The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-08
THE FIRST HOPS IN WASHINGTON.
Henry Beckett Says They Were Not
Planted by Ezra Meeker.
Henry Beckett In Orting Oracle.

henry Beckett In Ort1ng Oracle.
In the Puyallup Commerce of September
III appears an article which claims to be a
"History of the Hop Industry" and
states that the man entitled to the credit
of founding it on this Coast sleeps in his
grave at Olympia. With all due respect
for the writer and the noble departed dead.
Mr.. Elder, who is well remembered by all
the old settlers as one of natures noble
men, and two of whose daughters Mrs. II.
Mccain and Mrs. s. b. Alvey reside in
Orting, where they are highly respected, l
must, in the interest of history and truth,
state that mistake has been made.
When the writer of that article states it
has always been his understanding that
Ezra Meeker was the original hop grower
of the Puyallup valley, he is mistaken.
The writer of this settled in Orting in the
fall of 1864, and in 1865 his brother. James
Beckett, and Mr.. Voigt with their families
arrived. In March OF 1866 my brother re-
turned to California and settled in Sacra-
mento.
Jacob Meeker, father of Ezra, was in
Olympia on business and accidentally
met Mr.. Wood, father of like Wood, who
resides in Orting but is known throughout
the Sound county, and in a conversation
regarding crops, and the prospects
u
wish some of you farmers in the Puyallup
valley would raise me some hops. | am
running the brewery and have 10 send to
California Tor what use" Jacob Meeker
replied 81 would raise you some, but I
have no hop roots" Mr. Wood offered
to supply him with a few roots. and gave
Jacob the peck of roots mentioned in the
Commerce.
He planted and cultivated them and
had quite a nice crop, but had quite a
difficulty in drying them. He could not
get the heat to ascend and was greatly per-
picked His son Ezra came up and told
his father he should give it some draft,
and dug the dirt banking away from the
building on all sides. This had the desired
effect. After drying and baling the hops
Jacob Meeker hauled them in his wagon
to Olympia and sold them to Mr. Wood
for So cents pound.
This was in the fall of 1866, and Hon. l..
F. Thompson. of Sumner, of the firm OF
Thompson & Mead, came to me and asked
if could get him some hop roots. | told
him | would if they could De obtained,
and asked what was mp. He told me we
had just the soil and climate for hops,
plenty of Indian labor for harvesting. and
he believed there was money in IL, citing
the experience of Jacob Meeker and its
success. L rhereupOn wrote my brother
James at Sacramento, asking him to look
around and see if he could obtain 5000 hop
roots for Thompson & Mead.
NY brother went to Flint IL Wills ranch
in Sacramento valley; they told him there
was great demand for hop roots and they
could only let him have $500. The roots
were packed and shipped to Thompson &
Mead, Steilacoom, and arrived in good
order, costing $3.50 per thousand without
freight. This was In 1867, and Thompson
& Mead planted, cultivated, dried and
baled the first hops raised in Washington
territory as an article of export.
But to return. Whatever Mr.. Elder sug-
gested to Ezra Meeker must have slept
with him until the experiment Of his
father, Jacob, and the success of Thompson
& Mead determined Ezra to go into the
business
Mr.. Willis Drury, of the Sacramento
News, should remember that when We
speak OF the coast, it means all this region
OF country from Boring sea to the gulf
of California and west of the rocky
mountains.
In conclusion, if Ezra Meeker was the
originator of the hop industry on this
coast, how was it that the hop roots had
to be and were obtained from California
by Thompson & Mead through the writer
of this, or does Mr.. Drury forget that Cal
ifornla is on this coast? The obtaining of
the roots from Flint & Willis ranch
proves that the industry was already be-
gun OH this coast for years prior to Ezra
Meeker planting any hops here.
Whatever credit and honor there is
should go 90 Jacob Meeker and Hon. l..
F. Thompson, who are justly entitled to
it, for Introducing hop culture in the
Puyallup valley.