south. If you fly high enough, and the air is clear, a view of the Pacific coast beaches can be seen to the west. Morning Star Balloon Co. flies on the east side of the Ridgefield area. The original inhabitants of the Ridgefield area were a Chinook tribe whose village was located along the banks of Lake River. The Lewis and Clark Expedition visited the area twice, once in 1805 enroute to the Pacific Ocean and once in 1806 on the return voyage. The Chinook Indians stayed until 1876 when they relocated at the mouth of the Lewis River. In 1840, a young Irish immigrant named James Carty filed the first Land Donation Claim in the area, a portion of which is in what is the present day northern part of Ridgefield's downtown. His nephew, James Carty, visited in 1860 and later settled in the area in 1872. History indicates that Mr. Carty was the only settler until 1853, when Frederick Shobert arrived to homestead 320 acres, which included in the southern portion of the city's current downtown. Most of this homestead was covered with heavy timber and family members say this was the reason that Mr. Shobert selected this land so that he could log the timber. In the years that followed, more settlers were drawn to the gently sloping land extending from elevated highland to the banks of Lake River.
Ridgefield's main crop was potatoes and on May 12, 1928 the Clark County Potato Growers Associated was organized. Hence why the local high school mascot is a "Spudder". Unfortunately a blight stole through the area and forced the potato growers to move their operation to dryer climate in Idaho. To this day, landowners who dig deep will find red clay pipes used for irrigation. In the fall of 1945, L.S. Schoen built the first U-Haul trailer in a tool shed at the Carty Ranch. This was the official birthplace of U-haul. On April 26, 1946, the Old Liberty Theater opened and is still in existence today orchestrating traveling musical groups and offering a place to sit a spell, have a hot drink, and reminisce with locals. Ridgefield also boasts of having the largest sequoia in Washington State located along Main and in plain view (please don't walk on the neighbor's front yard for pictures). Ridgefield is a quaint town with a few intersecting roads. Every October, a bird festival is held for the sandhill cranes who travel south from Canada enroute for warmer climate. North of the Morning Star Balloon Co. flight area is
LaCenter, WA. In the 1870s, La Center was a business center and head of navigation
on the east fork of the Lewis River, With the arrival of railroads and highways, La Center lost importance and lapsed into a small village serving the surrounding farming district. La Center was officially incorporated on August 27, 1909. Its population in 1940 was 192. The population was 1,654 at the 2000 census. The city is home to four card rooms (casinos) which allow gambling on card games and poker, but not slots. The four casinos are the New Frontier, The Phoenix, Chips and Palace. |
ACTIVITIES & WALKABOUTS
There are a lot of things to do in our Flight area. Go to the city pages for calendars of upcoming events and lots of stuff to do in Clark County. See Also: Amboy Clark County "Sleep Country" |
Morning Star Balloon Co.
|
(360) 601-2433 - airboss@nwplace.com |
Established on the Web: Dec. 1996 |