blog entry for February 25, 2013

Our readings for this week focused on the town of Harrington, Washington.  The articles provided the reader with a brief introduction to the history of Harrington.  An article from the Spokesman-Review from 1902 summarized the attempted land grab by Joseph Drazan against Maude E Green.  The article was interesting for several reasons, including the colorful descriptions given of both Mr. Drazan and Miss. Green.

            In 1909 Richard F Steele published his The Story of Lincoln County, Washington.  His book provided his readers with a brief overview of the history of Lincoln County, including a look at the town of Harrington.  Part of the appeal of Harrington was that it was “on the line of the Great Northern Railway, west from Spokane.” (pg. 14)  It was easy for people to take the train from Spokane, spend a day in Harrington, then take the train back home.  Harrington was a place to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of Spokane, yet it was close enough that a lot of prior planning was not necessarily required for the trip.

Photo Courtesy of Meredith Bezold

            Mr. Steele described Harrington as being part of the “Harrington Wheat Belt.” (pg. 21)  The wheat belt was an area in Washington State which was famous throughout the region as being a place “for wonderful acreage production.” (pg. 21-22)  He noted that Harrington, as of 1909, had “six large grain houses” and “one flouring mill.” (pg. 22)

            The State of Washington, in 1904, published An Illustrated History of the Big Bend Country, Embracing Lincoln, Douglass, Adams and Franklin Counties.  Almost five pages were dedicated to the town of Harrington.  Harrington was described as being 51 miles from Spokane, as well as being on the main path of the Great Northern Railway.  The town was surrounded by “solid wheat on all sides,” yet this did not stop homesteaders from settling in Harrington. (pg. 158)  

            The town of Harrington began as most towns did back in the 1800s, as a homestead.  In the case of Harrington, Adam and Jacob Ludy founded their homestead in 1879 around the area which is currently occupied by the town of Harrington. (pg. 158)  The town grew steadily, and it was added to a town site record in May 12, 1883. (pg. 159)  

            With the town steadily growing, a saloon was added to the town.  It was not always open, as it only did “business a portion of the time.” (pg. 159)  A vote was held in Harrington over the issue of prohibition in 1886.  Twenty-two people voted for prohibition, and thirty-two people voted against prohibition. (pg. 159)  Prohibition had failed in a small town, where the local saloon was not even open part of the time.

            The town of Harrington started to grow more quickly in 1892 when construction of the Great Northern Railway reached Harrington. (pg. 159)  The railway allowed for more people to reach Harrington, which in turn created more business for the town.  The railway also provided job opportunities for the unemployed.

            “One of the most important factors in the building up of the county around Harrington…. was the operations of the California Land & Stock Company.” (pg. 160)  The California Land & Stock Company owned a great deal of land around the town of Harrington, and it provided the land for farming and homesteading opportunities.  People took advantage of the opportunity to own their own land, so the area around Harrington started to grow.

            The mid to late 1890s held two worthwhile events for Harrington.  On May 11, 1894 the coal sheds for the Great Northern Railway were destroyed by a fire. (pg. 1960)  The book did not specify what caused the fire, or if the coal sheds were rebuilt.  I would suspect that they were, in fact, rebuilt as trains used coal for power.  The other worthwhile event occurred in 1897.  A new schoolhouse was built, a “large, two-room” building for the students of Harrington.  The school was taught by two teachers, and 138 students attended the school. (pg. 162)

            The City Hall building was completed in 1904, the year the book was published.  One of the lasting descriptions of Harrington provided to the reader was that “the water supply is abundant and of exceeding purity.” (pg. 162)  If Harrington had nothing else going for it, at least the town had good, clean water.

Photo Courtesy of Meredith Bezold

            On Monday, February 24 of 1902 the Spokesman-Review published an article titled “Pretty Girl Fights For Home: Harrington Beauty Is After Big Bend Farm.”  The case involved Miss. Maude E Green and Joseph Drazan.  Miss. Green was described as “the daughter of one of the rich farmers of the Big Bend,” and as a “young, handsome and fashionably dressed girl” who “looks like a society girl.”  Mr. Drazan, however, was described as “a horny handed tiller of the soil.”

            The case centered on a homestead which Miss. Green claimed to own, while Mr. Drazan claimed that she had not established a proper residency on the land.  If it was proven that Miss. Green had not established her residency, then the land would be free for Mr. Drazan to claim.  As the land had already been sown with crops, Mr. Drazan would also take over and harvest the crop which had already been planted.

            The article does not provide the reader with a summary of the verdict in the case.  It is possibly that at the time of press the verdict was not known, so it was printed in a different article on a later date.

            The WISAARD database is a useful website.  Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data, or WISAARD, is a database which lists the historical features in a particular city or town.  Harrington currently has eighty listings.  Pictures, reports and other documents are available for the viewer to navigate through.  A lot of information is available for the viewer, if they are willing to take the time and look through the database.