Discover Colfax: History and Landscape

Colfax combines local history with tangible connections to the landscape and recreation. Four blocks of Main Street are part of the Colfax Main Street Historic District; the Codger Pole in downtown commemorates a 1938 football game. Along the Palouse River, the Colfax Trail follows a former railway line, while the Colfax Golf and Country Club golf course lies along the North Palouse River. These themes give your trip planning different focal points: architecture and local remembrance on one hand, and a route through a natural corridor and the history of a golf course on the other.

Historical Perspectives in Colfax

Four blocks of Colfax’s Main Street are part of the Colfax Main Street Historic District. The district is lined with stately buildings made of brick, stucco, and granite. These named materials make the architecture tangible: they give you three distinct points of reference for viewing the streetscape. If you want to get to know Colfax through its architectural history, this offers a clearly defined theme for your stay.

The Codger Pole adds another perspective, with a single monument in downtown. It commemorates a 1938 football game. Compared with the Historic District, which spans several blocks and features different building materials, the monument points to a specific sporting event. This highlights two aspects of local history: the built character of Main Street and the remembrance of a single game.

Visiting Hours and Historical Connections

The Perkins House and Cabin can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is seasonally closed from December 22 through March. The weekend visiting hours give your visit a specific time frame. Check the visiting hours again before your trip to make sure they fit your travel dates.

Another historical connection is St. Ignatius Hospital. It was built in 1893 by the Sisters of Charity, the religious order now known as the Sisters of Providence. The year it was built and the community’s current name offer different perspectives across time. Along with the Main Street buildings and the commemorative monument, these let you explore Colfax through several distinct aspects of its history.

River Landscape and Different Experiences

The Colfax Trail is 2.5 miles long and unpaved. It follows a former railway line through a natural corridor along the banks of the Palouse River. Its length, surface, and route offer different points of reference: they describe the trail’s extent, its condition, and the former use of the railway line. The Colfax Golf and Country Club golf course was first laid out in 1927, has nine holes, and lies on the plain along the gently winding North Palouse River. For the trail, the focus is on its length and railway route; for the golf course, it is on its format, origins, and riverside setting.

When looking for a vacation rental in Colfax, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on during your stay. Are you most interested in architecture and local remembrance, or are the Colfax Trail and connections to the river more appealing? Visiting the Perkins House and Cabin calls for its own schedule, with its weekend visiting hours. This lets you plan your trip around the experiences you actually want to have.

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