The settlement of Moscow was established in 1887.[7]
One tradition says, the community was named for a member of de Soto’s expedition, the maestro de campo (field commander) Luis de Moscoso (the source mistakenly indicates Francisco Coronado southwest expedition, but at this time Moscoso was a member of de Soto’s expedition, furthermore he took command of the expedition after de Soto’s death). During the settlement name registration there were a series of mistakes. The residents, in their application for a post office, had shortened it to Mosco. A postal clerk in Washington, upon receipt of their petition, being in a helpful spirit, and thinking the hay-seeds in the west didn’t know their spelling, added a “w” to the name, changing it to Moscow.[8]
The first post office in Moscow was established on April 28, 1888, when it was moved from Valparaiso (now ghost town), which was located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Moscow.[9]
Moscow moved 8 miles to the north in 1913, where in 1912 the CVR railroad was built, so it was also called “New Moscow”.[7]
For the first time in the US Census the placename “Moscow” in Stevens County appeared in 1890, though not as a city but as a township.[6] The Census separated city of Moscow in 1930.
