Things to do in Cowlitz County

Bob’s Sporting Goods

Offering:

Full-time Pro Shop employees

Archery Lessons, Seminars

Archery League

11-lane air conditioned range

Full service repair shop

Offering Hoyt, Mathews, Mission Bows

Parts and Accessories

Tel: 360.425.3870
Website

Each year, thousands of visitors step back in time to discover the 1880’s Victorian Farmhouse and country gardens that comprise the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.

To showcase the site, the Gardens and historic buildings have been lovingly maintained by the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a nonprofit volunteer organization. The Society fully funds the care and upkeep of the historical site from the proceeds of Lilac Days, dues and donations. With the help of our volunteers and members, the Society continues to carry on the work of growing and showing the beautiful lilacs including those hybridized by Hulda Klager many decades ago.

Lilac Days 2018
April 21 – Mothers Day – May 13th

History of Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens
Woodland is perhaps best known as the home of Hulda Klager (1863–1960), who was a prolific breeder of lilacs. The “Lilac Lady” Hulda Klager née Thiel, was long the pride of Woodland. She immigrated from Germany to Wisconsin in 1865, when she was just two years old, and came West when her family bought a farm in Woodland. Later she married and settled down on the family farm. When a friend gave her a book about Luther Burbank, she began creating flowers, hybridizing new varieties of roses, dahlias, even apples, and lilacs in particular. By 1920 she had created such a magnificent array of new hand-pollinated lilacs that she opened her garden on Lilac Week every spring for visitors. The floodwaters of 1948 rolled over her garden, destroying every shrub and hand-pollinated lilac. The loss grieved those who visited her garden or who had purchased her lilacs. From all over the Northwest, people sent starts of her lilacs from their own gardens. By 1950, at the age of eighty-seven, Klager, who loved flowers and who had been honored by the state of Washington as well as such organizations as the nationally famous arboretum at Cambridge, Massachusetts, again opened her home for Lilac Week. After her death in 1960, the Woodland Federated Garden Club, shocked that the garden might be bulldozed for industry, succeeded in raising money to buy it and have it declared a state and national historic site.

The History of the Rodeo

The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo originated as a PRCA rodeo in 1975 under the direction of rodeo committee members Ron McCoy, Mel Boultinghouse, Cal Christensen, Vern Eaton, Wayne Gossett, Bill Merz, George Moore, Les Nelson, and Jan Searing. The rodeo was originally called The Cowlitz County Fair & Rodeo, but after Mount Saint Helens spewed its fire and thunder upon this area in 1980, committeeman George Moore suggested in 1981 that the rodeo’s name be changed to The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo.

Since 1981, the rodeo has been known by this memorable name, which though was derived from a volcanic eruption, it also aptly denotes the thundering hooves and energy, which this rodeo brings to town.

When the rodeo began in 1975 we used a borrowed, portable arena that was erected just before the Cowlitz County Fair opened, and had to dismantle it after the fair ended. In 1979, we established a permanent arena. Although this arena was a vast improvement over a portable arena, we now have a state of the art arena, which we are proud to state was entirely constructed by committee members. Cowlitz County Fair Grounds 1970’s Our present committee is comprised of 12 committee members, whereas we had 8 committee members when the rodeo originated.

Christensen Brothers was our original stock contractor. Gold Buckle Rodeo Company is our present stock contractor. We began with $300.00 per added event, and now we add $3,000.00 per event, including barrel racing. Since this rodeo’s origination we have consistently drawn top cowboy and cowgirl contestants to the competition. The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo committee believes that the keys to success in having a great rodeo consist of having excellent stock, quality contestants, talented bullfighters, funny clowns, and exciting half-time entertainment. Each year we strive to make the rodeo the most successful rodeo competition we can bring to the Lower Columbia region. We hope that you have the opportunity to experience the Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo!

The Woodland Tulip Festival occurs each year in April at Holland America Flower Gardens in Woodland, WA. Our U-Pick fields are open and there are several vendors and activities going on throughout the duration of the festival. Our gift shop is always open year round but is full of special items just for tulip season! Call for more information or follow our Facebook  page to get other updates.

The Three Rivers Golf Course, an 18-hole course established in 1983 next to the Cowlitz River, is owned by the Kelso-Longview Elks BPOE 1482. The course is built on a base of material deposited in the Cowlitz River by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and removed by dredging. This porous combination of ash, dust, sand and silt drains well in wet weather, and golfers commute here from up and down the I-5 corridor when other Northwest courses are too soggy to play. The poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens putt well all year, and the winter rye fairways hold up well.

Four sets of tee boxes accommodate golfers with more or less length to their game. This Robert Muir Graves design plays almost 6,700 yards from the longest (blue) tees, with a men’s Course Rating of 71.7 and Slope of 128. Course length from the shortest (red) tee boxes is 5,393 yards, with a ladies’ Course Rating of 70.4 and Slope of 119.