19th century The first non-indigenous settlers in
Hanaford Valley were Theophilus and Lucy (Hapwood) Hanaford, pioneer citizens. The Hanafords were recorded to have settled at the "upper reaches" of Hanaford Creek in either 1864, 1866, or 1867. Their first home, built by Theophilus and his son, Sidney, was a one-room, split cedar structure with a dirt floor. The home had window openings but no glass; it was expanded two years later to include two more rooms and eight window panes. Theophilus was recorded to have died on March 21, 1892, supposedly during physical labor; he was attempting to improve his property when he noticed other
homesteaders had better looking homes. He was buried in a cemetery in
Bucoda. His son died in 1895. Early settlers included William Packwood of
Packwood, Washington, Henry Shields, a county commissioner in the late 19th century, and Zaddock Null of
Nulls Crossing. The community was to expand in early 1875 with the arrival of 80 to 100 Scottish immigrants. Paying $75, , the group arrived in
Olympia under the promise of a potential
homestead by a man referred to as an immigration agent, known only as "Fleming". Approximately 20 families were noted to live within the Hanaford Valley by 1884. An earthquake occurred during the midnight hours in Hanaford during 1893, the shaking powerful enough to wake residents. By the end of the 19th century, the original claim of the Hanaford family, as well as Sidney's parcel, had been sold to other residents and almost completely cleared of trees, converted into productive farm land instead.
20th century After the
Centralia Tragedy in November 1919, possibly three or more members of the
International Workers of the World (IWW) involved in the event were suspected to be hiding in a cabin in Hanaford, hiding from a
posse formed of loggers and veterans. A shootout occurred at the densely wooded cabin on November 16; posse member John Haney, who was a rancher from nearby
Tenino, was killed. A second posse, consisting of approximately 40 men, was formed the next day and continued a broader search around the valley; Haney's body, which remained overnight after his death, was retrieved. Haney's death was found to be due to
friendly fire as he was mistaken by the posse as a potential Wobbly. On November 18, the cabin was found to have been "deserted for a fortnight", with no evidence the building was used by the IWW members on the run. One of the accused, Bert Bland, was apprehended in
Independence that same day, and stated at no point did he hide out in Hanaford during the search. News out of Hanaford during the attempts to capture the IWW members was made difficult due to downed telephone lines, thought to have been caused Wobbly sabotage. By 1913, the Hanaford and Salzer valley communities, combined, were reported to contain approximately 150 families. The Salzer Valley-Hanaford Grange was formed by March 1937. The
grange, the 24th known in the county, was first located out of the Salzer Valley schoolhouse. The valley community was the site of several
UFO sightings and "strange noises" during June and July, 1967. In one instance, the objects were described as small and white, "like pinheads". Government officials were reported to have investigated. No official report was filed and accounts of sightings suddenly dropped when "attention was drawn" to the community.
Post office A rural mail route to the community was often difficult due to poor conditions of local roads; costs to upgrade the infrastructure was repeatedly deemed as too excessive. A mail route between Centralia and the
Hurn post office was established around the turn of the 20th century; while on route between the two locations, mailmen delivered posts twice per week to residents in the valley. A permanent mail route was denied in 1911, reproposed in 1913, and rejected again in 1915. ==Geography==