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Deep Creek, Washington
Unincorporated community
Highway 2 in Deep Creek
Deep Creek, Washington
Coordinates: 47°38′35″N 117°42′43″W / 47.643°N 117.712°W / 47.643; -117.712
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Spokane
Elevation	2,313 ft (705 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	99022, 99029
Area code	509

Deep Creek is an unincorporated community in Spokane County, Washington. A creek of the same name flows through the community. Deep Creek is located along U.S. Route 2 in a rural area near the Lincoln County line.

Geography

Deep Creek is located 14 miles west of Downtown Spokane along U.S. Route 2 and two miles northwest of Fairchild Air Force Base. The city of Airway Heights, which forms the westernmost suburb of the Spokane urban area, is located five miles to the east along U.S. 2. The rural community of Espanola is located four miles to the south.

Immediately to the east of the community is a hill that rises 180 feet above Deep Creek. The creek of the same name follows the hillside through the community in a northeasterly direction towards Riverside State Park where it empties into the Spokane River near the community of Nine Mile Falls.

History

The community of Deep Creek was founded in 1883 and originally known as Deep Creek Falls. In 1894 the name was shortened to Deep Creek. The agricultural potential of the area was promoted to attract settlers. The community, which was incorporated as a town, saw its heyday during the first decades of its existence. At its peak, Deep Creek was home to multiple churches, businesses, a mill and a school which served more than 100 students. The historic Deep Creek school was constructed in 1905. The community faded through the 1910s and 1920s before ultimately facing disincorporation in 1939. The school continued operations for five more years before being shuttered in 1944.

In 1960, a Hutterite community was established in the Deep Creek area. Led by Paul S. Gross, who brought his family from Alberta, the Hutterites purchased and leased more than 3,000 acres of farmland immediately north of the community. It was the first Hutterite community west of the Rocky Mountains. The community remains active into the 21st century.

In 2006, Deep Creek area wells were found to be tainted with three toxic chemicals which investigators suspected entered the groundwater supply from a nearby Nike missile site. The Environmental Protection Agency found trichloroethylene, perchlorate and N-nitrosodimethylamine in area wells. Concentrations of trichloroethylene were found to be 210 parts per billion, well above the maximum concentration level for human consumption of 5 parts per billion. Levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine were twice the maximum concentration level.

References

1. "Deep Creek Summary Report". nationalmap.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
2. "Deep Creek to Spokane". maps.google.com. Google. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
3. "Deep Creek Quadrangle" (Topographic Map). usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
4. Cebula, Larry. "Deep Creek School". spokanehistorical.org. Eastern Washington University. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
5. ^ Youmans, Vance J. (Fall 2000). "THE PROMISED LAND Spokane's Hutterite Community—A Place Where History Lives" (PDF). Columbia the Magazine of Northwest History. 14 (3). Washington State Historical Society. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
6. ^ Stucke, John (August 27, 2006). "Hutterites, like other growers, learn importance of diversification". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
7. Graman, Kevin (June 1, 2006). "Wells in Deep Creek area tainted". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved October 14, 2022.

v t e Places adjacent to Deep Creek, Washington
Reardan Deep Creek Fairchild Air Force Base, Airway Heights Espanola, Medical Lake Fairchild Air Force Base

v t e Municipalities and communities of Spokane County, Washington, United States
County seat: Spokane
Cities	Airway Heights Cheney Deer Park Liberty Lake Medical Lake Millwood Spangle Spokane Spokane Valley
Towns	Fairfield Latah Rockford Waverly
CDPs	Country Homes Fairchild AFB Fairwood Four Lakes Green Bluff Mead Otis Orchards-East Farms Town and Country
Unincorporated communities	Amber Buckeye Chattaroy Colbert Dartford Deep Creek Denison Dynamite Elk Espanola Freeman Geiger Heights Glenrose Hazard Marshall Mica Milan Newman Lake Nine Mile Falls Orchard Prairie Peone Plaza Spokane Bridge Tyler Valleyford
Ghost towns	Mock Rodna
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• Unincorporated communities in Spokane County, Washington
• Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)