The Legacy of Walter A. Bull
A railroad pioneer and former large-scale rancher who helped shape Ellensburg's early development passes away in Okanogan County.
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.
Walter A. Bull died at the residence of H. Livingstone, in the Horse Spring Coulee, near Loomis, Okanogan county, Wash., on March 4, 1898. Mr. Bull was born June 20, 1838, in Albany, New York. He was a railroad contractor and did a vast amount of work on the Union Pacific. He brought his wagons and outfit across the country to aid in building the road from Portland to Tacoma in 1869. He came as far as this valley and located here on July 5, 1869. At one time Mr. Bull was the largest land owner in the county and the famous Bull ranch near town will keep his name fresh in the minds of the people. Some years ago misfortune overtook him, and like most large investors, he overreached himself, becoming involved and losing a great deal of property. He was always a personal friend of the editor, and contributed largely to our success in getting a strong foothold with The Dawn in this city.
“At one time Mr. Bull was the largest land owner in the county and the famous Bull ranch near town will for many years to come keep his name fresh in the minds of the people.”
Bull’s story of rapid wealth followed by financial collapse is a classic narrative of the 19th-century boom-and-bust cycle that defined much of Kittitas County's early economic life.
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