Wheat ranching of the past

Wheat ranchers across the Columbia Basin are beginning to harvest their golden grain. Here we take a look into wheat ranching of the past.

Golden grain

The Pioneer Edition

From the Adams County Pioneer Edition, published by The Ritzville Journal-Times in 1949, with permission of Publisher Dee Ruser and supplied by Larry Lenz.

Soil like China

"By 1910, the relatively light Adams County loams had proved their ability to produce an extremely high quality hard wheat with very little moisture. During a visit about that time, Mark W. Harrington, former chief of the U.S. weather bureau, remarked that he knew of only one other region in the world with soil as perpetually fertile as in Adams County.

"That was in the provinces of Shausi and Shensi in north China, Harrington declared, where soil under cultivation for 4,000 years had remained fertile and productive.

"Hard Adams County wheat, in great demand by millers, won international honors at expositions and fairs. P.R. Clark of Ritzville, as one instance, captured first place with a sampling of Bluestem at the International Dry Farming Congress in Alberta, Canada, in 1912. Three years later, Adams County swept the top three prizes in white spring wheat at the International Wheat Show in Wichita, Kansas.

"Competing against farmers from all over the nation, E.W. Freise won first with his Early Baart, P.R. Clark second with Early Baart and Oscar Gaskill third with Bluestem.

More about wheat farming of the past soon.

From Larry Lenz about Siler:

"Dan Bolyard and the Milwaukee boys were right in assuming the Sieler Depot was named after a family member of the Sieler's.

"My old Grant County Atlas revealed this bit of information. A person by the name of H. Sieler owned the section of land that the Depot and siding were on.

"I found that there were three Seiler's. Henry Sieler, Herbert H. Sieler and a George Sieler.

"In that Township (T 18 N., R 29 E) The Sieler's owned 15 sections of land plus several other sections in other surrounding Townships.

"The section of land that Wheeler, WA is located on was owned by H. Sieler, who also had eleven sections of land around Wheeler. All I find at Mile Post 5.3 are some dots indicating buildings, but a sort distance from the Milwaukee tracks.

"Nothing of Grow. I'll keep a watchful eyes open for any information and/or location of Grow." The Krupp Kid, Larry C. Lenz

Thanks for sharing, Larry. Say, would the person who stopped by with the Siler sign please call me at home. The number is in the telephone book.