A tribal member, Ike Kinswa, was awarded a land patent of 165 acres (67 ha) from President Benjamin Harrison during the early formations of the Harmony community.

The first non-Native settler may have been Ike Skinner, a trapper, but any official recording of Harmony's early pioneer settlement date, outside of the creation of a post office in 1890, is unknown.

[4] The earliest plans for the community began in 1895 when new residents were charged a "joining fee" of $500, which provided a house and land, and members were paid a dividend, as well as profit sharing of the local harvest.

Articles of incorporation were filed stating that Harmony was meant to be a refined, well-mannered, and ideal community based on "unselfish principles of co-operation and brotherly love".

[5] The town's original farming background continues and the community has experienced residential growth since the construction of the dams on the Cowlitz River.

[17][18] The church was white with light blue-trim, and was built with a steeple and bell, and it's inscription was "Chapel of Saint Ives - Our Lady of the Valley".