In 1874, David G. Ainslie settled on 80 acres about four miles south of Winlock. He improved on the land, and established a small saw mill. Over time, he property holdings encompassed a sizeable portion along Olequa creek. He established the Ainslie Post Office, and provided land for the Ainslie School District No. 47. In 1890, he sold his property to the Ainslie Lumber Company, which established a mill and town in the area. In addition to the Ainslie Post Office and Ainslie Company Town, there was also a community of Ainslie south of David Ainslie's tract, near present-day Vader. This community may have also been called "Capitola" by local residents.
Donald Olson has provided transcriptions of several property transactions which show how the Ainslie tract changed hands over time. In addition to these deeds, Don has also plotted the land tracts involved to show the locations in relation to each other and to other area landmarks.
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- Overview of Ainslie - this map shows the relative locations of Ainslie Mill and Town and Ainslie community. The area in yellow area indicates the location of David G. Ainslie's timber stands and mill. Also shown is the location of Snow Cemetery, where several Ainslie families are buried.
- Ainslie Post Office - this map shows the distance between the Winlock and Ainslie Post Offices, using information from Guy Ramsey's "Postmarked Washington: Lewis and Cowlitz Counties."
- Deed from D. G. and Agnes Ainslie to School District No. 47, dated 4 Nov 1889 - Related map: Location of Ainslie School District No. 47
- Bill of Sale from D. G. Ainslie to D. F. Sherman, dated 30 Jan 1890 - Related map: Location of Ainslie Steam Saw Mill
- Warranty Deed from D. G. and Agnes Ainslie to D. F. Sherman, 1890, no date given - Related map: Extent of D. G. Ainslie's property holdings at time of sale to D. F. Sherman
- Bill of Sale from D. G. and Agnes Ainslie to Ainslie Lumber Company, dated 10 Mar 1890