There are two stories of the town's origin. A manager of the Hill Logging Company, Harry J. Syverson, asserted in 1912 to have founded the town.[3] However, there are sourced claims that a local businessman, Curt Littell, agreed to call the post office by his name in 1902.[4]
A post office was moved from the nearby town of Claquato in 1903, and an opera house was built in the town in 1904.[5]
The community was known for its timber production, having two sawmills during its peak at the beginning of the 20th century. Littell grew large enough to contain a school and church, and had a large Japanese population, many of whom were employed by the mills. After a destructive fire to one mill in 1911, the second mill closed, and the town began to wane, leaving a few residents. Most of the original buildings and its downtown core are lost.[6]
A pedestrian bridge in Littell was built starting in 2021. The span would allow users of the Willapa Hills Trail to pass over the highway to lessen vehicular accidents.[7] The $3.3 million project[8] was completed in June 2023 and the overpass was named in honor of the community.[9]
James A. Wright, Wisconsin state senator and lumberman; president of the Wisconsin Lumber Company located in Littell; organized the company in 1904[11]
