Kittitas County, Washington

Introducing Kittitas County

On November 24th, 1883, the Washington Territorial Legislature took the northern section of Yakima County to create Kittitas County. The origin of the County’s name is unclear, except that it is definitely native and is shared by a river and a tribe of Upper Yakama people. The County’s website states “From the Cascades to the Columbia,” which is apt as the western border of the County is where it meets King County at the summit of the Cascade Mountains. Similarly, on its eastern border, the Columbia River separates Kittitas County from neighboring Grant County.

Kittitas County lost a portion of its land area with the creation of Chelan County in 1899, but since then, its extent has remained unchanged. It covers 2,333 square miles, of which 36 are water. That puts it in eighth place of Washington’s thirty-nine counties, smaller than both Yakima County from which it was created, and Chelan County to which it gave up land. The County Seat is Ellensburg and the 2023 census estimate says 45,508 people call it home, 24th in rank.

The First People

The Kittitas or Upper Yakama have lived in the area for at least 300 years. The area’s climate made it possible to gather roots, such as Camas. Several different tribes would come together to harvest food, fish, and meet to discuss matters of common interest. Alexander Ross, a Scottish-born Canadian fur trader, teacher and writer, was one of the first Europeans to visit the area and in his book Fur Traders of the Far West, describes finding an encampment of thousands of natives gathered in the Kittitas Valley.

The creation of Washington Territory brought Isaac Stevens as the new territory’s first governor. Stevens was fixated on establishing title to land in his new territory which stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Continental Divide. He set about gathering tribes together and getting them to agree to cede their land and move to reservations. One of these treaties took most of today’s central Washington in exchange for a Yakama Reservation. The ceded land included today’s Kittitas County.

With the discovery of gold in northeastern Washington (remembering that Idaho and western Montana were considered Washington at the time), miners poured through the area, followed closely by cattlemen who brought horses which they sold to the miners. They found the climate ideal for raising cattle, and the area was close enough to Seattle to make marketing easy. But following the cattlemen were farmers, and by the end of the century, farming had taken root in the new county.

Both the Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroads came through toward the end of the century making both travel and marketing much simpler. Irrigation in the form of canals allowed the introduction of fruit orchards.

Ellensburg, the County Seat

John Alden Shoudy founded the city in 1871 on the shores of the Yakima River. He named it for his wife, Mary Ellen. The 1880 Census counted 150 residents, but that number soared to 2,768 by 1890. With impending statehood in 1889, Ellensburg was a contender to become the new state’s capital. A fire that year destroyed much of downtown, and voters in a referendum choose to keep the capital at Olympia. Ellensburg did win a prize when the state legislature chose the city to be home to the State Normal School. Central Washington University, as it is now known, is the single largest employer in Kittitas County.

With a 2022 estimated population of 18,703, Ellensburg is not one of Washington’s largest cities. It is, however, home to eight museums and art galleries, two of which are part of the University. The one that caught my eye is known as Dick and Jane’s Spot.

Artists Richard Elliott and Jane Orleman turned their home into a public art installation—the yard at least. The house remains private.

The city is also home to many annual events ranging from the PRCA Ellensburg Rodeo each Labor Day Weekend to the Dachshunds on Parade each June. There is also an annual brewfest, a jazz festival, and Buskers in the Burg for street performers.

Other Kittitas County Communities

In addition to Ellensburg, Kittitas County is home to three cities, one town, a ghost town, and several Census Designated Places and unincorporated communities. The cities are Cle Elum, Kittitas, and Roslyn. South Cle Elum is a town in its own right. The ghost town of Liberty is an old mining camp in the Cascade Mountains. Of the eight Census-designated-places and Unincorporated communities, my two favorites are Thorp and Vantage.

Cle Elum

Originally a home for the Kittitas people, the area saw white settlement begin with travelers passing through on their way to Puget Sound. The Northern Pacific came through in 1886 and built a station named Clealum from the Kittitas word Tle–el–lum (Swift Water). A townsite grew up around the station, and the town incorporated in 1902. The Sunset Highway, connecting Seattle and Spokane, brought traffic through downtown Cle Elum, as the town was known after 1908. The town’s economy depended on coal mining and timber in the early days,. Today it is mostly a bedroom community for the Seattle/Puget Sound area. The 2020 Census counted 2,157 residents.

Kittitas

The city of Kittitas, seven miles east of Ellensburg, is a child of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The town dates from 1883 and was incorporated in 1931. The Milwaukee’s depot is today on the National Register of Historic Places. The 2020 Census reported 1,438 city residents.

Roslyn

Any fan of the 1990s television show Northern Exposure will recognize Roslyn. The show’s exteriors were shot here. Other Hollywood productions have also used the town and its people. Founded in 1886 as a company town for the area’s coal mining, the town saw an influx of settlers from across Europe as men came to work the mines and brought their families. The city’s cemeteries have 26 separate sections for the various ethnic and social groups buried there. The mines have closed, due to a lack of demand, and the town’s economy is now based on timber and tourism. In 2020, the Census showed 950 residents.

Thorp and Vantage

Of the other Kittitas County communities, my two favorites are Thorp and Vantage. The two could hardly be more different, but I have my reasons for favoring both. Thorp is a farming community west of Ellensburg and draws me in with a large multi-story barn-like building easily visible from Interstate 90. Take the Thorp exit (101) and there, just north of the highway is a store selling fresh produce and related food products on the ground level with two stories full of antiques above. Rare is my trip across Washington that I don’t take advantage of the distraction. The last time I was in the area, I even stopped to check out the Thorp Mill and other photo opportunities in the immediate area.

Vantage, on the other hand, is the first exit (west-bound) after you cross the Columbia River. I never knew there was a town associated with the name until I researched this story. Apparently, the 2020 Census says that Vantage has 54 residents, although I could not tell you where they are hiding. What is notable is the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. The Park offers boating, camping, fishing, hiking and an interpretive center where you can learn about the petrified wood found in the area as well as petroglyphs left by the indigenous Wanapum people. The park’s website does caution against tenting, as the high winds may blow you away.

The Topography of Kittitas County

As noted above, the County claims to reach “From the Cascades to the Columbia.” The County’s highest point is Mount Daniel at 7,959 feet. (Note that the peak is on the border of King County. It is the highest point in both.) By the time you reach the Columbia River at Vantage, you are at 663 feet. Heading west on Interstate 90, once you cross the Columbia you begin an eleven-mile grade climbing from the river to the benchland where most of Kittitas County’s farming is done. Once you get west of Thorp, you begin climbing again, this time heading toward Snoqualmie Pass at 3,022 feet. My own experience is that you know you are climbing, and the mountains are visible ahead and beside you, but the climb is nowhere near as steep as that first eleven miles west of Vantage.

Along the County’s northern border, the Wenatchee Mountains separate Kittitas from Chelan County. To the south, the Manastash Ridge runs along the Kittitas/Yakima County line. A portion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is in the County, as well as in King and Chelan Counties.

The largest lakes in Kittitas County are Cle Elum, Kachess and Keechelus. Keechelus lies right on the southern edge of Interstate 90, just east of Snoqualmie Pass. The other two are a few miles further east and north of the Interstate. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lists twenty-two lakes in the County, most of which are less than 50 acres.

Business, Industry and Agriculture

Local and state government provide thirty-seven percent of the Kittitas County Payroll. Construction, Retail Trade, and Accommodation and Food Services were third, fourth and fifth in 2021. As noted above, Central Washington University is the largest employer in the County, with a payroll of 1,800.

The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed 1,008 farms in the County, covering a total of 172,515 acres. Seventy-seven percent dealt in crops. Surprising me, timothy hay is one of the County’s leading crops. The County exports almost all timothy to Pacific Rim countries and the United Arab Emirates. Fruit, notably apples, are also important.

Parks and Recreation

Lake Easton State Park

Three of Washington’s State Parks are in Kittitas County. We’ve already seen the Ginkgo Petrified Forest park at Vantage. At the other end of the County lies Lake Easton State Park near Cle Elum, and close enough to Interstate 90 that the park’s website advises ear plugs for light sleepers. At almost 700 acres, the park is a four-season wonderland for fishermen and boaters as well as cross-country skiers. I-90’s exit 70 will bring you right to the center of the park.

Olmstead Place Historical State Park

Just four miles east of Ellensburg you can visit the Olmstead Place Historical State Park. The Olmstead family deeded the 217 acre park to the state of Washington so that future generations could learn about farm life in early 20th Century Kittitas County. The park is Day-Use Only, with many farm buildings, the family home, and even a rural schoolhouse. Hike the area and read the interpretive panels scattered around the park. And don’t forget your camera.  

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail

Kittitas County also has portions of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. The 287-mile trail follows the bed of the old Milwaukee Road from King County to the Idaho state line. Most of the trail within Kittitas County is improved and open for biking, hiking, and exploring the varied scenery of the area.

Four miles south of Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is the Wanapum Recreation Area. Here you’ll find RV campsites, a boat ramp, a swimming beach and picnic areas. Because of their proximity, the two areas are often referred to as Ginkgo/Wanapum.

Current and Future Plans

Kittitas County has an extensive planning document for parks and recreation, looking ahead over the next fifteen years. It lists 33 parks stretching from Roslyn to Kittitas. The document lists thirteen existing waterfront access sites with one proposed. In addition, it mentions twenty-one existing picnic shelters with tables. It goes on to mention water trails, sno-parks, cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails, etc. In short, there is no reason to miss out on outdoor recreation in Kittitas County.

To read more about Washington’s Thirty-Nine Counties, head to my Evergreen page here.