A Property with History!
Very rarely do I get the pleasure to help a client with a property who actually knows some of the history of their property. Even more rare is that the history is actually a compelling story. I’ve never had discussions and research of the history of a property lead to current events, but that’s what happened for me with a client near Monitor.
What these folks have is: A property with a history….
Bill & Laura Niemela have lived the history of their Fairview Canyon Ranch since 1970. Although it is only ten minutes to Wenatchee, it is truly a world apart. The views of both mountains and rivers are sweeping and spectacular and the spring flowers are vibrant. Even the purchase of the property happened from a colorful twist in that the home on the ranch, built by Lawrence Netherton, had recently burnt down. That misfortune may have been for the best in that Mr. Netherton had built the house with only seven foot ceilings since he was not tall and saw no need for anything taller!
The fire proved fortunate for Bill and Laura, since they could not afford both the house and land, to buy the property. Ever since that fortunate happenstance, they’ve enjoyed a lifestyle in harmony with the abundant deer, elk, birds and other wildlife. The property is now bordered by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust lands and should have open space into perpetuity.
The Niemelas speak of their son and daughter growing up with all the space, riding horses, tractors and snowmobiles. They hiked with their dogs and learned to respect and enjoy the wildlife. With their children now grown and moved away, it seems like a lifetime of history as they are now looking to sell the ranch and retire.
But the Niemela’s history is but a short chapter of this property’s ownership. Buried on the property is an earlier owner, George Parrish who is pictured above. Mr. Parrish was born in Indiana, was a graduate of the law department of Perdue College of Ohio and served with the Union Army in the Civil war as a corporal from August of 1862 until May of 1863.
He was the first attorney to open a law office in Walla Walla and years later in Yakima and Ellensburg. Since legal clients were scarce, he frequently taught school. He first visited the Entiat Valley in 1868. While living in the Park Creek County in the Kittitas Valley, the nearest store was at The Dalles, Oregon and the post office was at Fort Simcoe, either one 100 miles away.
In 1870 George Parrish was appointed Superintendent of Education of Yakima County, which then included Benton and Kittitas Counties. After getting married to Louise Kathrun Treadway of Indiana in September of 1871, the couple traveled by rail to San Francisco and by boat to The Dalles in the Kittitas Valley. In 1889, they left the Kittitas Valley and moved to Brown’s Flat Country, now known as Monitor.
Mr. Parrish secured several sections of land and raised cattle. The Parrish clan grew to a large family and he lived there until he died in 1914. His children included Mrs. I.J. Bailey of Wenatchee and Thomas Parrish of Cashmere.
This bit of looking into the history of the property has caused The Cashmere Historical Society and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War to begin work to plan a service to install a new marker on George Parrish’s grave! Sometimes stories just continue.
With its storied past, this special place of unique history and beauty is currently seeking its next owners to create its next chapters in time. If you would like to learn more about this amazing property, you can click here.
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