The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1911-09-01
FRUIT TRACTS ARE
REPLACING wheat
fARMINGTON TAKES A LEADING
PLACE In RAISING APPLES
FOR EXPORT.


stopped for the night at the head
waters of Pine creek. Waking in
the morning the driver saw the low
mountains three or four miles to the
east and the broad eXpanse of more
level land to the west and all covered
with luxuriant bunch grass. This
is good enough for me-" said George
w. TruaX, the owner of the two
horses and what worldly possessions
were contained in the wagon. Here
he built his cabin and filed on a
quarter section of government land.
The ten cents in coin which the
homesteader possessed when he first
saw the headwaters of Pine creek
was added to by the sale of cedar
shakes which were hewed out and
hauled to Walla Walla.
In '79 Mr.. TruaX decided to To-
cate town and eight blocks were
plated next to the Idaho line and
the town of Pennington came into
existance. Because Mr.. Truax came
from Pennington, MINI, he named
his new town Pennington. The pio-
neer has been dead for a dozen years
and only one man remains in the
the Truax homestead was plated and
the town laid out. E. E. Paddock,
who came to Washington territory
that year, located in the new town
and the following year engaged in
business and has been selling goods
to the people of that county ever
since. For a time he carried the
mail between Pennington and Colfax
making the trip three times a week
when the task was a strenuous and
dangerous one.
Only few of the pioneers are left.
Moses Fish lived in the town in the
early days but later has taken up his
residence on a farm outside. John
Stemm lived on Ducks fiat in the
pioneer days and recently moved in
to town. H. c. Harlow lived on a
farm two miles east of the town un-
til the last few years, when he has
lived retired life in town. Walter
Hayfield was one of the early settlers
and engaged in business in sc, the
year the railroad was built into the
town.
Pennington was the third oldest
town in Whitman county and in the
early days the settlers went 20 Waits
burg for their -four making the trip
by team. Other supplies were brought
up the Snake river by boat and
freighted across the country from AL
mota through Colfax to Pennington.
The little town on the Idaho line has
an elevation of 262S feet and back
in the early SOS the crops were nip
ped by the frosts. After the rail-
road was built north as far, as Colfax,
officials from Portland came up to
investigate as they feared the coun-
try was too frosty to ever permit the
growing of grain successfully. Their
fears were groundless for time has
proved Pennington and vicinity to
be one of the best grain and fruit
districts in the whole Palouse coun-
try.
Last year the apple crop brought
half as much money to Pennington
as did the grain. In the territory
tributary to Pennington are more
than 100 orchards, some large and
some small. Last season about 100
acres of trees were planted and ord
ers have been placed with the nurs-
cry men for as many more for deliv-
cry next season. Soil and climatic
conditions seem to be specially
adapted to raising apples with good
keeping qualities making them spec
tally desirable for exporting. Rome
Beauties are the leading variety
though there are many Kings, Delic-
ious and few other good keeping
varieties. At the Spokane apple show
two years ago the prize for the best
car of Rome Beauties from any To-
cality went to Pennington. In fact,
Pennington took more premiums
than any other one locality. The
previous year silver cup was award
ed to Pennington for the best three
carloads of marketable apples. Irri-
cation is not used and in fact would
be a detriment to the heavy soil. The
apples however take prizes over those
grown in both the Yakima and Wen
atchee districts.
Although small fruit and berries
have not been raised TO any great eX-
tent commercially, enough of them
have been grown to demonstrate that
they do exceedingly well, especially
in the foothills. Bing cherries made
a record this year when 100 pounds
were shipped to Canada and sold for
23 cents wholesale and after duty,
express and commission, netted the
shipper 8 cents a pound. Last year
was big one in the apple line and
this year is light one all over the
northwest, yet the Pennington orch
ards will yield 60 per cent Of last
years crop. The shipments of fruit
last year were rs carloads.
Among the leading fruit men is B.
G. Cameron, who has so acres OF
Rome Beauties. Mr.. Cameron also
buys the crops of the other growers
of the vicinity and relieves them OF
the trouble of packing and hunting a
market. Charles McCann has about
so acres of Rome Beauties just COM
ing into bearing. Seven carloads
were shipped from his orchard last
year and the crop will be larger this
year. W. L. Bishop has 80 acres of
mixed orchard. including 10 acres Of
prunes which netted him 500 an