Dayton is a small city that serves as the seat of Columbia County, Washington, in the Touchet Valley of the state's southeastern corner. It sits at about 1,600 feet elevation where the Touchet River and Patit Creek meet, with the Blue Mountains rising to the south and east and the open wheat country of the Palouse not far to the north. Roughly 2,400 residents live in a community that is notable both for its agricultural heritage and for the depth of its historic preservation. The city's beginnings reach back to the 1860s, when the first pioneers built cabins along the Touchet River, and members of the Lewis and Clark expedition had passed through the region decades earlier. A townsite plat was filed by Jesse N. and Elizabeth Day in 1871, and the city, incorporated in 1881, took its name from Jesse Day. Dayton grew as the commercial center of a rich agricultural valley, its fortunes tied to wheat, fruit orchards, peas, and asparagus — the Blue Mountain Cannery, which opened in 1934, was for a time among the world's largest asparagus canneries. Today Dayton is best known for its historic fabric. The city holds three national historic districts, more than 120 buildings listed on the National Register, and two statewide superlatives: the oldest working courthouse and the oldest train depot in Washington. Its brick downtown, shaded residential streets, and period homes give the town a distinct 19th-century character that draws heritage-minded visitors. Columbia County is the second-least populous county in Washington, and Dayton functions as its civic and commercial heart. The nearby Blue Mountains offer skiing, hiking, and forest recreation, Palouse Falls lies within an easy drive, and the region's wine country surrounds the valley. Who Dayton suits: it appeals to those drawn to small-town life in a scenic agricultural valley, with historic architecture, outdoor access to the Blue Mountains and Palouse country, and the strong sense of community that comes with a county seat of this size.