| Official Name: | Ethel, Washington |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Washington#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Ethel |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Washington |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lewis |
| Timezone: | Pacific (PST) |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Elevation M: | 146 |
| Elevation Ft: | 479 |
| Postal Code Type: | zip code |
| Postal Code: | 98542 |
| Area Code: | 360 |
Ethel is an unincorporated community located along U.S. Route 12 in east Lewis County, Washington, United States.[1] It sits between Mary's Corner and Salkum.
A post office called Ethel has been in operation since 1886.[2] [3] The town's moniker was intended to be "Lacamas", after a creek that flowed through the town, however the Postmaster General at the time, William F. Vilas, declared that too many towns in Washington state were named after Native tribes, and choose Ethel, without an explanation. The reason and origins for the Ethel name, despite several theories, remains obscure.[3] [4] [5]
Ethel's early economy was derived by the logging of old growth timber and farming. Education was provided at the Hopewell School, a one-room schoolhouse featuring eight different grade levels. The school would become the location for the Ethel Grange Hall. The town also formed teams to participate in Grange League baseball.[3]
Ethel has historically voted as favoring the Republican Party and Conservatism. As this is an unincorporated community, there are no defined bounds, and the precinct may be incongruous with the census boundaries.
Third parties that received ballots in the 2020 election include 15 votes for the Libertarian Party and 4 votes for the Green Party. There were 5 votes for write-in candidates.