The economic vitality of several communities was based to a great extent on a single enterprise.
In Pullman and Moscow, two state institutions of higher learning ensured an abiding employment
base as did the location of county seats in Colfax for Whitman County in 1871 and Moscow for
Latah.
The name "Latah" is derived from the Nez Perce words La-kah (pine) and Tah-ol (pestle)
to mean "Place of Pines and Pestles."
College Communities and the Agricultural Experiment Stations
The institutions of higher learning established in the Palouse in the 1890s made unprecedented
contributions to the region's agricultural development as well as to the general education and
culture of residents throughout the Pacific Northwest. Both Pullman's Washington State University,
originally Washington Agricultural College (1891), and the University of Idaho at Moscow (1892) were
established under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Land Grant College Act and the Hatch
Agricultural Experiment Station Act of 1887 which obligated them to serve the interests of area
rural populations through liberal arts education, vocational training, and agricultural research.
(page 109)
The Palouse wheat country is a sea of "amber waves of grain" punctuated by bright yellow canola and lime-green pea fields. Beyond the Palouse, the wheat fields give way to endless ridges of emerald-green forests. The land here is "purple mountains majesty" with whitewater thrown in. You can see into four states and overlook the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states. You can see the "River of No Return," the Salmon, join the mighty Snake River.
Kamiak Butte, a quartzite steptoe, stands distinctively about 1000 feet above the Palouse hills between the towns of Colfax, Palouse, and Pullman. Rising about 1,000 feet above the average terrain, Kamiak is like an island among the fields. This forested butte overlooks the Palouse. There is some excellent hiking, along with picnicking. A great place to watch the sunset.
The park has over five miles of forested hiking trails. The 3.5 mile Pine Ridge Trail is part of the National Trails System. Reaching an elevation of 3,641 feet (second highest point in Whitman County), the park offers visitors a panoramic view of the Palouse region. Keep your eyes open as the park plays host to over 150 bird, mammal and vegetation species. Pack a lunch and spend the day hiking trails or utilizing the day use area!
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| Spring | Autumn |
Klemgard Park is 14 miles west of Pullman. The park caters to large group activities and offers volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, a field for softball and soccer, plus a number of hiking trails. This is a good place to relax in some trees, which are few and far between on the Palouse.
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| View from Skyline Drive |
McCrosky Park offers spectacular views of the Palouse prairie which reflects the ever-changing agricultural patchwork of the valleys bordered by surrounding forested foothills. The park is traversed by an 18-mile-long gravel road, which provides access to 32 miles of multipurpose trails. A series of interpretive signs on the historical and land-management aspects of the area are located throughout the park. Facilities include a group day use shelter, three primitive camping areas and four roadside picnic areas.
Mary Minerva McCroskey: The 5,292 acres ranging from 3300 to 4324 feet elevation of the McCroskey State Park were donated to the State of Idaho in 1955 by Virgil McCroskey as a memorial to his mother. He then maintained the park trail system until his death in 1970. The park consists of a 21-mile skyline drive with spectacular views of ever-changing agricultural patchwork in the valley. Additional acreage was deeded to the state by the McCroskey family members in 1972. In 1973, 40 acres were acquired by endowment purchase.
This park is also called Skyline Drive because of its spectacular view of the rolling Palouse hills. Considered a primitive area, the drive through the park winds over three mountains. The eastern side of Skyline Drive is near DeSmet, ID. The main road winds over several mountain peaks for 25 miles and ends near Farmington, WA.
Park History
Virgil McCroskey, growing up could see the Skyline Ridge that now is McCroskey State park from his home at the base of Steptoe
Butte. Graduating from college in 1899 he owned and worked a drugstore in Colfax, Washington until inheriting the family farm
on the passing of his father. He labored on the family land until World War II, planting trees, shrubs and flowers.
Realizing that his efforts may be in vain depending upon the next owner he sold the land to generate funds to pruchase the Skyline Ridge in Idaho and Steptoe Butte in Washington. Steptoe Butte was given to the State of Washington in 1946. It took two attempts for Virgil to convince the Idaho Legislature to accept his State Park gift of 4,400 acres. Then it was with the stipulation that he provide $500 annually for the first fifteen years and maintain the park himself. Virgil kept his promise and labored endlessly in the park until his death at age 93, in 1970.
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| Bryan Clock Tower |
Nestled in southeastern Washington's rolling wheat fields, Pullman has much to offer visitors, students and those seeking a lifestyle that combines a beautiful country setting with the benefits of a major university. Pullman's 24,675 residents are a mix of Washington State University students, faculty and staff intertwined with families and individuals employed in agriculture, government, retail, trade technology and services.
Pullman has its origins as early as 1877. It was known as "Three Forks," from a geographical perspective of the joining Missouri Flat Creek, Dry Fork Creek, and the South Fork of the Palouse River.
In 1881, three settlers, Daniel McKenzie, Bolin Farr, and Orville Steward applied for a postal permit under the name "Pullman." One theory is that the adapted name comes from George Pullman, the king of the great railroad sleeping car. Pullman's artisian wells soon attracted newcomers to the area and the community grew with six businesses and professionals who encouraged growth. In 1890, these businesses and professionals helped bring Washington State College to Pullman. Opening in 1892 with 21 students, Washington State University has grown to more than 18,000 at the Pullman campus.
Pullman is located in the heart of the Palouse Country. With a wintertime population of 27,000 people and a summertime population half that size, the atmosphere in Pullman is dynamic.
Pullman is many things rolled into one: a long-established farming community whose many residents are fourth and fifth generation Pullman area farmers; a local business community where merchants and business leaders know residents by name; and a university community, with 18,000 college students plus staff. These various personalities blend well in Pullman and give the area a cosmopolitan flavor, the city community providing charm and security, and the university community providing cultural activity and energy.
Pullman was founded in its current location because of the water. It was originally named Three Forks, after the three small rivers that converge here (Missouri Flat Creek, Dry Fork, and the South Palouse). The most important feature for the new settlement was the abundance of fresh, potable water provided by a series of natural artesian wells. This guaranteed water supply was a great asset for growing a community and future city. The railroad (1833) and a land grant college (1892) would guarantee Three Forks/Pullman's survival. There are two stories about how Three Forks eventually became Pullman. One version says that the early city fathers changed the name of their community to Pullman in order to win a considerable endowment from George Pullman, of railroad car fame and fortune. The other, somewhat more colorful version, says that the burgeoning town of Three Forks wanted a Fourth of July celebration and fireworks display worthy of its status as a growing city. The city fathers offered to name the town after the individual who agreed to sponsor or provide a major financial contribution to this effort. George Pullman answered the call - rumor has it for a donation somewhere in the neighborhood of $25. The story also says his contribution was accompanied by a written note asking that the town now leave him alone!
The town was finally incorporated in 1886 with a population of 250 people. The community got its Fourth of July celebration that year, a tradition that continues to this day thanks to excellent fire fighting practices. Pullman was decimated by two major fires, one on July 4, 1886 and another on July 3, 1890. It's also had its share of devastating floods, thanks to the three rivers that attracted settlers to the area in the first place. Once effective practices were established to get that abundant water out of the rivers and on to the fires, Pullman thrived.
Pullman is set upon four major hills and is divided in nearly perfect quarters thereby. Each hill has its own community park, including playgrounds for small children (Harrison Tot Lot on Military Hill); the soccer/softball areas, winter sledding hills, and sheltered grilling area and playground equipment of Kruegel Park on Pioneer Hill; McGee Park and Reaney Parks on College Hill, and the youngest of the city's parks, Sunnyside Park on Sunnyside Hill, with large softball diamonds, a great pond and babbling brook, a large sheltered area for grilling, and rolling hills of grass for enjoying the sunshine or the snow. Reaney Park is one of the oldest parks in town and houses the city's swimming pools, bandstand, playground equipment, a beautiful tree canopy, and plays host to many of the community's festivals and celebrations. During the summer, catch the 6-week Concerts In The Park series on Wednesdays, which begins each outdoor musical evening with a buffet dinner catered by a local restaurant.
This is also Cougar Country. Washington State University lies in the middle of these rolling hills, in Pullman. The second largest
university in the state, Washington State (Wazzu) was founded in 1890 as a land-grant, agricultural college. The Cougars enjoy a
healthy rivalry with their cross-state "nemesis", the University of Washington Huskies. Pullman is located just 7 miles east of
Moscow and the University of Idaho, making this small corridor very spirited and an active center for higher education.
The campus boasts many museums, interesting architecture, a bear facility, the award winning WSU Creamery, and exciting PAC 10 athletics.
The northeastern most hill is College Hill, so-named as it is the site of Washington State University. The University opened as the state's Agricultural College and School of Science with twenty-one students in 1892, became Washington State College in 1905, and Washington State University in 1959. Undergraduate and graduate education is offered in intellectual and technical pursuits, in any of seven colleges. The campus is gorgeous, with buildings of mostly Palouse-made red brick situated on a steep hillside majestically overlooking the downtown area. The bright red face of the Bryan Hall clock tower is a highly recognizable WSU and Pullman landmark. Some of the campus buildings are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The WSU campus is an accomplishment of engineering and architecture. The surrounding wheat farms and town keep Washington State University relatively compact, such that additions and extensions of the university facilities have started going underground, being built into the hills and under existing structures, and leaving campus greenspaces intact. The university has some wonderful libraries for travelers interested in research, and many museums of interest, including anthropological exhibits, art galleries, flora and fauna displays, and an observatory. WSU also has its own brand of cheese, quite renowned. It's uniquely processed and sold in sealed cans! A visit to Pullman should include a visit to Ferdinand's dairy on campus, where you can enjoy fresh dairy milk, ice cream, and pick up a tin of their famous, canned Cougar Gold cheese.
Palouse farmland Pullman is a farming community, and when you've got something special, flaunt it. That's what Pullman does every harvest season with the annual National Lentil Festival. Known around the world as a staple at dinner tables, the lentil suffers unexplained obscurity in the U.S. A lentil can best be described as a flat, tasty pea. It's quite versatile, and Pullman is making sure it gets the respect it deserves. You may never have another experience like this, and you will go away with a great appreciation for this "irresistible little legume".
Pullman is part of a Fourth of July circuit celebrated in and around the communities of the Palouse. Several communities have coordinated their events, so you can spend the day "town-hopping" from one community to another and not miss the fun. For example, for many years Moscow, Idaho (just 8 miles east of Pullman) started their fireworks display several minutes after Pullman's display ended, so those who wanted to could catch both spectacles. An absolute must is the Fourth Of July Parade in Johnson, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it community just a few miles south of Pullman. The main street is about a mile long with the parade of homemade gadgets, local kids, modified farm machinery, outlandish costumes and always great humor running its length and doubling back on itself. Some of the entries have become traditional, while others change every year mocking current events in a good-natured send-up. As always, the parade is made up of whoever shows up on time, with no clearly planned or organized events. So, you can just as easily plan to watch the fun as join it! Pullman's contribution to Fourth of July starts at 5 PM at Sunnyside Park and is topped off with a brilliant fireworks display later in the evening.
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| Shadow of Steptoe Butte |
The reason for the park's existence is the butte itself, which rises to an elevation of 3,612 feet out of the rolling Palouse Hills with panaramic views that are popular with photographers. The butte is actually the top of a granite mountain that stands above the lava flows that covered all the other peaks. The word steptoe has entered the international geographical vocabulary to represent any similar remnant of an earlier geographic feature standing out from the newer feature.
A beautiful vista of endless rolling hills awaits the visitor to the summit of Steptoe Butte. The road winds around the butte in a spiral all the way to the peak. Steptoe Butte soars 3,612 feet into the sky. Driving to the top of Steptoe is like seeing the landscape from an airplane. The park is famous for its stark, dramatic beauty and the panoramic view it provides of surrounding farmlands, the Blue Mountains, and other neighboring ranges and peaks. From the top of the butte, the eye can see 200 miles.
With its top at 3,612 feet often shouded in perling clouds, Steptoe Butte is the highest formation in the Palouse Hills. Formations similar to Steptoe Butte create an inland atoll within this restless sea of grains and grasses mhich it is the most western in a chain of prominents that includes Stratton, Granit, and Kamiak buttes and Moscow and Tekoa mountains.
Native Americans called the butte the power mountain. It was believed that a journey to the butte bestowed a gift of power from the mountain's guardian spirit. The butte's present name honors Colonel Edward Steptoe, who gave years of service maintaining peace in the region. His men were killed in a conflict, which he tried to prevent, with Native Americans.