The Bid for the Capital: North Yakima’s 1889 Pitch

It is not necessary to assume any mystery in the matter of the state capital. The old settlers of Washington territory have always cherished a feeling that sooner or later the capital would be moved from Olympia to North Yakima. Nature has made here a beautiful plain, midway between the Cascades and the Columbia River and in the exact center of the state between east and west. Nature has further provided a great open valley here, with favors of climate and accessibility to be found nowhere else. Irrigation, aided by the hand of man, has stepped in and beautified the city in a manner to make it remarkably attractive. As a matter of fact, we have to the west of us, only twenty miles distant, a beautiful park equal in beauty to the great Yellowstone Park, known as the Tietan basin. Here may be found hot springs gushing from the earth at the foot of cliffs rising thousands of feet, beautiful stretches of park with trees of every kind, and elk, deer, and bear. In fact, this is the westernmost barrier of civilization. The town is laid out on a generous and large plan, with twenty-five miles of thriftily planted shade trees, and clear, sparkling streams of water that impart a cooling moisture to the summer air. As the site for the capital, North Yakima presents the most attractive and agreeable point that could be found; to locate it further east or west would be impracticable.