Range War on the Wenas
Settlers in the Naches and Wenas valleys organize against encroaching sheep men, threatening legal action to protect their land.
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.
Mr. Knox Johnston of Spokane, a representative of the land department of the Northern Pacific, is here in response to a call of outraged settlers who are protesting against the invasions and unlawful encroachment of itinerant sheep men. Mr. Johnston has been to Klickitat County, where he has seen valuable lands rendered almost totally worthless by these predatory nomads who observe neither the law nor the rights of settlers. On behalf of the latter, he has authorized W. B. Morse to look after the company’s lands in this section and instructed him to warn sheep men to keep their flocks therefrom. In case of failure to comply, Morse is to swear out warrants for the arrest of the trespassers, who will be vigorously prosecuted by J. H. Mitchell, the attorney for the Northern Pacific. The people of the Wenas and Natcheez valleys, feeling the injury done by the destruction of the range, have called a meeting at the Cowan school house on Saturday, September 12th, to take action to prevent further depredations.
“valuable lands rendered almost totally worthless by these predatory nomads, who neither observe the law nor the natural rights of settlers”
Conflicts over land use and grazing rights have deep roots in Yakima's history. Just as these 19th-century settlers organized to protect their range from 'nomadic' sheep herders, today's Yakima Valley communities still navigate complex disputes regarding water rights, irrigation access, and agricultural land management.
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