The Great Ellensburg Map Scandal
A bitter, humorous local feud between North Yakima and Ellensburg reveals the lengths to which frontier boosters went to lure railroads and settlers with 'imaginary' geography.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To the Editor of the Herald: You must have been struck by the perpetual struggle between good and evil. I am led to this consideration by finding on my desk a map of 'Washington.' The first thing that catches my eye is a star situated about the center of the production. It looks like 'the star of empire.' It is in the center of a circle, and above it appears the mystic characters—'Ellensburg.' A second glance shows me that the topography is widely different from that usually given by reliable authorities. I find open country where there is nothing but mountains. I find several railroads which have no existence outside of this work of art. Other railroads are playfully deflected fifty miles or more from their course.
I find the map is printed on paper which bears on the reverse side the following legend: 'Johnson House! Jackson Maloney, Proprietors, Ellensburg, Wash. Ter.' Now, I have been there; and I can honestly assure you that there is nothing whatever about the Johnson House to attract railroads. When I was there, they had a meeting to consider giving a bonus to some reckless individual who proposed experimenting in the growth of fruit trees. They discussed finding a windmill that would 'stand the racket' and a municipal ordinance that the licenses should be regulated so that not more than fifty per cent of the buildings should be used as 'sample shops.' I can only come to the conclusion that the Ellensburg real estate man has drawn those roads into Ellensburg on the map so the money flies into his net. This Kittitas style of map-making may be profitable, but it is neither honest nor decent.
“The Ellensburg real estate man has drawn those roads into Ellensburg on the map; as he has drawn so the money flies into his net, to gain his private ends.”
This 1889 editorial captures the era of 'boosterism,' where towns fought for supremacy using every dirty trick available, including printing fraudulent maps to attract Northern Pacific rail lines. Today, the competition between Yakima and Ellensburg has shifted from railroad depots to university expansions and tourism, but the intense regional rivalry remains a cornerstone of the Central Washington identity.
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