Grant County history

The Grant County Historical Society has compiled several volumes of Grant County history. The books are available for purchase at the Historical Society Museum gift shop in Ephrata.

I bought the series in 2009 and secured permission to relay some of the history through this column. Memories of Grant County, compiled from taped interviews by the Grant County Historical Society.

Today we continue the story of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project by Jake Weber recorded Nov. 9, 1976:

I can remember, as I say I lived a half-mile south of town, horse races. Quite often, they would come out quite close to the house. Also I remember, some of the fellows down south from the Burke area or Low Gap would come to town and probably stay too long at the saloon. I remember one particular time when I dived under the fence, the horses were galloping, and the fellow said, "My life, My life." I guess he got home; I didn't hear of him getting killed.

There was a lot of beer bottles along the road there and I used to pick them up in my little red wagon and I'd take them to town and rap on the door at the back of a saloon and the saloon keeper would come out and give me a nickel apiece for them. Now that was quite a lot of money. Another way I used to make money as a kid, my dad would give me one cent to catch a gopher.

I even made a few dimes there and comparing it with a few years years ago I used to pay a kid 25 cents to catch a gopher out at the ranch.

Now, what happened to all this settled country which had good crops for a number of years? The winds came and a dry cycle hit us and dust started blowing and it really started turning back into a desert. As I know, all the area from west of the breaks and clear up to here and over the hills south were all homesteaded.

People were living there just everywhere. In fact, there were some funny stories about fellows jumping each other's claims and saying that whoever had the double-barreled shotgun kept in possession of the ranch .

President Theodore Roosevelt, in going through that area in 1906, was supposed to have made the statement that this would be a real good country to try out the new Reclamation Bureau and see what could be done.

Actually, as I say, the winds came and the dust blew and peopl e moved away by the scores, but some thought about the idea of irrigation. In 1913 they started the Quincy Valley Irrigation District, 400,000 acres.

Quite a bit of the area, particularly around Ephrata withdrew from the District, and that was the start of the feuding between Ephrata and Quincy. However, the Quincy landowners were convinced that probably there was something better than dry farming and letting the land be blown away, so they kept on with the irrigation. In the fall of 1914 or 1915 a passenger coach of Quincyites went to the Spokane International Fair and they marched in a parade. At one intersection they would stop and give a big yell, and say, "Irrigation! Irrigation ! Where? Quincy Valley! Quincy Valley! There." At another place they'd stop and sing a song to the tune of Beulah Land. It was five verses and the chorus of it is:

"Oh Quincy Land, my Quincy Land,

As on thy burning sands we stand

And gaze way out across the plains

And wonder why it never rains

'Til Gabriel blows the triumphant sound

And says the rain, the rains have gone around."

Hannah Weber's grandfather, my Uncle Chris marched in that parade and is supposed to have said, "This may be good, but it sure sounds crazy to me."

Now the old Quincy District kept on going and three plans were promulgated as to how to irrigate the country. One was to build a power dam at Rock Island and the Quincy District had a power site there for several years, take the power to Crescent Bar and pump it over the hill. This may have been thought of years before.

A gentleman by the name of Babcock developed that area and he had a large steam engine and the most expensive thing for him was to get the water there to keep the boilers running. I can remember my Dad taking me out to actually see that thing once, once a long time ago; and he devised a system of windmills, I believe he had three of them.

He started at the bottom, went up the first bank and put in a concrete cistern and put up a windmill. Then on up to the next and pumped it up some more. A few years ago I saw one of those concrete things, still visible and in shape down in that area. That may have been the thought that you could pump the water up there.

The other plan was to bring the water from Lake Wenatchee, by a system of tunnels through the mountains and siphons underneath, including a siphon underneath the Columbia River to bring water just north of Quincy.

The third plan was to use gravity flow from Lake Pend Oreille and go all the way down through . The Quincy people asked the state for a bond issue, but it was turned down. We had no capable politicians at that time to help us out.

Now you all know the story of Coulee Dam, which opened the door for irrigation in the Columbia Basin. The Quincy Irrigation District was still in existence. The members who were keeping it together were Harry Johnson, the secretary; Hannah Weber's father, Conrad; Gene Huffman and myself. The total assessments on all the lands which were ever collected were less than $2.00 per acre.

E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

From the Columbia Basin Herald on July 27, 1950:

Drivers cited with fire trucks

Four drivers were cited by city police this week for following too close to a fire truck, interfering with the truck or both.

Roy Ramble, acting chief of the rural fire district, turned 18 over to county authorities for action on similar charges.

Acting to cut down fire loss, firemen cited a church pastor for creating a fire hazard. On July 21 faulty screening on his incinerator started a blaze which called out the city equipment.

City crews also answered a rural call about 6 a.m. Saturday when a frame house burned down, together with new shingles and wall board awaiting use. The house was two and a half miles up the Oasis Road.

Two other assists on country fires and a backyard grass fire Monday afternoon behind the Lish house at the corner of Third and Ash streets, completed the department's week.

Wilson Creek area history

The Rev. David H. Crawford compiled and published a history of families in and surrounding Wilson Creek titled, "Family Memories of Wilson Creek Area." The book was printed in 1978, which was the 75th anniversary of the town. David's son, John Crawford, has given permission for those memories to be a part of this column.

Today we complete the history of the McKeehan family:

Frank Ellis, born April 27, 1948 in Ephrata, is married to Sharon Stephenson of Coulee City and the father of three: Dawn, Marsha and Sheila. He lives on a farm at Oak Harbor and works as a computer specialist for the U.S. Government at the Whidbey Island Naval Station.

Dawn has completed her first year of study at the University of Washington; Marsha and Sheila attend Oak Harbor High School.

Frank and Sharon enjoy remodeling and working around their 20-acre farm, raising livestock, gardening and tinkering with their 1934 convertible Jaguar XKE 150.

Jack Dean, born January 14, 1940 in Ephrata, is married to Delores Welch formerly of Wilson Creek. Her parents Ed and Ruby Mares now live in Ephrata. Jack is the father of five: Jack Jr., Ken, Brenda, Dan and Gary and the proud grandfather of one: Jacob, son of Ken and his wife Robin.

Jack and family have lived for many years in Everett where he works for Puget Sound Trucking. Jack and Dee's three older children are graduates of Everett High School. Dan and Gary are students of Everett High. Jack has coached basketball and baseball for many years at the Boy's Club in Everett.

Murray Eugene, born Nov. 26, 1943 in Wilson Creek, is married to June Dundas of Metlokatla, Alaska and the father of three: Roger, Diana and Kevyn.

They live in Metlakatla where Murray owns his own commercial fishing boat and works in the lumber mill during the off-season. He enjoys the outdoors and loves to hunt, fish, camp and hike.

Larry Radger, born July 3, 1945 in Wilson Creek, graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 1967.

After 2 years with the Peace Corps in Colombia, he came back to teach in Othello. Larry received his Master's Degree in Spanish from Ohio State University in 1973. Since 1974 and presently he is teaching math and Spanish at Quilcene High School on the Olympic Peninsula. He likes camping, hiking, reading and traveling.

Laura Ann, born March 27, 1948 in Ephrata, has completed studies for her BA and teaching certificate from CWSC.

She plans to teach at a new Junior High School in Kennewick or accept an offer from CWSC to be a teaching assistant and pursue a master's degree in physical education.

Laura Ann has been living in Kennewick where she has worked in the construction industry as a tile setter. She likes to camp, hike, fish and travel. For many years she has played basketball and slow-pitch softball on community teams which have competed in district and state tournaments.