Ritzville lauded as national Preserve America community

City's dedication to its past earned the distinction

Ritzville boasts a historic downtown, a museum created from the home of an old country doctor and a historic Burlington Northern caboose.

Now it's earned a national designation from First Lady Laura Bush for its work in cultural preservation and the economic benefits they bring.

Ritzville was named one of the nation's 104 Preserve America communities yesterday morning in a ceremony held outside the Frank R. Burroughs Home, the house owned by a long-time doctor that was preserved as a community museum.

The keynote speaker was Dr. David Sampson, the U.S. assistant secretary of commerce, who presented Mayor Craig Ulleland with a certificate of designation signed by Laura Bush.

"Ritzville is a charming and wonderful place. I can tell driving in that you take pride in your community," Sampson said.

The Preserve America label was launched in 2003 by executive order from President George W. Bush. Sampson said it will act as both a strong marketing tool for Ritzville for tourism and gain the town access to grants reserved only for Preserve America towns.

"This is one of those things that's good for a community both from a cultural perspective and an economic perspective," Sampson said.

Other dignitaries at the event included state Rep. Mark Schoesler, Adams County Commissioner Rudy Plager, a representative from Congressman George Nethercutt's office and Russell Holter, who is with the state office of archaeology and historical preservation.

Anne Olson, a former member of Ritzville's historical preservation commission and author of the application that earned the town this honor, said the people in the town are what make its historical-preservation efforts unique.

Many Ritzville residents descend from Volga Germans who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Olson said.

In 1882, the town had 50 people when a train stopped by with 150 people in 16 families, Olson said. Those families, she added, are still here.

"The roots are deep here for a lot of people," Olson said.

More specifically, the existence of the town's historical preservation commission, a walking tour and the support of city government, she said.

"It's not one big thing," Olson said. "It's a lot of little things we've done."

Mayor Ulleland said he was looking forward to what Preserve America can do for the city's economic development.

"I think it's a great benefit in that sense of it," he said.

Sampson said historical preservation is growing as an industry as the baby boom generation grows older, and people begin seeking the history of their own identity.

"They want to redirect their roots and rediscover where their families came from," Sampson said.

Holter, who read a letter from Dr. Allison Brooks, who heads the state office of archaeology and historic preservation, thanked the federal officials for coming.

"I can think of no better example in heritage-preservation leadership than here in Ritzville," Brooks wrote.