The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-08-07
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST Z, 1907.
Toppcnish and Its Big Growth.

T0ppenish and Its Big Growth.
Toppenish, situated as 1t is in the
geographical trade center of the
Yakima reservation, has always been
to the Indians what it's name signi-
fes. big Trading Point" 1t is
now rapidly becoming the big trad
ing point also for the whites. But
very little us known on the outside
regarding Toppenish, for the reason
that until February of this year
the town has been located on leased
Indian lands, all of the improvements
have been temporary and the facili-
ties for handling business the most
crude, and the residents not enough
interested to call attention to the
good points, says the Seattle Times.
Regardless of all these hindrances
or lack of facilities. Toppenish has
continued to grow as trading GEN.
ter and shipping point, until last
year 1t was "a close rival of North
Yakima, and at some seasons of the
year surprising that place in the
amount of shipments. Last year
there was shipped from Toppenish
2.053 car lots of produce, etc., as
follows: Grain, 1913 cars; hay, 936
cars; spuds, zoe cars; live stock. 35S
cars; fruit 3S1 cars; miscellaneous,
&C cars; express shipments, 1916
400 pounds. These amounts are in
addition to the local freight ship
ments, of which no record has been
kept that Is now avsilable, which are
estimated by the local agent at over
Ave million pounds.
Taking an average of $500 for the
value Of each car, which Is conserva-
tive. and an average of &c per pound
for the express and local freight
shipments. practically $1.5OO,OOO
was distributed among the farmers
tributary to Topperish in 1906.
Since the opening of the land in
Toppenish to white ownership, the
development has ben rapid and per-
manent. Where two years ago there
were farms and a few shacks there
are numerous substantial brick, ce-
ment block. stone and frame business
houses and dwellings. The stone and
cement warehouse of the Richey &
Gilbert Company, with floor space
ON one floor of over an acre, is the
largest and best equipped produce
warehouse on the Northern Pacific
Railway. w. w. Robinson of Seattle
is now constructing hay and grain
warehouse on the railroad right of
Of way to have a floor space of $50
by $50 feet. J. l.. Crab of Seattle,
J. M. Perry & Co. Of North Yakima,
Coffin Bros. of North Yakima and the
Toppenish Trading Company also
have large and substantial produce
warehouses. The Toppenish Trading
Company and l.. M. Tyrell & Son are
now erecting large stone buildings
for their general merchandise stores.
Col. Franklin P. Olney, one of the
many educated and exceptionally in
telligent Indians of the Yakima Res
ervation. and one Of the leaders of
the tribe. has just completed a fine
building of cement blocks for a gen.
eral merchandise store. H. M. Gill
bert is just completing brick and
cement block building 100x1OO feet,
which will contain five retail stores
Numerous other buildings are under
way and 1t Is only the lack of mate
rials and labor that delays their COM
pletion. At this tine the opportun-
ity for outside investors to erect
both business houses and dwellings
here for rental purposes is unsur-
passed In the Yakima Valley. There
are hundreds Of persons living in
shacks because there are not better
buildings for them. and a number of
good paying business houses are To-
Gated in cheap frame buildings be-
cause there are not enough good
buildings to go around.
This Is not boom, but a normal
condition. and one that is bound to
continue. fr the location of Topper