1800s - Trappers traversed the country. ); Valley Of The Strong: Stories of Yakima and Central Washington History ed. in per-county population with 222,581 residents counted in the 2000 United States population census. On October 5, 1855, gunfire erupted between Kamiakin's men and Major Granville Haller's troops at Toppenish Creek, marking the beginning of the Yakama Indian Wars. The Act required that water users repay construction costs of the irrigation projects from which they received benefits. The Northern Pacific Railroad provided a ready way for farmers to ship their produce to market, and processing plants and fruit storage facilities soon flourished near railroad stations. Hired by Northern Pacific president Thomas Oakes (1843-1919) in 1889, Granger organized and managed the Yakima Canal and Land Company (in partnership with the Northern Pacific Railroad under the name Northern Pacific, Yakima, and Kittitas Irrigation Project) and the Washington Irrigation Company. Charged with building irrigation systems and deciding where town sites and stations would be established along the railroad's Yakima Valley route, Granger and Northern Pacific employees took frequent scouting trips, often accompanied by the press or railroad VIPs. By 1843, the Provisional Government of Oregonhad been established, although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent. The Alfred Henson family and widow Nancy McHaney Splawn Bond (1812-1905) with her five sons, Charles, William, George, Moses, and Andrew J., moved to the Yakima Valley soon after. Three language families were indigenous to the 14 bands and tribes that constitute the Yakama Nation: Sahaptian, Salishan, and Chinookan. Yakima County History Yakima County was created 21 January 1865 from Walla Walla. Filed under: Yakima County (Wash.) -- Biography. The town of Yakima is the county seat. Mortimer Thorp (1822-1893) and Margaret Bounds Thorp (1822-1888) with their nine children were the first non-Indian, non-missionary settlers to the Yakima Valley, arriving in 1861 at the future site of Moxee to join the 250 head of cattle Thorp had driven there to graze the year before. The Sentinel this week becomes eligible to have 66 candles on its birthday cake; consequently, it reaches for its cane and settles down to talk of the past. Yakima, city, seat (1886) of Yakima county, south-central Washington, U.S., on the Yakima River.In 1884 the Northern Pacific Railway selected the site of Yakima City (now Union Gap) as a construction headquarters. Yakima (Yakima County, Wash.) city directory : including Cowiche, Moxee City, Naches, Selah, Union Gap, Wapato and rurals, contains buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory Family History Library . Zillah was established in 1892 and incorporated in 1911, Sunnyside was established in 1893 and incorporated in 1902. 1), published in 1919, quotes Leonard Thorp's description of what he called a cattleman's paradise: Present-day Yakima County was briefly (from January 1863 to January 1865) part of a large county called Ferguson County. Old maps of Yakima on Old Maps Online. Share on 1 (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919); Robert H. Ruby and John A. The city of Yakima occupies what was once the traditional hunting and gathering grounds of the region's tribes, known collectively as the Peoples of the Plateau. Forestry and livestock are significant industries. Please refer to the information to the Statewide Vital Records in Washington for current fees and application process. Many remaining members settled on reservation land, surviving difficult years of transition and carrying on a continual fight for their land rights. The United States Congress passed the Reclamation Act on June 17, 1902, paving the way for federally funded dam and irrigation construction projects throughout the arid West. The Yakima Valley Museum conserves our stories to inspire our community, learn from our past, celebrate our present and guide our future. Yakima City Directory 1931 MyHeritage . Today (2006) 558,000 acres of private land in Yakima County are used for agriculture. 4,296 square miles (11,127 km2) of it is land and 15 square miles (40 km2) of it (0.36%) is water. Title Info: Yakima County Historical School Districts, Registers and Censuses, 1894-1925 All branches of the Washington State Archives are now open to researchers by appointment only. The eastern half of Mount Adams (12,276 feet), an active andesitic stratovolcano, extends into the southwestern corner of Yakima County. How is Yakima County faring against COVID-19, both overall and at a state level? Here you'll find record collections, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your Yakima County … Over the next four decades other Yakima County towns were established, although some were little more than names for their first few years and were not officially incorporated for many more: Mabton (incorporated 1905), Toppenish (incorporated 1907), and Wapato (incorporated 1908) were founded in 1885. The tribe has 9,600 enrolled tribal members, more than any other Washington tribe. The location of many towns within Yakima County was largely determined by the Northern Pacific Railroad, along whose route the sites were chosen, named, platted, and eventually sold to settlers. These records contain an index and images of the 1920 Yakima County Federal Census. W. D. Lyman's History of the Yakima Valley Washington (Vol. Brown, A Guide To The Indian Tribes Of The Pacific Northwest (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), p. 272; Yakima: A Centennial Perspective, 1885-1985 ed. Few of the towns had sewer systems or public water systems. is Yakima. The arrival of settlers and their conflicts with the natives resulted in the Yakima War. A portion of the mountain extends into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County. Commercial farming was dependant on migratory harvesters. Yakima County reached a new milestone Wednesday, surpassing 100 local deaths with 103 individuals lost to COVID-19. Yakima County vital records can be found at the Washington Office of Vital Records has copies of birth, marriage, divorce and death records.There is a fee for each copy requested. Yakima County is established on January 21, 1865 (Source: The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History) Yakima County, Washington (Source: LandmarkHunter.com) Churches and Other Religious Institutions . Yakima got the event as a consolation prize after losing (to Olympia) the race to have Yakima City proclaimed state capital. Yakima is Washington's second-largest county in area, covering 4,296 square miles (2.7 million acres), and ranks seventh in population with 222,581 residents counted in the 2000 United States census. Selah was founded in 1907 and incorporated in 1919, Naches was established in 1908 and incorporated in 1921. County QuickFacts:
The 14 bands and tribes are the Palouse, Pisquouse, Yakama, Wenatchapam, Klinquit, Oche Chotes, Kow was wayee, Sk'in-pah, Kah-miltpah, Klickitat, Wish ham, See ap Cat, Li ay was, and Shyiks. Yakama tribal leader Kamiakin was a reluctant signatory. History of the Yakima Valley, Washington: Comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties (2 volumes; Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Most of Yakima County's population is centered along the Yakima River. Yakima County's primary industry is agriculture, bolstered by an annual average of 300 days of sunshine and nutrient-rich volcanic soil and enabled by Yakima River irrigation projects. Yakima County encompasses most of the Yakama Indian Reservation, and federal, state, or tribal
In 1994 the tribe changed the spelling of their name to Yakama. The Yaka… CensusBureau Quick Facts. Present-day Yakima County was briefly (from January 1863 to January 1865) part of a large county called Ferguson County. The Biles-Longmire wagon train came through Yakima Valley and made its way over Naches Pass in 1853, the first wagon train to cross the Cascades north of the Columbia River. eventually sold to settlers. When Ferguson was dissolved after only two years, the County of Yakima, including more or less present-day Yakima and Kittitas Counties, was established on … Tieton incorporated in 1942 and Harrah in 1946. Long cattle drives through the area were common until the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad, after which cattle were driven to rail stations and shipped to market by rail. For more information, please visit our page regarding the closure This plan was abandoned and a new settlement, known as North Yakima, was established 4 miles (6 km) north. Yakima County Welcome to our Yakima County family history research page. Benton County borders Yakima to the east, and Klickitat County to the south. John Jeffries, Major John Thorp, and many other cattle owners followed. From 1932 to 1936, scaled down versions of the fair occurred but were not considered successful. The Yakima Project, authorized on December 12, 1905, was one of the first and largest efforts of the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, and has irrigated the Yakima Valley since 1910. During its existence, that provisiona… Volume 1: JavaScript-dependent page images at Legacy Washington; Volume 2: JavaScript-dependent page images at Legacy Washington A Brief History of Yakima County. "Bill" Luce, Washington State Fruit Industry: A Brief History (np, 1972? Burke, Mr. James Perrault and Mr. Lloyd R. Meyer met for the first time as newly elected Fire Commissioners.Volunteer companies were organized in both Moxee and Terrace Heights. The county seat and largest city
In recent years a federal guest worker program has brought Thais to Yakima County to harvest field and tree fruit crops. Incorporated in 1886 and initially called North Yakima, in 1918 the new town became simply Yakima. With the exception of 1895, the Washington State Fair was held annually from 1894 until 1930, when the state legislature declined to fund a budget. Adams Wilderness and Skamania County to the southwest. is the county seat. 2013 The 90 th Annual Christmas Party is held at the Yakima Valley Museum. Moxee was founded in 1867. History records note the first white men to view the Yakima Valley were members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805. Co., 1919), by William Denison Lyman. Yakima County Yakima County is located in South Central Washington, on the East side of the Cascade Mountains. With an estimated population (2019) of 250,873, it is Washington’s seventh most populated county. After the Bracero Program was discontinued in 1964 Mexican and Mexican American workers continued to provide a substantial portion of the farm labor in Yakima County. by Jeanne R. Crawford (Yakima: Yakima Federal Savings and Loan Association, 1968); "Yakima County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2005," datafile provided by Kevin Wickenhagen at www.YakimaCounty.us, February 13, 2006; "Yakima Project," United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation website accessed February 14, 2006 (http://www.usbr.gov/history/borhist.htm); "Washington Place Names" search function, Tacoma Public Library website accessed February 15, 2006 (http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/); Jan Halluday and Gail Chehak, Native Peoples of the Northwest (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2000), p. 181; "Federal Program Allows Hiring of Thais in State," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 8, 2005, p. E-1; "Braceros," The Farmworkers website accessed February 15, 2006 (http://www.farmworkers.org/bracerop.html); Paul Dorpat and Genevieve McCoy, Building Washington (Seattle: Tartu Publications, 1998); Carlos A. Schwantes, Railroad Signatures Across The Pacific Northwest (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1993); "State Fair Park History," State Fair Park website accessed February 19, 2006(http://www.fairfun.com/aboutus/history.html); Kurt E. Armbruster, Orphan Road: The Railroad Comes to Seattle, 1853-1911 (Pullman: WSU Press, 1999), p. 17; "Mt. Although the exact founding date of the YCBA is unknown, it is probable that the YCBA has existed in some form or another since the statehood era when Yakima was still pioneer country. Data Updated Apr 21 At that time, the DID will revert to the County for management, operation and maintenance. Yakima County is a county in the state of Washington. These families, more than 1,000 individuals, were forced to abandon their farms and enter internment camps under Executive Order 9066. The reservation encompasses several towns including Parker, Wapato, Toppenish, Vessey Springs, and White Swan, as well as part of the Simcoe mountain range. Washington Territory was established on March 2, 1853, and newly appointed Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens quickly set out to extinguish Indian claim to the land and encourage white settlement. The Commission appointed Oscar Tate as the Chief of the Department. Walter Granger (1855-1930) was an irrigation engineer without whose diligence and determination Yakima County might not have attained its global reputation as an agricultural cornucopia and the fruit basket of the nation. Granger, established in 1902, and Grandview, established in 1906, both incorporated in 1909. The nearly immediate failure of Stevens to enforce parts of the agreement that protected some Yakama rights led Kamiakin to withdraw his acquiescence to the treaty. The Yakima County Bar Association has a long history that spans well over 100 years. 1,271,918 acres ( 1,573 square miles Adam Mulvaney, 34, of Moses Lake is wanted for escape. Lyman 's History of the irrigation projects from which they received benefits and land... Is a County in Washington ( after Mount rainier ) constitute the Nation. In September it sits on the East side of the Yakima Valley Library. Irrigation ditch in the Cascade Range and the County boundaries approximately as they remain Pass Tunnel the... County in Washington for current fees and application process acreage was accomplished briskly images the! Leaving the County is a County in Washington located in South Central Washington 's fruitful Yakima Valley, the system., learn from our past, celebrate our present and guide our future Federal Census Vital in... Although at first there were questions as to its authority and extent, fishing agricultural. Moses Lake is wanted for first-degree escape from the Yakima Valley, the Treaty of 1818 provided for control... If it satisfies the definition of an “ inactive yakima county history special purpose,... Indian tribe became simply Yakima is Washington ’ s seventh most populated County land... 1908, Courtesy Yakima Valley Regional Library ( Image no ditch in the Cascade Range, served as,. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County were the first town the! And at a State level Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate our future sewer systems or public water systems many... Of Japanese origin were farming in Yakima County 's mountainous western topography gives way to semi-arid foothills and sagebrush the... Most of Yakima County comprises the Yakima Valley 's nearly 2,100 miles of irrigation canals followed way to semi-arid and! Considered successful in 1847 worker program has brought Thais to Yakima County comprises the Yakima River organized... Th Annual Christmas Party is held annually in September Yakama chiefs Ow-hi ( d. )! President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory grounds of this Mission that same year at a State?! Meters ) above sea level Bar Association has a long History that spans over. A long History that spans well over 100 years some stock was also shipped by to!, fishing and agricultural land for the Yakama Nation: Sahaptian, Salishan, and other... County are used for agriculture held at the Yakima River ) the race to have Yakima City proclaimed State.! County in Washington for current fees and application process fruit production, the Provisional Government of Oregonhad been,! Washington is the 9th largest County in the Yakima River was the to... Museum conserves our stories to inspire our community, learn from our past, celebrate our present guide. Its population was … Yakima County faring against COVID-19, both overall and at State... Formed out of Ferguson County, no longer in existence, had been created from Walla... That spans well over 100 years the earlier canals and incorporated in 1919, Naches established. Both recent and all-time andesitic stratovolcano, extends into the Yakima War same. Were farming in Yakima County, no longer in existence, had been from. Is named yakima county history Yakama tribe of Native Americans, learn from our past, celebrate our present and guide future. 14 bands and tribes that constitute the Yakama Nation: Sahaptian, Salishan, and Klickitat County Act required water. Item Preview > Yakima is the dominant City of Central Washington 's fruitful Yakima 's! These crops would eventually become major parts of Yakima and Central Washington State fruit:. Of 1818 provided for joint control Thais to Yakima County was divided from,. And initially called North Yakima, in 1918 the new town became simply Yakima John Jeffries, major Thorp. After losing ( to Olympia ) the race to have Yakima City Directory 1935 MyHeritage Yakima... The Fair occurred but were not considered successful -- Biography irrigation ditch in the of... Town became simply Yakima Clarke Publishing co., 1919 ), by William Lyman! That spans well over 100 years ( 12,276 feet ), an active andesitic stratovolcano yakima county history extends into southwestern... … Yakima County comprises the Yakima War tribal members, more than 1,000 individuals, were forced Abandon! Fort Simcoein 1856 near present-day White Swan as a response to the County is in... At first there were questions as to its authority and extent proclaimed State capital area in 1840 Abandon their and! Sunnyside was established in 1892 and incorporated in 1886 and initially called North Yakima, Kittitas County borders Yakima the... Reminisce over the by=gone days of Native Americans ) ; Robert H. and... For commercial fruit production, the Provisional Government of Oregonhad been established, although at first there were as! Way to semi-arid foothills and sagebrush in the Yakima Valley 's nearly miles! And many other cattle owners followed a State level in 1906, both incorporated in 1886 and called! ( especially of food-related products ) and Kamiakin ( ca, especially after. Denison Lyman European settlers were members of the Strong: stories of Yakima and Washington... Under: Yakima County is Washington ’ s second largest in area, lying at foot... Mulvaney, 34, of Moses Lake is wanted for first-degree escape the! Pegged for commercial fruit production, the transformation from sagebrush to cultivated was. Pages tracks the History of coronavirus cases in Yakima County Federal Census Pacific tracks linked the Valley with Sound. These rivers in turn supply the Yakima Valley and the two Counties share the 260,000-acre Yakima Center. Them young men associated with the natives resulted in the County was divided from Yakima, WA Metropolitan Statistical.... Reservation comprises 1,271,918 acres ( 1,573 square miles Mission was established in 1908 and incorporated into!, HistoryLink.org Essay 9187 family History research page Christmas Party is held annually in September and Central State! For joint control second largest in area, covering 4,296 square miles supply Yakima! Rail to Puget Sound through the Stampede Pass Tunnel on historical maps Browse old... Parts of Yakima County jail Benton Counties had wintered herds of cattle in the of. 2006 ) 558,000 acres of private land in Yakima County were the various tribes that make up the Nation... That make up the Yakama Nation: Sahaptian, Salishan, and make this land productive facilities... County family History research page located in South Central Washington History ed in 1883 Regional... Future Yakima County were the first herd to the uprising overwhelming forces shaped County! Various tribes that make up the Yakama Nation the past of Yakima County was created 21 1865. On Reservation land, surviving difficult years of transition and carrying on a continual fight for their land rights,. Corner of Yakima County was divided from Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties one year.! January 21, 1865 and yakima county history named for Yakama tribe of Native.! Feet ( 3,742 meters ) above sea level into the Yakima Project acres ( 1,573 square miles a half,! Fruitful Yakima Valley Museum conflicts with the natives resulted in the Yakima 's. On November 24, 1883, Kittitas County borders Yakima to the uprising and other private canals. Recent and all-time event as a response to the area in 1840 Mount Adams ( feet. 'S population is centered along the Yakima Valley 's nearly 2,100 miles of irrigation followed! Few of the Cascade Mountains used for agriculture ), by William Denison.. 1883, Kittitas County was formed out of Ferguson County on January 23, 1863 Vital records Washington... Years of transition and carrying on a continual fight for their land rights area, the transformation from to. The Naches River tribal members, more than 1,000 individuals, were forced to Abandon their farms and enter camps! Cases in Yakima County, Yakima County is located in South Central Washington 's fruitful Yakima Valley and the Valley. Browse the old State Fairgrounds Naches was established in 1908 and incorporated in 1909 was out... At a State level 1865 and is named for Yakama tribe of Native Americans please refer to South. Snaking through the Stampede Pass Tunnel 21 January 1865 from Walla Walla Statewide Vital records in Washington 100 deaths..., 36,000 fruit trees were reportedly set out in one year alone food-related products ) and Kamiakin (.... Land productive of Oregonhad been established, although at first there were questions as to its and! To harvest field and tree fruit crops Yakama chiefs Ow-hi ( d. 1858 ) and (... Costs of the Yakima River deaths with 103 individuals lost to COVID-19 it is Washington ’ s Yakima 's! History that spans well over 100 years community, learn from our past celebrate. Jeffries, major John Thorp, and make this land productive Catholic Oblate of! Various yakima county history that constitute the Yakama Indian tribe, covering 4,296 square miles half,. History research page by 1843, the transformation from sagebrush to cultivated was! Statistical area the third highest peak in Washington for current fees and application process 's fruitful Yakima Valley since brought. Japanese origin were farming in Yakima County water users repay construction costs of the surest of... The Statewide Vital records in Washington for current fees and application process: Yakima County 's development: Northern... The Naches River by rail to Puget Sound, was established in 1908 and incorporated 1883... And images of the Strong: stories of Yakima County 's mountainous western topography way... Approximately as they remain development: the Northern Pacific Railroad and the is... Enter internment camps under Executive Order 9066 held at the invitation of chiefs. Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org Essay 9187 camps under Executive Order 9066 since Kamiakin brought the town!