ALMANAC 2024
A LOCAL’S GUIDE TO LIVING IN KITTITAS COUNTY
WELCOME
The Almanac is a guide to life in Kittitas County. Whether you’ve lived here all your life or are just moving to town, the information here will be useful.
Inside this publication, you’ll find out how to contact your elected officials, ride the bus, license your dog or volunteer with a local nonprofit group.
Kittitas County’s population was 47,935 in the 2020 census — population has grown 17.2% since the 2010 census. With more than 2,200 square miles, it’s one of the largest counties in Washington. It’s on the sunny side of the Cascades, with an average of 204 days of sunshine a year.
Ellensburg is famous for its timothy hay, historic downtown and Labor Day weekend fair and rodeo.
It is the home of Central Washington University, which provides educational and cultural opportunities for students and the community.
In the Upper County, the communities of Cle Elum and Roslyn have deep historic roots and a strong focus on community, and tremendous year-round recreational opportunities.
Make yourself at home.
We’re happy to have you as a neighbor.
Courtesy of the Kittitas Chamber of Commerce
QUICK REFERENCE INFORMATION
BUILDING PERMITS
Kittitas County Development ...................
City of Ellensburg
509-962-7506
509-925-8663
City of Cle Elum .............................................. 509-674-2262
City of Roslyn .................................................. 509-649-3105
City of Kittitas
BUSINESS INFORMATION
Business Licenses
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce
CLE ELUM/ROSLYN COURTHOUSE
District Court ...................................................
Municipal Court
509-852-7089
509-962-7204
509-925-2002
509-674-5533
509-674-5533
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
Public Health Department .........................
Kittitas Valley Hospital
509-962-7515
509-962-9841
Children and Family Services .................... 509-925-0400
Kittitas County Health Network ...............
509-933-7544
Kittitas Valley Urgent Care Ellensburg 509-968-5273
Kittitas Valley Urgent Care Cle Elum ....... 509-674-6944
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Wrksource ........................................................
509-925-5311
Hopesource (Support Services .................
509-674-2251
Cle Elum Post Office .....................................
Roslyn Post Office ..........................................
Thorp Post Office
South Cle Elum Post Office
Ronald Post Office
Kittitas Post Office
PASSPORTS
Kittitas County Clerk’s Office
Ellensburg Post Office
Wapati
PET REGISTRATION
Animal Control Ellensburg
Animal Shelter
City of Kittitas
City of Roslyn
City of Cle Elum
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Ellensburg
Cle Elum/Roslyn
509-674-2611
509-649-2215
509-964-2281
509-674-2611
509-649-2668
509-968-3577
509-962-7531
800-257-8777
509-852-0300
509-962-7246
509-925-7387
509-968-0220
509-649-3105
509-674-2262
509-962-7280
509-674-2991
Elmview Industries
509-925-6688
Aspen (Abuse Support ................................ 509-925-9384
FISH Food Bank and Open Table
509-925-5990
Hearts and Hands of Kittitas County ...... 509-968-5117
Central Washington
Disability Resources
509-962-9620
Kittitas County Recovery Organization . 509-968-5224
FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue .......................
509-933-7231
Kittitas Fire Department ............................. 509-968-0229
Kittitas County Fire Marshall
509-962-7000
Ellensburg Fire Department 21 ................ 509-933-7231
Cle Elum Fire Department .......................... 509-674-1748
Roslyn Fire Department 509-649-3105
Easton Fire Department .............................. 509-656-0121
Snoqualmie Fire Department 425-888-1551
FOREST SERVICES AND OTHERS
Cle Elum Ranger Station ............................
Department of Fish & Wildlife
Kittitas................................................................
Kittitas County Sheriff ..................................
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Ellensburg School District ..........................
Damman School ............................................
Kittitas School District
Cle Elum-Roslyn School District
Easton School District
Thorp School District
Central Washington University
TRANSPORTATION
Airporter Shuttle
Hopesource
Rodeo Town Taxi
Enterprise Rent A Car
Central Transit
KC Cab
LOCAL NON-EMERGENCY
Kittcom
509-852-1100
509-575-2740
Department of Natural Resources........... 509-925-8510
Bureau of Land Management
509-665-2100
Washington Parks & Recreation ............... 509-962-7210
Ellensburg Post Office
509-962-4360
509-968-0222
509-962-7525
509-925-8000
509-962-9079
509-955-3120
509-649-4850
509-656-2317
509-964-2107
509-963-1111
866-235-5247
509-925-1448
509-929-4222
509-925-5040
509-925-8680
509-929-3055
509-925-8534
THORP FRUIT & ANTIQUE MALL
Third generation running the family business
BY LESLIE KELLY
Mike Rowley didn’t plan on taking over the family business, Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall. In fact, he planned on being an architect.
But life led him back to Thorp after college and he became the third generation to operate the business.
“My parents moved to Auburn when I was young,” Rowley said. “I went to high school there. Many years later, my wife and I decided we wanted to get away from the city and live on the east side of the mountains.”
So, the family, which includes three children, moved back to Thorp and Mike and his wife, Nicole, decided to give running the fruit and antique mall a try.
Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall has been in operation for more than 60 years. It began as a small roadside fruit stand in 1944 and has grown into a three-story store.
becoming popular. So, he went to a bunch of old hotels and bought old furniture to sell.”
The furniture sold well, Rowley said. But the buggies he bought weren’t so popular.
“Now we use them in our displays,” he said.
The current antiques, vintage items and treasures fill two floors. Spaces are rented to some of the best antique dealers in the area. About 50 dealers show their wares, he said.
Myrl and Ina Rowley, Mike’s grandparents, began the store in Yakima. It moved locations a couple of times and eventually ended up in Thorp where the building was built specifically for the fruit and antique store.
“It’s gone through a lot of changes since then,” Rowley said. “It’s grown several times.”
But just how did antiques and locally grown fruit come together? There’s a story to that.
“When my grandfather was building the business in Thorp in 1968, he wanted to add to it,” Rowley said. “At that time,
“We have the space for them to spread out which makes it more convenient for shoppers,” Rowley said.
The store’s busiest season is summer when travelers stop in as they are driving by on Interstate 90.
“It’s generational,” he said. “They tell us that they came here with their grandparents and parents and are keeping the tradition.
“Other visitors say they’ve driven by for the past 30 years and just decided to stop.” And many are visitors from out of state.
Summertime is Mike’s favorite because there’s always a different fruit in season.
“It starts in May with cherries,” he said. “Apricots and berries follow and then Walla Walla onions, asparagus, melons, corn, then peaches, pears, plums and apples. There’s something new almost every week.”
And summer is the time when people travel,” he said. “We get people who are going to concerts at The Gorge or are camping.”
“what you find in your typical grocery store,” he said.
And, on the first floor, customers will find treats such as ice cream and candy. Pickled goods, honey, jams, and popcorn are among items customers can buy and take home as gifts.
Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall works hard to bring in many specialty food items, gifts, locally made ice cream, espresso and wine from local businesses, Rowley said.
Thorp is known as an unincorporated community in Kittitas County. It is located at the narrow west end of the Kittitas Valley where high elevation forests of the Cascade Range meet cattle ranches surrounded by farmlands.
Another thing to do in Thorp include visiting the historic
Thorp Grist Mill where guests can learn about early days of settlement in the town.
Rowley’s favorite thing about the business is the customer interaction.
“We have great customers,” he said. “I love talking with them and sharing stories.”
Among the challenges, he said, is finding good employees who stay year-round.
Will there be a fourth generation come forward to run the Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall?
“Who knows?” Rowley said. “Our kids work there in the summer when they are not in school. But they have their own aspirations, so we will see.”
Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall is located right off I-90 at 220 Gladmar Road, Thorp. Call 509-964-2474 for more information.
getting AROUND
Central Transit provides mini-bus transportation in and around the Ellensburg area seven days a week. City of Ellensburg voters approved additional funding for the service in 2017, and routes were revised in 2019.
Stops include grocery stores, Central Washington University and extending to West Ellensburg and the west Interstate 90 interchange. The service is free, with donations welcome.
All buses are wheelchair accessible.
Buses operate every day except major holidays. For bus routes, schedules and tracking map, go online to centraltransit. org or call 509-933-2287 on weekdays.
KITTITAS COUNTY CONNECTOR AND PARATRANSIT
Kittitas County Connector and paratransit services are offered through HopeSource in Kittitas County for those who qualify. Paratransit services are available to those with a disability that prevents using Kittitas County Connector or Central Transit. Visit hopesource.us or call HopeSource for more information at 509-933-2287
YAKIMA-ELLENSBURG COMMUTER
The Yakima-Ellensburg Commuter runs Monday through Friday between Ellensburg and Yakima. The bus stops at Central Washington University, by Super 1 Foods on Mountain View Avenue and by Safeway in Ellensburg.
The service also stops at the Yakima Airport, YVCC, the Yakima Transit Center, Selah and Firing Center Road.
Fares are: one-way $5; monthly pass $150.
The service only operations Monday through Friday, with additional service when CWU is in session.
In Ellensburg, passes are available at Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, and the CWU Wildcat Shop.
For more information, go online to www.yakimatransit.org, or call Yakima Transit at 509-575-6175.
OTHER BUS SERVICES
Greyhound has a bus station in Ellensburg near the Love’s truck stop at the west interchange. Visit greyhound.com.
Flixbus serves Ellensburg with a stop at East 10th Avenue North at Starbucks. Visit Flixbus.com
Bellair Charters has a bus route that serves Yakima, Ellensburg, Cle Elum, North Bend, Sea-Tac Airport and downtown Seattle. Ellensburg stops are at CWU Starbucks and Love’s Truck Stop.
For more information, go to www.airporter.com.
LICENSE AND REGISTRATION
If you need to switch your out-of-state license to a Washington license, go to the driver license office at 605 E. Mountain View Ave. in Ellensburg. Schedule an appointment by visiting dol.wa.god or call 509-925-9290. You can renew licenses online and get more information at: www.dol.wa.gov.
To switch over your vehicle title, registration or plates, go the Kittitas County Auditor’s Office in the courthouse in downtown Ellensburg, 205 W. Fifth St. Suite 105. A licensing subagent is located at 504 E. Mountain View Ave., Suite 2, next to the movie theater. In Cle Elum, go to Mitchell, Reed and Schmitten Insurance, 803 W. First St. Renew online at wa.gov
DRIVING OVER THE PASS
If you live in Kittitas County, you’ll need to learn the ins and outs of driving over Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90.
During the spring and summer, drivers can expect at least some level of construction between the Columbia River and Puget Sound.
Most longtime residents check travel cameras on WSDOT’s Snoqualmie Pass website and the weather forecast before traveling during the winter, and carry chains if they don’t have studs or snow tires. WSDOT’s Twitter feed is another good resource. You also can call 511 or listen to the highway advisory radio at 530 AM and 1610 AM.
For more information, go online to wsdot.com/traffic/passes/Snoqualmie.
BE CAREFUL IN RPZ PARKING AREAS
Those searching for an on-street parking spot on an Ellensburg city street near Central Washington University should be aware of the city’s Residential Parking Zone restrictions.
The Residential Parking Zones, or RPZ, are in residential neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the campus of Central Washington University. The RPZ program was initiated after citizens with residences near the CWU campus complained they couldn’t find a nearby parking spot.
For route planning and bus locator Apps, use TRANSIT, HEREWeGo, Google Maps or visit our Central Transit website at www.centraltransit.org
Ride Central Transit to our historic downtown for shopping, dining, local entertainment and so much more.
Want an adventure? Central Transit can connect you to parks, walking and biking trails like the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.
All buses are equipped with bicycle racks and are ADA accessible. Central Transit is Fare Free and Runs Daily from 6:55 AM to 8:15 PM.
EXPLORE
Kittitas County offers a range of environments and unlimited outdoor recreation opportunities.
Hiking trails spread throughout the county offer challenging elevation climbs and flat walks through the shrub-steppe.
West of Ellensburg lies the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, a protected area with nearly 700 mountain lakes, valleys thick with trees and snow-covered peaks. In the middle of the county, the Teanaway is packed with trails, some of which give hikers a spectacular view of Mount Stuart.
A local favorite in Ellensburg is the Manastash Ridge, which has several paths to the top and log books for people to sign when they reach the top. The Coal Miners Trail in the Upper County connects Cle Elum to Roslyn and Ronald as it follows old coal mining slag piles and a former rail line path.
In the summer months, floating the Yakima River, biking through Ellensburg’s foothills, camping at Salmon la Sac, fishing, or boating in the Columbia River are all popular ways to spend a sunny day.
For indoor exercise, stop by the Ellensburg Memorial Pool and Fitness Center for a swim, or by the Ellensburg Racquet and Recreation Center for a game.
Winter months provide a chance to play in the powdery snow and explore parts of the county on snowmobiles.
ELLENSBURG MEMORIAL
POOL AND FITNESS CENTER
A 25-meter indoor pool for swimming lessons, training and recreational swimming. The pool also features a hot tub, wet and dry sauna and 1-meter diving board. The fitness center is equipped with weight machines, rowing machines, treadmills, elliptical trainers and a recumbent bike. Visit the City of Ellensburg’s website for hours and location.
PARKS
Parks are abundant in Kittitas County. Wanapum State Park and Gingko Petrified Forest State Park near Vantage offer views of the Columbia River, along with displays of petrified wood and Native American petroglyphs.
Olmstead Place State Park near Kittitas is a working pioneer farm and is one of the first homesteads in the valley complete with a dairy barn, granary, wagon shed, hay barn and a log cabin built in 1875.
Helen McCabe State Park is at the entrance of the Yakima River Canyon south of Ellensburg.
The Palouse tot the Cascade State Parks Trail (formerly the Iron Horse/John Wayne Pioneer Trail) is a 1,612-acre park that
was part of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul Pacific Railroad. Other parks include Cle Elum City Park, South Cle Elum Firemen Park, Kiwanis Park, McElroy Park, Reed Park, Ellensburg Memorial Park, Lake Easton State Park, Rotary Park and Irene Rinehart Park.
CWU OPR AND CLIMBING
OPR offers equipment rentals for outdoor needs like floating the Yakima River or snowshoeing in the winter, instructional classes and guided trips, and public events like films and clinics. Students and community members can sign up for a day on the challenge course, or try out the 50-foot tall recreation climbing wall. For more information, visit www.cwu.edu/opr/welcomeoutdoor-pursuits-and-rentals.
Visit cwu.edu/rec/opr
TENNIS COURTS
Central Washington University’s tennis courts are open to students and members of the public. The Fred and Valerie Lister Tennis Facility features 10 courts with a practice hitting wall. Many of the local schools also have tennis courts that can be used by the public.
ELLENSBURG RACQUET AND RECREATION CENTER
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide range of adult and youth sports opportunities like indoor soccer, adult softball, and youth basketball and volleyball. Camps and special events are also offered, along with Tiny Tots sports for those 3 to 5 years old. For schedules and more information, check out the city’s website.
BOATING
Popular areas include Lake Cle Elum, Kachess Lake and the Columbia River near Vantage.
FISHING
Whether you prefer fly fishing in the Yakima River or casting and leaving a line in the water of a pond or lake, there’s a place for every angler in Kittitas County. Lakes and ponds are stocked with trout every year by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Columbia River is the place to go for salmon and steelhead.
Information about licenses and acceptable fishing practices can be found by visiting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website at wdfw.wa.gov. For information about what’s biting where, talk to an expert at a local fly fishing shop.
CAMPING
Popular state campgrounds include Lake Easton in the Upper County and Wanapum near Vantage. The BLM operates a number of campgrounds in the Yakima River Canyon, and the Cle Elum
Ranger District has campgrounds in Upper Kittitas County.
GOLF
Suncadia has two golf courses, Prospector and Rope Rider, open to the public, with additional selections for members.
Cle Elum provides the Sun Country Golf Resort and Ellensburg offers tee times at the Ellensburg Golf and Country Club.
HIKING
Kittitas County includes a range of environments from the elevation in the Cascades to the desert in the Yakima Canyon.
A popular trail just outside of Ellensburg in the Yakima Canyon is Umtanum Falls, which takes hikers to a small hidden waterfall. Salmon la Sac, Cle Elum Ridge and Manastash Ridge are other popular hiking spots. For more information about hikes in the county, visit Washington Trails Association at www.wta.org.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Ellensburg’s foothills and trails in the Upper County offer lots of terrain for mountain bike enthusiasts to explore. A mountain bike skills park is located in Rotary Park, and there’s a BMX course next to Mount Stuart School in Ellensburg.
The ReCycle Shop in Ellensburg and Ride Roslyn in Roslyn have a wealth of information and expertise. There’s also a local chapter of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.
HORSEBACK RIDING
Kittias County is horse country, and there a numerous opportunities for horseback riding in Kittitas County. The Alpine Lakes Trail Riders, the Roslyn Riders and the Back Country Horsemen are all good resources for trail riding. The Washington State Horse Park in Cle Elum puts on a variety of events throughout the summer.
SNOWMOBILING
Kittitas County is a mecca for snowmobilers all over the state. Ronald, the Snoqualmie Pass and Blewett Pass areas are all hotspots during the winter months. A number of sno-parks are open for use, and more information can be found on the Washington State Parks website or at the Cle Elum Ranger District office. Check the state’s avalanche hotline at 206-5266677 before heading out. Information on local clubs is available at wssa.us.
SNOW SPORTS
The Summit at Snoqualmie offers lessons and rentals for all skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, along with tubing rentals.
Suncadia has miles of groomed trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing, and has a tubing area.
Snoqualmie Pass and Blewett Pass also offer popular nordic
trails and snowshoeing spots. Stop by the U.S. Forest Service stations in Cle Elum or at Snoqualmie Pass for maps and additional information. Sno-park permits may be needed for some locations.
ICE SKATING
Suncadia’s Village Ice Rink is offered during the winter months and is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Lazy F Camp on Manastash Road also is planning to offer ice skating on Sundays in January on an outdoor hand-made rink. For more information, call 509-962-2780.
FLOATING THE YAKIMA RIVER
Floating the river is a great way to spend a hot sunny summer day. On certain days, hundreds and even thousands of people can be found floating the river. People are encouraged consider safety when floating and pay attention to warning signs when launching. For more information about river conditions, group events or safety information, contact the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol at 509-925-8534.
COMMUNITY GARDENS
Kittitas County has several community gardens. St. Andrew’s Church Community Garden, the Ellensburg Downtown Community Garden, the Central Washington University Community Garden and the Upper Kittitas County Rotary Community Garden all offer plots to the public, and often donate extra food to local food banks. To get more information about the gardens, look them up on Facebook.
ELLENSBURG PARKS AND RECREATION
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide range of adult and youth sports opportunities like indoor soccer, adult softball, and youth basketball and volleyball. Camps and special events are also offered, along with Tiny Tots sports for those 3 to 5 years old. For schedules and more information, check out the city’s website.
SKATEBOARDING
Skateboarding on ramps is available at the Ellensburg Skate Park on the corner of Second Avenue and Pearl Street and at the skate park in Cle Elum. Skating on sidewalks in the city is not permitted.
FARMERS MARKETS
Kittitas County has two farmers markets during the summer — one in Ellensburg and one in Roslyn.
The Ellensburg Farmers Market is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays from May through October on Fourth Avenue downtown.
The Roslyn Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays from June through September on Pennsylvania Avenue.
the BASICS
Whether you live in the city or country, it helps to know the ropes when it comes to power, irrigation, garbage and recycling in Kittitas County.
UTILITIES
There are three major public utility agencies that bring electrical power and natural gas to residential and business customers in Kittitas County.
Puget Sound Energy, a private company, covers most of the rural areas of Upper Kittitas County and areas of the Upper County’s three cities, along with a large section of Lower County. It supplies natural gas and electricity.
Kittitas County Public Utility District 1 supplies electrical power to rural residents and businesses throughout the county, outside the limits of local cities.
The city of Ellensburg is the only incorporated city in the state of Washington that provides both electricity and natural gas to residential and business customers within its city limits, and in limited areas immediately outside city limits.
To contact the utility agencies for services:
Puget Sound Energy: electricity-natural gas
Kittitas Service Center
888-225-5773, 8400 S. Thorp Highway
Kittitas County Public Utility District 1: electricity
Ellensburg office 509-933-7200, 1400 Vantage Hwy
City of Ellensburg: electricity-natural gas
Ellensburg City Hall, 962-7204 or 962-7124
501 N. Anderson St., Ellensburg
City of Cle Elum: 509-674-2262
119 W. First St., Cle Elum
GARBAGE
Residents can bring their garbage to one of two solid waste transfer stations — in Ellensburg at 1001 Industrial Way, phone 509-962-7072, and between Cle Elum and
Roslyn at 50 No. 5 Mine Road in Upper Kittitas County, phone 509-674-5890. Per-weight fees are charged for solid waste disposal.
Certain recyclable items also can be brought for drop off without a fee to the transfer stations that are owned by Kittitas County government, and operated through a contract with the private firm Waste Management of Ellensburg.
In addition, yard waste can be taken to the stations for a fee. Compost is available for sale at the Ellensburg station.
Hazardous materials and certain bulk materials and appliances also can be received for a fee. Call 509-962-7542 or the transfer station numbers above for guidelines.
Certain kinds of home and business construction or demolition wastes also can be received at the transfer station for a fee.
For full information on transfer station services go to www.co.kittitas.wa.us.
Waste Management of Ellensburg offers residential and business pick up of solid wastes and recyclable items throughout the county. Call the company at 649-3118 in Upper County, and 925-9688 in Lower County.
At least once a year, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office will sponsor an event to dispose of medications and shred documents.
RECYCLING
Recycling services are offered through Kittitas County government’s solid waste transfer stations and through private, local businesses.
Some recyclable materials can be dropped off without a fee into special bins at the two county transfer stations in Ellensburg and Cle Elum. Accepted recyclables include newspapers, clean cardboard, magazines, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastic pop bottles, plastic milk jugs. Glass is no longer accepted for recycling, whether at the transfer stations or curbside pickup.
Go to the Kittitas County Solid Waste website for detailed information about recycling cell phones, household batteries, liquid wastes, sharps, fluorescent lights, mercury or petroleum contaminated soils.
Goodwill in Ellensburg offers free recycling of TVs, monitors, laptops and computers.
Waste Management of Ellensburg offers home and business pick up of certain recyclable items in certain areas of the county: call the company at 649-3118 in Upper County, and 925-9688 in Lower County.
In addition, the private firm of Rio’s Metals, 320 Railroad Ave. in Ellensburg, 509-929-4136, provides a full range of metals recycling services.
SNOW REMOVAL
Each local government jurisdiction in Kittitas County has its own snow-ice removal rules and road plowing policies and equipment for clearing public thoroughfares.
When winter snow clogs a street or road you use, and you want to know about snow or ice removal and plowing of the roadway, contact the jurisdiction within which you live: Kittitas County Public Works Department, 509-962-7523, or go online to www.co.kittitas.wa.us/
• City of Ellensburg, 509-962-7204 or go online to www.ci.ellensburg.wa.us.
• City of Cle Elum, 509-674-2262, or go online to www.cityofcleelum.com.
• City of Kittitas, 509-968-0220, or go online to www.cityofkittitas.com.
• City of Roslyn, 509-649-3105, or go online to www.ci.roslyn.wa.us.
• Town of South Cle Elum, 509-674-4322.
Each jurisdiction has minimum snow-fall levels that must be reached before snowplow crews begin to work, and there’s a priority as to what stretches of roads are tackled in what sequence.
The city of Cle Elum updated its winter parking rules in November 2017.
City of Ellensburg residents can sign up to receive email or text messages about snow removal by subscribing to the alert center through the city’s website.
SNOW SHOVELING
Keep your sidewalk clear during the winter. Municipalities with city sidewalks place the responsibility on the adjacent property owner to remove ice and snow from their stretch of sidewalk.
In addition, county and city governments have ordinances that prohibit landowners or renters from pushing snow from private property on to public streets, roadways or sidewalks where snow mounds can create traffic and pedestrian accident hazards.
WEEDS
Each local municipal government in Kittitas County — cities and county — have rules on the required control of weeds and other nuisance plants on private property and near street rights of way.
To find out the rules for your city property, contact the city halls of Ellensburg, Kittitas, Cle Elum, Roslyn and South Cle Elum.
The Kittitas County Noxious Weed Control Board deals with weeds in non-city areas of the county. Its goal is to protect and preserve the agricultural lands and natural resources from invasive noxious weeds, according to its website. The staff works
with private landowners to curb infestations and assist with weed eradication programs.
For questions on weed control on rural residential lands, call 962-7007 or go to www.co.kittitas.wa.us/noxious-weeds.
Kittitas County Public Works Department
If you drive on rural, country roads in Kittitas County where residences are located — outside local cities — it’s most likely those roads come under the jurisdiction of Kittitas County Public Works Department.
County government, through its public works office, has responsibility to maintain more than 550 miles of paved road, completes resurfacing those roads with a rock-chip seal every six to seven years, has 68 miles of unpaved gravel roadways and 267 bridges of all sizes.
The department also maintains the county airport north of Ellensburg named Bowers Field and the flood control zone district.
The department also is responsible for snow plowing on county roads in winter to make sure they are drivable.
For more information, call the department at 509-962-7523, email publicworks@co.kittitas.wa.us or drop by offices at 411 N. Ruby St., Ellensburg.
IRRIGATION SERVICES
It’s estimated that more than 90,000 acres of land in Kittitas County is irrigated by public and private irrigation districts, agencies and companies drawing water from the Yakima River system.
There are several other entities that operate irrigation services from water taken from creeks, or tributaries of the Yakima River.
The water is mostly used by farmers, ranchers or orchardists, but also goes to some rural residences.
To find out if your rural, residential land, or land you are planning to purchase, is serviced by irrigation entities, first ask your real estate agent, or call the Kittitas County Conservation District at 509-925-3352.
Conservation district personnel can print off a GIS map of your property that shows boundaries, irrigation ditches, creeks, rivers, roads, and other geographical features related to natural resources and irrigation services.
Landowners also may want to call some of the larger irrigation entities in the county: Kittitas Reclamation District-509-925-6158; Cascade Irrigation District-509-962-9583; Westside Irrigation District-509-925-1565 or 509-925-6369, and the Ellensburg Water Company-509-925-5498.
Another source is to go online to the Kittitas County Assessor’s Office web pages and, with a legal parcel number, look up whether the land is served by irrigation. An online interactive county map with irrigation entity boundaries can be accessed at gis.co.kittitas.wa.us
health CARE
Kittitas County offers a wide variety of medical services, with providers in Ellensburg and Cle Elum. Kittitas Valley Healthcare serves both public Hospital Districts 1 and 2 with its hospital in Ellensburg.
KITTITAS VALLEY HEALTHCARE
Kittitas Valley Healthcare offers inpatient and outpatient services, including surgical care, critical care, a birthing center and cardiopulmonary, laboratory and imaging.
KVH has several clinics, including family medicine in Ellensburg and Cle Elum, general surgery, internal medicine, orthopedics, women’s health, and an urgent care clinic in Cle Elum.
KVH offers specialty services, including a geriatric nurse practitioner program, home health, hospice and workplace health, and has a community pharmacy.
It also offers virtual care 24/7 via computer, cell phone or mobile device at 855-962-1584.
Address: 603 S. Chestnut St., Ellensburg
Phone: 509-962-9841
Website: www.kvhealthcare.org
KVH URGENT CARE - CLE ELUM
KVH Urgent Care – Cle Elum is operated by KVH, with support from Kittitas County Public Hospital District No. 2.
The urgent care center is fully staffed by experienced, licensed clinicians. Healthcare services are provided on a walk-in basis. Open evenings and weekends, KVH Urgent Care – Cle Elum can provide care for your non-emergency medical needs.
Address: 214 W. First Street
Phone: 509-674-6944
Website: www.kvhealthcare.com
COMMUNITY HEALTH OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON
Community Health of Central Washington offers affordable medical care for all ages. Services in Ellensburg include prenatal and obstetrics, pharmacy, behavioral health, care coordination,
WIC and other family programs and dental care. Community Health’s family medicine residency has graduated numerous family doctors who practice in Central Washington and continues to train other health care professionals.
Address: 521 E. Mountain View Ave., Ellensburg
Phone: 509-962-1414
Website: www.chcw.org
OPEN DOOR HEALTH CLINIC
Open Door Health Clinic offers free basic health care services, chronic disease management and educational classes at the offices of Community Health of Central Washington at 521 E. Mountain View Ave. The Ellensburg clinic runs 9 a.m. to noon first and third Saturdays and 6 to 9 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays. Open Door also runs a diabetes and hypertension clinic and a nutrition education class in Ellensburg 6 to 9 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays. The Cle Elum Clinic at 201 Alpha Way runs 9 a.m. to noon second and fourth Saturdays.
Website: www.opendoorhealthclinic.com
KITTITAS COUNTY
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The Kittitas County Public Health Department offers programs that improve public health, including immunizations for adult and children, communicable disease prevention and chronic disease prevention including tobacco and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Address: 507 N. Nanum St., Suite 102, Ellensburg
Phone: 509-962-7515
Website: www.co.kittitas.wa.us/health
CARE NET PREGENANCY CENTER OF KITTITAS COUNTY
Get answers about your pregnancy options. Before you decide, contact us to schedule a free pregnancy test or confirmation ultrasound. When you meet with one of our experienced and understanding Advocates, you’ll get answers to your questions and so much more. These confidential, cost-free services include pregnancy testing, confirmation ultrasound, nurse consultations, pregnancy options information, adoption information, adoption agency referrals, maternity & infant supplies, parenting education, STD/STI information, medical and community referrals.
Address: 111 E Fourth Ave., Ellensburg
Phone: 509- 925-2273
Website: carenetellensburg.org
KITTITAS VALLEY URGENT CARE
The Ellensburg clinic offers walk-in urgent care for all ages including, ear nose and throat complaints, bladder infections, lacerations, minor broken bones, sprains and strains, cough and cold symptoms, sports and DOT physicals, worker compensation injuries, rashes, vomiting and diarrhea.
Address: 702 E. Mountain View Ave., Suite 1
Phone: 509-968-5273
Website: www.kvurgentcare.com
COMPREHENSIVE HEALTHCARE
Comprehensive Healthcare is a private, nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health services including help for mental health, chemical dependency, housing, veterans, domestic violence, and sexual assault. The organization operates in Kittitas, Yakima and Klickitat counties and has offices in Ellensburg and Cle Elum.
Address: 707 North Pearl St., Ellensburg
Phone: 509-925-9861
Website: www.comphc.org
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho operates the Ellensburg Health Center at 613 N. Pine St. The clinic offers reproductive health care and counseling, family planning and pregnancy services, including birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing and women’s health care. Other services include general health care, HIV and STD testing and men’s health care.
Address: 613 N. Pine St., Ellensburg
Phone: 866-904-7721
Website: www.plannedparenthood.org
ASPEN
ASPEN, Abuse Support and Prevention Education Now, is a domestic violence support service. ASPEN offers advocacybased counseling, emergency housing, legal and medical advocacy, a support group, referrals and prevention education. All ASPEN services are free and confidential.
ASPEN phone: 509-925-9384
Ellensburg Police Department phone: 509-962-7280, or in an emergency call 911.
HOSPICE AND HOME CARE
Hospice Friends and Kittitas Valley Healthcare provide elder care services throughout of Kittitas County, including in-home, nursing home and hospital care. Services also are available to patients diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses receiving curative treatment.
• Hospice Friends Address: 302 Second Ave.
Phone: 509-968-5117
Website: www.hospice-friends.org
• KVH Home Health, Hospice and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Program
Address: 1506 E Radio Road., Ellensburg
Phone: 509-962-7438
Website: www.kvhealthcare.org
a sign of FRIENDSHIP preserved in bronze
BY LESLIE KELLY
Some may be taken off guard by the giant bronze statue of a chimpanzee that sits in Friendship Park, in downtown Ellensburg. But ask a local and they’ll tell you about its interesting and meaningful past.
The statue is of Washoe the chimpanzee, who was a resident of Ellensburg from 1980 until she passed away in 2007. She was part of the Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute (CHCI) at Central Washington University.
She became known around the world as the first chimpanzee to learn a human language and pass it on to another primate.
Washoe was born in West Africa in 1965 and captured by the Air Force for research on behalf of the U.S. space program. She was named after Washoe County, Nevada, where she was raised by University of Nevada-Reno scientists Allen and Beatrix Gardner from 1967-72.
The Gardners treated Washoe as if she were their own child, communicating with her only in ASL and helping her
learn approximately 250 signs. She learned such things as using silverware and eating as a child would.
According to Friends of Washoe board member and CWU Senior Lecturer Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold, the Gardners and their graduate students used a procedure called “crossfostering,” where one species is raised as another.
“Washoe and, later, other chimpanzees Tatu, Dar and Moja were also raised like human children” and eventually joined her at CHCI, Jensvold said.
When Washoe was 5 years old, she was moved to the University of Oklahoma’s Institute of Primate Studies under the care of Roger and Deborah Fouts. Roger was one of the Gardners’ graduate students in the 1970s and began serving as a CWU psychology professor in 1980.
While with Washoe, the Gardners and their students communicated only in ASL, rather than using vocal communication, on the assumption that this would create a less confusing learning environment for the chimpanzee. Some described this technique as replicating the environment in which human children acquire language,
Jensvold said.
The Friends of Washoe website chronicles how Washoe’s accomplishments over the course of three decades had profound effects on changing scientific thought, influencing a wide variety of academic disciplines. Her development also has helped humans better understand their responsibilities to our fellow animals.
The organization, (CHCI) founded in 1981, states that “we served the mission of Central Washington University. The sense of compassion and service we fostered prepared students for ‘responsible citizenship.’
“The skills and critical inquiry we taught helped our students live enlightened, productive lives,” the website says. “CHCI also played an active role in supporting diversity within the sciences by encouraging women and other minorities to enter science.”
The institute served as a resource for students, faculty, and
visiting scientists by promoting quality, humane research on the communication and behavior of chimpanzees, as well as research that furthered both the care of captive chimpanzees and conservation efforts to save them from extinction.
After Washoe’s death, her family members were under the care of the Fauna Foundation, a chimpanzee sanctuary in Quebec, Canada, in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Friends of Washoe.
Central University still has a bachelor’s and master’s program in primate behavior. Jensvold advises master’s level students. Jensvold said her graduate students still use the data archive on the Ellensburg campus for their research.
“While the chimpanzees have left, the research continues,” she said. “Graduate students continue to come to CWU’s Primate Behavior MS program to learn about the sign language project with chimpanzees and the lessons of ethical, humble, and humane research.”
When the chimps were in Ellensburg, the researchers offered “Chimposiums,” where the public could come on Saturday and a Sunday to learn about the chimpanzees and have a guided observation tour. More than 5,000 people partook annually. Originally the chimps were housed indoors but eventually a building was built for them that allowed them outdoor access.
“Every chimpanzee has a personality of their own, their own likes and dislikes,” she said. “They show emotions just as humans do.”
In fact, they are closely related to humans and share 98.6 percent of genetic material. “Cognitively and emotionally, they are much like humans,” she said.
“It was an amazing project,” Jensvold said. “It was pretty special for Ellensburg.”
The statue was created by Georgia Gerber a well-known bronze artist who lives on Whidbey Island. Washoe is signing “friend” in the statue. The park in downtown Ellensburg, where the statue sits, was dedicated in September 2012 in memory of Washoe, the first chimpanzee to communicate with American Sign Language.
almanac 2024 17
Photo courtesy of Friends of Washoe. (1986). Washoe the chimpanzee.
www.homevideostudio.com
education
Kittitas County offers educational opportunities for students of all ages, from preschool to college.
Central Washington University has long been a cornerstone of the community, and is Ellensburg’s biggest employer. The school is known for its internationally accredited college of business, education programs and music department. A new science building for the geology and physics programs opened in fall 2016, and a recent remodel of the Hogue Technology building made it one of the nation’s most advanced facilities for industrial and engineering technology.
On the K-12 level, the Ellensburg School District is the county’s largest, with three elementary schools, a middle school and Ellensburg High School. School districts in Kittitas, Cle Elum-Roslyn, Thorp and Easton also provide high-quality education to the county’s students.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Central Washington University offers bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees for more than 135 majors and graduates about 3,000 students a year. The public, fouryear university has eight campuses statewide, with the main campus in Ellensburg.
CWU has an average class size of 20 students and a student-faculty ratio of 18-to-1. Students can take advantage of more than 125 clubs, organizations and associations and 13 varsity athletic teams, cheered on by CWU mascot Wellington the Wildcat. Contact CWU at 509-963-1111 or visit www.cwu.edu.
CWU CONTINUING EDUCATION
Central Washington University offers a learning extension program for people within the CWU community. The program offers classes for career training and professional development, certificated fields, and manages the high school Running Start program. Contact CWU Continuing Education at 509-963-1712 or visit www.cwu.edu/ce.
YAKIMA VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADULT EDUCATION
Yakima Valley Community College’s adult education program in Ellensburg offers high school diploma and GED programs to adults looking to finish high school. Contact YVCC Adult Ed Learning Center in Ellensburg at 509-201-1269. The center is on Mountain View Avenue.
ELLENSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
Ellensburg High School offers rigorous academics with several Advanced Placement and Running Start classes. Extra-curricular activities include Bulldogs athletics, fall plays and winter musicals, the Alutant student newspaper, band, choir and orchestra, academic clubs, the Associated Student Body and the National Honor Society. EHS has about 900 students. Contact EHS at 509-925-8300 or visit www.esd401.org/ehs. The principal is Beau Snow.
EXCEL HIGH SCHOOL
Excel High School is an alternative high school program for the Ellensburg School District on the campus of Central Washington University. Students pursue high school curriculum adapted to individual students. Contact Excel through Ellensburg High School at 509-925-8300 or visit www.esd401.org/.
MORGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Morgan Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade students in our community with a variety of opportunities for students to explore a variety of interests through a rich elective program, advanced courses, and an increasing number of courses available for credit at EHS. Students are encouraged to participate in range of extra curricular programs including athletics and clubs. Morgan Middle School currently houses 750 students. Contact Morgan at 509-925-8200 or visit www.esd401.org/ middleschool
LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Located across the street from the middle school, Lincoln Elementary School was built in 1949 and remains a school with a central downtown location. The school has
about 520 students. Contact Lincoln at 509-925-8050 or visit www.esd401.org/lincoln.
MOUNT STUART ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Located in northwest Ellensburg, Mount Stuart Elementary School was torn down and rebuilt new. The school opened in 2021 and has about 500 students. Contact Mount Stuart at 509-925-8400 or visit www. esd401.org/mount-stuart.
VALLEY VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ellensburg’s newest elementary school, Valley View Elementary School was completed in 1994. The school is near Ellensburg High School and has about 520 students. Contact Valley View at 509-925-7316 or visit www. esd401.org/valley-view. The principal is Rob Moffat.
IDA NASON-ARONICA ELEMENTARY
Ellensburg’s newest grade school is located adjacent to Mount Stuart Elementary.
DAMMAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Damman School District has one school, a historic twoclassroom building nestled in rural Ellensburg. Damman School houses almost 35 students in grades K-5. Classes are divided into grades K-2 and 3-5, allowing children to learn at their own pace and move easily between academic levels. Students attend Ellensburg schools after leaving Damman. Contact Damman School at 509-962-9079.
ELLENSBURG CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
The Ellensburg Christian School offers grades K-8 education with Christian worldview. The private, nondenominational school draws support from more than a dozen Christian churches. It provides a faith-increasing, standards-focused academic instruction. Contact the school at 509-925-2411 or visit www.ellensburgchristian. org.
KITTITAS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Kittitas Elementary and Kittitas Secondary schools, consistently win high praise from national ranking groups. Between both schools, Kittitas serves about 630 students. The close-knit community supports the schools’ athletics, community service and college-in-the-classroom programs. Contact Kittitas schools at 509-955-3120 or visit www.ksd403.org.
CLE ELUM-ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The cities of Cle Elum and Roslyn combined school district offers a high standard of learning to about 890 students at four schools: Cle Elum-Roslyn Elementary School, Walter Strom Middle School, Cle Elum-Roslyn High School and Swiftwater Learning Center. Walter
Strom was named a “School of Distinction” by the state in 2017. Contact Cle Elum-Roslyn schools at 509-649-4850 or visit www.cersd.org.
SWIFTWATER LEARNING CENTER
Swiftwater offers students in Cle Elum-Roslyn schools an alternative path to graduation. Contact Swiftwater at 509-649-4990 or visit www.cersd.org/ swiftwater. The school at 4244 Bullfrog Road.
THORP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Thorp School is a K-12 facility in the small town of Thorp with about 140 students.
Thorp Elementary School was named a “School of Distinction” by the state in 2017. The award goes to the top 5 percent of the schools in the state with the highest rate of improvement in reading and math scores during a five-year period. Contact Thorp School at 509-964-2107 or visit www.thorpschools.org.
EASTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Easton School, near the border of King and Kittitas counties, is a one-building, grades pre-K to 12 school with about 120 students. Located close to Snoqualmie Summit, Easton incorporates the outdoors into students’ learning and is known for its archery program. Contact Easton School at 509-656-2317 or visit www.easton.wednet.edu.
CHILD CARE HOT LINE
Child Care Aware of Central Washington helps connect parents with available child care providers. Providers regularly call the center to update vacancies in the database.
Parents can call 1-800-446-1114 to learn what options are available nearby.
Experience OF AN Ellensburg Rodeo TOP HAND
BY CHASE DEVORE
Jeff Shewell has one of the coolest jobs at the Ellensburg Rodeo.
He’s a Top Hand, and now in his third year of being one of the indispensable components of Ellensburg’s biggest event.
Being a lifelong fan of the Ellensburg Rodeo and wanting to become more involved in his community, Shewell applied
for a Top Hand position in 2022. His robust construction background provided the Top Hands with needed experience as there were multiple Rodeo construction-related projects to be completed.
Shewell has since taken on more Top Hand responsibilities and now primarily “runs the scores” for rodeo timed and rough stock events. He oversees providing all arena scores to the announcer’s booth and secretary shack.
Being a Top Hand provides a great number of perks including “access to anything and everything rodeo,” Shewell said.
“You meet so many great people and I know so many people strictly from Rodeo,” Shewell added. “Just to be a part of it is pretty awesome.”
When he does have some free time, Shewell is either assisting Behind the Chutes or untying cows for the TieDown Roping event.
“Why am I allowed to be in the arena with professional athletes untying cows?” Shewell asked. “Because I’m a Top Hand; I have the opportunity. It’s pretty cool.”
The rodeo Top Hands were formed in 1988. The group of hand-selected volunteers serve three-year terms primarily supporting the production of Ellensburg’s annual Labor Day weekend rodeo event.
Each Top Hand is assigned to a variety of duties and responsibilities including but not limited to scores, parking, merchandising and fundraising, tending royal court and autograph sessions, stocking and supplying the Behind the Chutes beer garden and Gold Buckle Club, animal ambulance, and ice. All Top Hands assist in the setup and breakdown of events as well as security. If time permits, Top Hands can take part in riding horseback in the annual Ellensburg Rodeo Parade and daily Ellensburg Rodeo grand entries.
Of the 23 active Top Hands, two of the original 1988
class still volunteer today. The Top Hands range between the ages of mid-20s and early 60s. They each provide their own unique set of skills and talents stemming from a vast variety of backgrounds from construction to law enforcement.
After an extensive application and interview process, the remaining Top Hand applicants are then voted upon by the current Top Hand roster. A majority vote determines who is brought on. Top Hand meetings are held monthly from April through October.
Top Hands volunteer at the discretion of the Rodeo Board of Directors and report directly to the President of the Top Hands.
“Being a Top Hand is a commitment. It’s a weeklong commitment during rodeo,” Shewell said.
“There’s not a lot of sleep. It’s hard work. But it’s worth it!”
The Ellensburg Rodeo Top Hands continue to take part in offseason projects in preparation for their three weeks of annual rodeo work.
“Just volunteer,” Shewell said when asked how to help out with the rodeo. “Why not take advantage of being able to be a part of the coolest thing in the city?”
“The more people that help, the easier it is for everybody else.”
When you next visit the annual rodeo or Xtreme Bulls events, you can find the Top Hands in their colored, “Ellensburg Rodeo” patched shirts.
almanac 2024 23
cle ELUM
has a unique ring
BY LESLIE KELLY
Locals may know that this small town in Kittitas County is home to one of the most complete telephone museums west of the Mississippi. But newcomers and tourists are missing something special if they don’t go see the Cle Elum Telephone Museum.
The museum opened in 1967, just after Cle Elum changed from switchboard use to automatic dial. Because the telephone company no longer needed the building, it agreed to turn it over to the historical society for use as the telephone museum.
Pennsylvania Avenue, which used to occupy the empty lot next to the present day Pioneer Coffee.
“Cle Elum was one of the last places in the Pacific region to switch over to automatic dial,” said volunteer Charlene Kauzlarich. “Margaret Richardson, founder of the historical society in Cle Elum, was instrumental in persuading Bell Telephone to remodel the phone company into a telephone museum and then deeding the building to the historical society in 1967. Since then, the historical society has maintained and operated the museum.”
Cle Elum had telephone service as early as 1901. The first switchboard of that time was installed in the Northwestern Improvement Company building on
The Telephone Company moved into the upstairs of the brand new Cle Elum State Bank building in 1906. That bank now operates as Umpqua Bank and sits at the opposite end of the block from the Telephone Museum.
After the devastating Cle Elum Fire of 1918 wiped out the downtown, the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company built a new telephone office in 1923 at the corner of First and Wright – the current site of the Telephone Museum. This new building was to house modern telephone equipment and serve as a district station for all toll lines of the company crossing the state.
The museum has a replica of every model of telephone ever used, including the 1876
phone Alexander Graham Bell patented as the first telephone in the U.S.
“We have one of every model,” Kauzlarich said. “We even have some of the first cell phones made.”
But what catches the eye of most visitors is the vintage switchboard, the actual one used in Cle Elum. Switchboard operators handled all calls made in the Cle Elum area from 1901 until September 1966.
“Kids can dial on an old rotary phone and hear it ring across the room where another student picks up a rotary phone and they have a conversation,” she said. “They don’t get the concept of putting a finger in the hole and turning it. They keep looking for a button to push.”
People from all over the country and throughout the world have visited the telephone museum.
“They stop in and tell their stories,” she said. “And we get former switchboard operators and telephone linemen come in to talk about when they worked for the phone company.”
The museum is manned totally by volunteers and operates on donations.
“Our volunteers are very dedicated, and they love being here because they are right downtown and can see what’s going on,” Kauzlarich said. “And we can always use more volunteers.”
In the past few years, the building has gone through several renovations funded by the historical society, including a new roof, sheet rock and paint, repaired plumbing and outside bricks, as well as a new display of more than 60 historical photos and storyboards and a television/DVD player to watch documentaries of Alexander Bell and early development of the telephone industry.
“Back then, if you wanted to call someone, you had to first make sure your party line was free and then jiggle the handle to get the operator’s attention and tell her who you wanted to call,” Kauzlarich said. “In later years, you could dial ‘O’ on your rotary dial phone to reach the operator. She would then connect you to the person you wanted to talk to.”
Children who visit the museum are interested in seeing how the switchboard works, she said.
“We demonstrate it to the kids and show them how it operated,” she said. “It’s a fun thing.”
She added that back in the day when the switchboard was used, the switchboard operator always knew the whereabouts of every resident in the town.
“Kids would get home from school and call the operator and ask her ‘Do you know where my mother is?’ ” she said. Another item that interests kids who tour the museum are the rotary phones.
Cle Elum’s Telephone Museum at 221 E. First St. is open during the tourist season, running from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend. Depending upon volunteer staffing, it is open most days of the week from noon to 4 p.m. It will also open for special tours during the rest of the year.
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rodeo HISTORY preserved in Ellensburg museum
BY LESLIE KELLY
Want to see the cowboy boots worn by a rodeo Hall of Famer? How about a big shiny silver belt buckle or the sash a rodeo queen wore?
Or maybe you just want to learn something about a specific rodeo hero you have?
The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame Museum is the place to go.
Located at 416 North Pearl St., in downtown Ellensburg, the museum shares space with the Western Culture and Arts Center. It is operated by the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame Association (ERHOF) a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to preserve the history and traditions of the Ellensburg Rodeo. A goal of the organization was to open a place where artifacts of the area’s rodeo history could be displayed.
Rodeo artifacts are on the main floor of the building. Displays are rotated every few months with artifacts that are stored upstairs.
Mounted exhibits are a permanent part of the collection. The exhibits are also displayed at the Ellensburg Rodeo headquarters in the Western Village during the Labor Day weekend rodeo.
Kent Lester, president of the ERHOF board, is a fan of the Royalty Collection at the museum. It includes sashes and crowns worn by rodeo queens, among many other personal belongings of past queens.
“It’s quite amazing,” Lester said.
“There are mementos and photos that go way back. I like the feel of it. It’s a large collection and we are so honored that the rodeo royalty would part with their items, to share them with us.”
The Hall of Fame is open most days year round, except the first two weeks of January. It is run by about 25 volunteers. Lester has volunteered since 2016.
“I’ve not been involved in rodeo prior to this,” he said. “My father raced in one of the Omak Stampedes, but I grew up in Seattle.”
He was recruited to the board when he was attending an art show at the museum and a friend asked him to take part.
Volunteers report that most visitors to the museum take the time to look at each exhibit.
“They just wander around and look at everything, “Lester said. “It’s a unique place. You don’t find
this in every town in America.”
Since its founding, the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame has conducted annual banquets on Thursday evening of Rodeo Weekend, selecting and honoring Inductees in the categories of National Contestant; Local Contestant; Participant (clown, judge, announcer, trick rider, stock contractor etc.); Volunteer Organizer; Livestock; and Pioneer Rodeo Family.
Inductees are chosen after careful research and consultation with multiple archives and local rodeo experts. ERHOF has created a permanent biographical file for each of the inductees available to read at the museum. The board preserved the inductees’ mementos and artifacts, as well as conducted membership drives, hosted fundraisers and established a permanent museum fund.
daily RECORD
has long history of bringing local news to readers
Locals and visitors alike pass by something uniquely historic on the corner of Fourth and Main in downtown Ellensburg.
The Daily Record (founded 1883) sits to the north of Fourth Avenue. The Palace Café (founded 1892) is on the south side of Fourth and Fitterer’s Furniture (founded 1896) is across the street. That trio represents 397 years of local business service, dating back to when the Daily Record operated as the Kittitas Localizer.
The Daily Record has a rich tradition, and though many things have changed over the years, the commitment to fair and balanced local news coverage continues to be the priority.
Through the changes in the industry, to changing views both culturally and philosophically, the Daily Record has adapted with the times.
In November 2017, Pioneer Newspapers sold its media division to the family-owned Adams Publishing Group, based in Minneapolis. APG owns and operates 155 community newspapers in 19 states.
The Kittitas Localizer, the granddaddy to current operations, printed its first issue July 12, 1883, as a stepping stone to 149 years of journalistic commitment.
Washington Territory wouldn’t be admitted to the Union for another six years. Kittitas County government as an entity was months away, yet residents were kept abreast on current affairs with a local newspaper.
Since 1883, the paper has seen its own fair share of changes. An early change came on July 4, 1889, after a fire destroyed most of the business district in downtown, including the Kittitas Localizer office. Everything from news type to news files went up in flames.
Then-Publisher David J. Schnebly was able to utilize the presses at the Ellensburg Capitol at Fifth and Pearl to keep on printing. He was proud to announce no issue was ever
missed, and the paper had a new name Ellensburg Localizer, according to a story on the paper’s history in the 1983 Daily Record.
F. Dorsey Schnebly took over operations in 1898 before selling to Cascade Printing and Publishing in 1903. Cascade also owned the Cascade Miner in Roslyn and the Cle Elum Echo.
J.C. Kaynor and William Zimmerman purchased the property and changed the name to the Evening Record in 1909. The first edition under the new name was July 1, 1909. Kaynor, who was just 22 at the time, and Zimmerman had both been employed by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before purchasing the Record.
Kaynor eventually bought out Zimmerman and published the newspaper for 50 years before selling to James McGiffin in 1958.
On March 14, 1973, the paper dropped the word Ellensburg from the masthead going with The Daily Record and added serving Kittitas County to better reflect its expanded coverage.
The paper was one of the first to move into the computer age, an early adopter to install computers to replace typewriters.
In 1981, under the direction of Publisher John Ludtka, the Daily Record became the first newspaper to add a cable TV community information channel to its operation.
Its online presence, printed edition, changes, adaption and expansion are all part of the Daily Record’s rich heritage that dates back to before Washington statehood.
“As market demands have shifted, the Daily Record continues to adapt and change to meet those needs with three print days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) and Wednesday online only e-edition” stated Donna Etchey, General Manager. “The Daily Record provides fully digital and marketing services for businesses.”
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