Ainsworth was one of the most colorful early Northwest railroad towns, once existing near the junction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. It was founded in 1879 while the railroad bridge over the Snake River was being built. In its heyday, it was a wild, lusty town noted for brawls, gun fights, and hangings, and for a time it was a vital cog in the Northern Pacific Railroad’s extension to Puget Sound. After the bridge opened to traffic in 1884, the town slowly sank into oblivion. The town was named for John C. Ainsworth, a prominent figure in transportation circles of the early Northwest.