An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 53

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 53
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 53
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 53

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In the meanwhile, through Paul Schultze, the townsite company offered William H. Cline, of Tacoma, a business and a residence lot in Sunny- side if he would open a store there. Mr. Cline accepted the offer, shipped his goods and lumber to Mabton, and during December, 1893, built Sunnyside's pioneer store, on Mayhew street, just west of Sixth, or Main street. The grocery was opened for trade about January 1, 1894. The prospect was not an inviting one, as there were then not a dozen families in the vicinity, the usual troubles of placing a light soil under cultivation were experienced and the hard times were just beginning to be felt.

Perhaps a few words may here be said regard- ing the early settlement of the region surround- ing Sunnyside. The pioneer families in the dis- trict were those of Jock Morgan and John Ferrell, who lived five or six miles from Sunnyside toward Mabton. They were not there as farm- ers or fruit growers, but as cattle and horse raisers, for at one time that vast area was cov- ered with the succulent bunch-grass. The first real settlers as farmers in the vicinity of the town were Joseph Kunz, who located with his family in 1890 on a homestead a mile northeast of town; John Chisholm, Nat Stone, William T.

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Stobie, Sr., George A. Mathieson, Robert Mains, Abner Kirk, -- Taylor, -- Hendricks and one or two others. The honor of pioneership belongs to the first mentioned gentleman, who came before work on the canal was begun. To this list may be added the following who settled at an early date in the Outlook district, a few miles west of Sunnyside: W. H. Norman, P. S. Wood, B. H. Nichols, William Finn, A. Croon- quist, T. J. Cooper, B. F. Brooks, A. Christen- son, Fred Mansfield, Jack Williams and George Clark. These pioneers either settled upon gov- ernment land or purchased land from the North- ern Pacific & Yakima Irrigation Company. The waters reached them in the year 1893.

"During the spring of 1894," says Joseph L. Lannin, who came at that time, "there was a large influx of people who bought land, settled down and began preparing homes for themselves. Of those I may mention G. W. Wentworth, J. J. Brown, James Henderson, Emory Thompson, L. Pace, G. G. Mayenschein, C. E. Johnson, Andrew Green, P. S. Bacon, R. D. Young, M. Webber, F. C. Gorton, D. R. and J. W. McGinnis, E. E. Ferson, I. H. Rhodes, J. W. Day, M. D. Clarke and L. P. Vandermark. When I arrived in Sun- nyside there were nine acres of alfalfa all told, of which Mr. Bacon and Mr. Mayenschein had three each. In those early years we had to do some- thing for amusement, so we organized a literary and a dramatic society, both of which met first in the Gillis building and subsequently in the schoolhouse. (Mr. Lannin was elected president of the literary and Mrs. Lannin president of the dramatic society.) We had good times, you may be sure, and derived no little benefit from our associations. The foundation was laid then and there for the good fellowship which is now so characteristic of our people."

Late in 1893, Joseph Miller had established a stage to Mabton, and in January, 1894, the town secured a postoffice, D. R. McGinnis becoming postmaster. He was local sales agent of the townsite company. In January, also, Reuben Hatch built a commodious hotel, jocularly known as the "Incubator." A little later a man named Garland established a lumber yard and erected two small frame buildings on Sixth street, now occupied by George's mercantile house. In April, Miles Cannon opened the town's second store in one of these buildings, and about the same time B. M. Brewer occupied the other with a hardware business. D. C. Gillis, also, erected three buildings on Sixth street, which were soon in use by Crabb's restaurant, Gillis & Farrell's real estate firm, and as a schoolhouse and public hall respectively. Before the close of the year 1894, the town had, besides the establishments mentioned, another hotel, the Globe, built by Nathan H. Morris, which is still in operation; a drug store, opened by James Henderson in the fall; a livery stable, put up on Mayhew avenue

by W. T. Stobie; a furniture store belonging to Frank Petre; and a blacksmith shop, owned by Nathan Morris.

Withal, the year 1894, the first year of Sunny- side's existence, was a prosperous one and pro- ductive of a rapid growth in the new town. By January 1, 1895, there were probably a hundred people in Sunnyside, but the widespread finan- cial depression was soon severely felt. Scores were obliged during 1895 to leave their farms in the Sunnyside valley. Many had sold land in the east, and made a payment upon their Washington farms, but being unable now to secure the bal- ance due them, they were obliged to return and take back the old property. The valley was almost deserted for a period. In Sunnyside every business house but one, namely, William H. Cline's store, closed its doors.

But with the return of prosperity late in 1897 times in Sunnyside began to improve. The next spring J. B. George came to the town with another store; old lines of business were re- established and new ones founded, settlers began flocking into the country and a general industrial revival was experienced. Among the many new buildings of importance that were erected that spring was the Odd Fellows' hall, a two-story structure, of which the lower floor is fitted up as an opera house and public hall. It is a very cred- itable building to a town of Sunnyside's size.

During the early years of Sunnyside's history travelers crossed the Yakima river at Mabton, the nearest railroad station, on a scow ferry operated by Jock Morgan. At times the old scow was dangerous, and anyway the people desired something better than a ferry of any kind, so in the summer of 1897 a public meeting was held in Sunnyside for the purpose of taking steps to secure an improvement of conditions at the river crossing, of which meeting Joseph L. Lannin was president. A committee consisting of H. D. Jory, Tobias Beckner and Hugh Gray was ap- pointed to look after the matter of building a bridge across the river. They laid the proposi- tion before the board of county commissioners and secured an appropriation from the county, which, together with the generous donations of labor and money made by farmers and business men, including seven hundred dollars in cash and labor by the residents of Sunnyside, made pos- sible, in 1898, the construction of the present substantial bridge.

About this time what is known as the Chris- tian Co-operative movement was organized by Messrs. S. J. Harrison, Christian Rowland and H. M. Lichty for the purpose of colonizing the Sunnyside region. These three men had been associated for a number of years in church work, as members of the Dunkard, also known as the Brethren and German Baptist, religious sect. The gentlemen named met from year to year in the national conventions of their people. At

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one of these meetings, Mr. Harrison was chosen editor of the Evangelist, the denominational paper. For several years he and Mr. Lichty had considered the question of colonizing their people in some favored section of the west, and in the course of their investigations, Mr. Harrison spent a year in California. While looking over that section, Mr. Rowland was asked to join them, and did so. The party came very near agreeing on a point in the San Joaquin valley, but Mr. Rowland saw a promising field in Texas, and five or six investigating trips followed.

Mr. Lichty then drew the attention of his associates to the Sunnyside region. He had acted as bookkeeper in the Yakima National Bank for a short period, and by reason of his residence in the county was somewhat acquainted with its resources. Albert Saylor, his old friend and a former partner, who had lived ten years at North Yakima, urged Lichty to take advantage of the reduction that was made in 1897 in the price of Sunnyside lands. Messrs. Harrison, Rowland and Lichty looked upon the matter favorably and at once organized to carry out their long cherished project. They were members of the Brethren or Progressive division of the Dunkard church, but had many warm friends in the Ger- man Baptist, or Conservative, branch; so had little trouble in securing the enthusiastic indorse- ment of their scheme by D. L. Miller, a promi- nent colonizer of the latter branch.

Under the name of the Christian Co-operative Colony, the firm began work in 1897, bringing about twenty people into the district that year. Instead of colonizing their own people exclu- sively, they determined to embrace all Christian workers and secure, so far as possible, their co- operation in building up a Christian community. In their efforts they have been unusually success- ful. During the first six years of their work, Mr. Harrison estimates that they brought directly more than three hundred people into the Sunny- side region, besides exerting a powerful and ever increasing indirect influence. The Christian Co-operative Colony has done a great work in the Sunnyside valley. Its influence has ever been exerted for the substantial development of this

noted irrigation district and the highest good of its citizens. Largely through the efforts of this firm the Christian Co-operative Telephone Asso- ciation was organized, and many other public projects have been carried to success. Messrs. Harrison, Rowland and Lichty are still engaged in their work of colonizing. Mr. Rowland resides in Lanark, Illinois, the others in Sunnyside.

In the fall of 1899 Messrs. Harrison, Rowland and Lichty purchased the holdings of the Phila- delphia Securities Company in the Sunnyside townsite. That corporation had acquired the property from the original owners through a mortgage. They still own about two hundred lots, the remainder having been disposed of to

various individuals. The title is in Mr. Harri- son's name. All deeds issued contain a forfeit- ure clause designed to keep out of the city saloons, gambling resorts and houses of ill-fame. At present Sunnyside is without any of these demoralizing institutions, and there is but one saloon in the entire valley.

So rapidly did the town grow after its resur- rection in 1898, that by 1902 the citizens were able to incorporate under the state laws as a city of the fourth class. Attorney Henry H. Wende had charge of the matter. The town became a municipal corporation September 2d. Its first officers were: Mayor, James Henderson ; coun- cilmen, Joseph L. Lannin, W. B. Cloud, William Hitchcock, C. W. Taylor and George Vetter; treasurer, J. B. George; attorney, Henry H. Wende. Mr. Vetter became the city's second mayor, and Henry H. Wende its third. The lat- ter is serving at present. The remaining city officials at present are: Councilmen, Elza Dean, W. B. Cloud, G. W. Reece, L. C. McDonald, E. J. Young; treasurer, L. E. Johnson; clerk, H. W. Turner; attorney, C. E. Woods; marshal, B. F. James. At the last city election one hun- dred and thirty-five votes were polled. Conserv- ative estimates place the population of the city now at not less than seven hundred.

In educational and religious facilities, Sunny- side is especially blest, the development along these lines being abnormal for a young western town. As early as the spring of 1894, Mrs. Anna Williams, subsequently Mrs. Albert Wright, taught a private school in her own home to accommodate the few children then in the community. Later in the summer the pioneer public school was established in the Gillis build- ing with Professor H. G. Rousch as teacher. He instructed between thirty and thirty-five pupils. In the fall the district built what is now known as the Emerson school. This building originally cost twenty-two hundred dollars, but a fifteen hundred-dollar addition was added in 1901. The same year, 1894, another school- house, now known as the Washington school, was erected, under the supervision of P. C. Bacon, two miles east of the village. It cost fifteen hundred dollars.

February 1, 1903, the districts numbered forty-four and forty-eight, embracing sixteen- square miles around Sunnyside, were merged into a union school district for the purpose of building and maintaining a high school. The Washington Irrigation Company donated to this district forty acres of land which netted it four- teen hundred dollars, while S. J. Harrison and H. M. Lichty gave two lots worth five hundred dollars. Then the district issued twenty thou- sand dollars in five per cent. bonds for the pay- ment of its indebtedness and the erection on a fine five-acre tract in the northwestern part of the town of an eleven-thousand-dollar school-

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house. The building is a handsome frame struc- ture of modern design, resting on a stone founda- tion and very prettily located. It will be used this fall for the first time.

The school board of the Sunnyside union dis- trict maintaining the Emerson and Washington schools, before mentioned, and the high school, is now composed of Lee A. Johnson, J. B. George and F. W. Noble. More than four hundred and fifty pupils are enrolled in these schools. The corps of teachers in charge is as follows: Superin- tendent, Miss K. L. Brown; principal high school, Miss Maude M. Corson ; assistant principal high school, J. C. Oliphant; commercial depart- ment, Mrs. W. B. Bridgman; Emerson school, eighth grade, E. M. Douglass; seventh grade, Miss Fannie Freeland; sixth grade, J. D. Marsh ; fifth grade, Miss A. E. Rodman; fourth grade, Miss G. P. Searle; third grade, Miss M. A. Jacobs, principal Emerson school building; sec- ond and first grades, teachers not selected; Wash- ington school, primary room, Miss H. G. Snyder, principal of the building; grammar room, Miss E. J. Jacobs. The high school courses are broad, including practically everything taught in any high school in the country.

Perhaps no town of like size in the state can boast of more or better churches than Sunnyside. The first church service in the city was held in Gillis' office in February, 1894, by Bishop Wells, of the Episcopal faith, and throughout all the early years the Episcopalians, Methodists and Congregationalists held services alternately, and- a union Sunday school was maintained. Now there are ten religous bodies represented. The Sunnyside Sun, in its special issue last February, listed these and their membership as follows: Brethren, 92; Christian, 35; Baptist, 47; Congre- gational, 45; Episcopal, 40; Free Methodists, 60; German Baptist Brethren, 75; Methodists, 170; Presbyterian, 75, besides a society of Christian Scientists.

The Episcopal, German Baptist and Federated church buildings were all erected in the summer of 1901, and are substantial, handsome edifices. The Free Methodists completed a neat little church last winter. Rev. Edward J. Baird is rector of the Episcopal church, Rev. Rollins E. Blackman has charge of the Presbyterian, Rev. B. J. Hoadley of the Methodist, Rev. Whitmore of the Congregational, Rev. Slosser of the Bap- tist, Rev. S. P. Westfield of the Free Methodist, S. J. Harrison of the Dunkards, and Rev. S. H. Miller and D. B. Eby of the German Baptist.

The Federated church is so named because it was erected by the Sunnyside Church Federation, an incorporated body consisting of six different denominations, as follows: Baptist, Brethren (Progressive Dunkard), Methodist. Presbyterian, Christian and Congregational. This federated movement has been a grand success, and there is probably not a single denomination in the feder-

ation which is not numerically stronger to-day than it would have been if each had undertaken to go it alone. The expense of keeping up five or six separate establishments is obviated. Its growth has been unprecedented and the news of its success has been widely published.

The fraternal spirit is strong in Sunnyside, as is evinced by the presence of nine thriving lodges-Sunnyside Lodge, No. 49, I. O. O. F., and its auxiliary, Rebekah Lodge, Sunnyside Camp, No. 561, Modern Woodmen of America, with its auxiliary, the Royal Neighbors; Edith Lee Lodge, No. 73, A. O. U. W. ; a Masonic lodge just being chartered, and lodges of the Fraternal Brother- hood of America, Order of Washington and Yeo- men. The city churches also maintain various organizations for charitable and religious work, including a home-finding society.

Quite recently the city established a public library. To Mrs. Joseph L. Lannin belongs the credit of originating this enterprise and doing more than any other to carry it to a successful issue. Through her individual efforts a subscrip- tion of five hundred and fifty dollars was raised- in the town, a donation of town lots valued at five hundred dollars secured from the owners of the townsite, and a promise of twelve hundred dollars' worth of land obtained from the Wash- ington Irrigation Company. An organization was effected in October, 1902, with Mrs. Geneva Lannin as president; Rev. Lee Johnson, vice- president; H. Perin, secretary; S. J. Stewart, Mrs. J. R. Harvey, Henry Wende, J. W. Sanger. and E. C. Taylor as trustees. However, before this administration was able to complete all arrangements, a new one was elected with Wil- liam B. Bridgman as president, and a short time ago the library was purchased. Temporarily it occupies a rented building.

The Sunnyside Bank was organized April 15, 1902, by well-known Yakima county business men, with an authorized capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. A general banking and ex- -. change business is transacted. This institution is fortunate in having for its stockholders and directors men of known business ability and experience. The directors and other officers are: S. J. Harrison, president; N. Woodin, vice- president; L. E. Johnson, cashier; P. J. Lichty, of Sunnyside, George Donald, president of the Yakima National Bank, and Miles Cannon, pres- ident of the Yakima Valley Bank.

Sunnyside has two telephone systems, a long distance system whose wires extend all over the Northwest, and a local line. What is now the Christian Co-operative Telephone Association, with its nearly two hundred telephones and its seventy-five miles of main line, connecting Pros- ser, Belma, Mabton, Outlook, Zillah, Toppenish, Parker and Wapato with each other and Sunny- side-its base and headquarters-was first con- ceived by Homer L. Brown, its former electri-

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cian, now deceased, and S. J. Harrison. Mr. Brown furnished the knowledge of the business, and Mr. Harrison and three associates the money to connect their own residences and run a line to Mabton, thus giving them connection with the railroad. This was in April, 1900. The original plan was simply to give a few neighbors and merchants in Sunnyside a telephone connection with the depot, seven miles away, but these gentlemen built better than they knew. They had started what those farmers, who were not neighbors in the strict sense of the word, saw that they wanted and must have. New members were added. New lines had to be built. An exchange had to be put in at Sunnyside. The benefit of the telephone spread from house to house. Mr. S. J. Harrison had up to this time assumed the responsibility of this growth, both financial and otherwise. The present association was incorporated at that time with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, one thousand shares at fifty dollars eaclı, with the following officers: S. J. Harrison, president; William. LeMay, 'vice-president; R. D. Young, secretary and treasurer. At a recent meeting of the stock- holders the price of stock was advanced to sev- enty-five dollars per share, or twenty-five dollars above the par value.

The city is connected with Mabton and Zillah by stage lines, now owned by Allen & Mathieson Bros. The Zillah stage inakes daily trips; the Mabton stage makes three round trips daily ex- cept Sundays, when only two round trips are made. This excellent transportation system gives the city as many mails as any town on the railroad possesses. However, the historic stage bids fair to cease soon its labors in the Sunnyside valley, as there is every reason to believe that the Northern Pacific will soon build a belt line from Prosser to Toppenish, via Sunnyside, directly tapping one of the richest sections on its entire route.

One of the important enterprises of the Sunny- side valley and of the town is the Mountain View Creamery, established and owned by E. E. Ferson. For the year ending December 31, 1903, this institution gathered 137,474 pounds of cream. It made last year 39,307 pounds of but- ter, for which it received an average price of 222/3 cents, and paid out to its patrons the sum of $8,858.82, an average per month of $738.24. The concern is in a highly prosperous condition.

One of the real forces at work in the commu- nity-and one of no mean strength-is the Sunny- side Sun, to whose courtesy we are indebted for much information concerning the field in which it circulates. The first issue appeared May 24, 1901, and since that date the paper has steadily improved in every respect until it has become one of central Washington's leading weeklies. The Sun's founder, editor and proprietor is Wil- liam Hitchcock.

A summary of the city's business houses and professional men would include the following:

The Sunnyside Sun, published every Friday : the Bank of Sunnyside; the Mountain View Creamery; general stores, J. B. George, Boutell Bros. & Company, Coffin Bros., C. S. Wenner, manager; hotels, the Sunnyside, G. G. Muller, proprietor, the Globe, S. E. Jones, proprietor, the Vetter, Frank Vetter, proprietor; livery stables, Allen & Mathieson Bros .; clothing, Valley Clothing store, W. B. Cloud, proprietor; hardware and furniture, Lee A. Johnson & Cont- pany; drug store, James Henderson; lumber yards, Sunnyside Lumber Company, R. L. Reese, manager, St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company, E. A. Hamilton, manager; jewelry stores, Frank L. Maxham, R. S. Calkin; harness store, J. E. Fisher; restaurants, Frank Vetter. Rev. M. P. Westfield; grocery, C. F. Wheeler; meat markets, G. F. Barnes, Farmers' Market, W. C. Smith and L. L. Higgins, proprietors; confectionery and bakery, Frank Vetter; milli- nery, Mrs. A. H. Lyons; book store, Rev. A. H. Lyons; blacksmith shops, John Couey, Nathan Morris; undertaking parlors, M. D. Clarke; attorneys, Henry H. Wende, C. E. Woods, Wil- liam B. Bridgman ; physicians, Dr. J. R. Harvey. Dr. J. D. Campbell, Dr. F. C. Jones, osteopath : dentist, Dr. M. R. Kinner; real estate, Sunny- side Land & Investment Company, Elza Dean. general salesman, C. E. Woods, local manager - and attorney, Milton & Meacham, William B. Bridgman, Frank H. McCoy; insurance, Rev. A. H. Lyons, L. C. Johnson, Dean Woods ; photog . rapher, William P. Jackson, A. K. Black; bar- ber shops, two, owned by Brown & Fisk; tailor, L. B. Caple; contractors, Oliver Hibarger, J. B. Streiff, H. W. Holloway, Ira D. Martin, Caleb W. Taylor; painters, F. E. Lampkin, A. D. Cafferty, W. E. Lemming ; plumbing, Sunnyside Plumbing & Heating Company, Frank Rodman ; stove repairing, Robert Plant; billiard hall, bowling alley, etc., Pace Brothers; well drillers, Huston & Cabell Brothers, West Well Company ; fine poultry breeder, H. W. Turner; Sunnyside Cemetery Association, William Hitchcock, presi- dent; M. D. Clarke, secretary; S. J. Harrison, treasurer.

The Sunnyside postoffice, George Vetter, post- master, was advanced to the presidential class, January 1, 1904. The business of this office in- creased forty per cent. last year. There are now two rural free delivery routes connected with it.

Tributary to the city of Sunnyside is an area of thirty-five thousand acres of tillable land, of which at present nearly twenty thousand are in cultivation. It is estimated that fifteen thousand are in alfalfa, which last year yielded seventy- five thousand tons, selling at an average price of five dollars. One firm of stockmen, Courtney & Wright, bought thirty thousand tons of Sunny- side hay last season. Although there are several

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hundred acres of orchard and vineyards surround- ing the city, this district is surpassed in horti- culture by the upper canal district near Zillah. But berries, vegetables, etc., are produced abun- dantly, and it seems to be the general opinion among those competent to judge that Sunnyside will in the future be famous for its market gar- dening. Experts claim that the soil is especially adapted to this kind of intensive farming. One gardener last summer raised over five hundred dollars' worth of vegetables on half an acre of land within the corporate limits of the town. He marketed radishes, lettuce, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, parsnips, carrots, turnips, lima beans, bush beans, peas, cucumbers, melons, celery, eggplant and tomatoes. Celery proved to be the best crop raised.

The healthfulness of Sunnyside may truth- fully be said to be much greater than that usually found in irrigated districts. Dr. J. R. Harvey, one of Sunnyside's prominent physicians, states that during the past year there have been about fifteen cases of typhoid fever, of which only one proved fatal. Of pneumonia, in this same period, there were only two cases reported, neither of which terminated fatally. . Sunnyside has not lost a case of pneumonia during the past three years. Although the people do not desire to advertise their section as a health resort, they feel that much injustice has been done them in the matter of health reports and claim to live in a section whose sanitary conditions are above the average.

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 53

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146