“Work, hard work, intelligent work, and then more work,” was the mantra of railroad magnate James J. Hill. A hands-on detailed obsessed manager, Hill refused to believe the arid lands of Wenatchee could not be developed into bountiful orchards. Hill’s faith in the future prosperity of the valley was so strong that he worked with…

My father, Cecil Piper, born in 1899 in Black Diamond, Kansas was full of stories of his life and times. I could never get enough of them. I am sorry today for any I did not hear, or heard and have slipped through a crack in my memory. I do recall him saying that store-bought…

A short recap video of this year’s People Of Our Past event hosted by the Wenatchee Museum. Wenatchee’s historical figures come alive!

John Harmelt (c. 1847-1937) John Harmelt was the last chief of the Wenatchi band of Salish-speaking Indians who for millennia lived in the river valley that now bears their name. He inherited the leadership from his father around 1902. By this time the Wenatchis had been assigned to the Sahaptin-speaking Yakama reservation after their traditional…