the community was established in 1881 and platted in 1890. the northern pacific railway built a junction in gate, and the town developed a lumber industry. the community was named gate due to the railroad junction, which made it the "gateway to the coast". much of the town was devastated by fires in the early 1900s, and the decline of the area's lumber mills further hurt gate's economy. one of the railroad lines through gate is now a county-maintained rail trail.