Cashmere - 3

Among the initial group of new settlers was a German immigrant named Alexander Brender. He filed a claim in what is still called Brender Canyon, and began raising vegetables for Blewett mines. Alexander Brender is also credited with planting Cashmere's first pear trees. Significant orchard production was not far off as more sophisticated aqueducts were built to guide the waters of the Wenatchee River. By the turn of the twentieth century much of the valley was flourishing under surface irrigation.

In his brief, trenchant introduction to describing the 'aspect,' or exposure, which helps determine optimum yields from fruit plantations, noted agriculture scientist Liberty Hyde Bailey wrote the following:

"In locations adjoining bodies of water, the best slope is toward the water. The very reason for the location of fruit farms in such places is that the ameliorating effects of the water may be secured, and these effects are most marked when the fruit-land is most exposed to the influence of the river or lake. In all these cases. . .the particular direction of the slope in respect to the points of the compass is of a very secondary importance. There is often great choice between the two sides of the river, or small lake, particularly when the slopes are sharp and high." [from The Principles of Fruit Growing, Revised edition; published February, 1915; reprinted 1919; pp 53-54]

Although these observations were penned nearly one hundred years ago, one can hardly find a more accurate portrait of Cashmere's current scenic mainstay. Fruit-bearing trees did, indeed, take exceptionally well to the newly-irrigated inclines and, within a mere ten years (c. 1900), orchards were blossoming throughout the hills and along the banks of the Wenatchee River.

In 1889, the post office, identified as Mission, was established, and three years later the first general store opened its doors. In 1893, with the completion of the Great Northern Railroad route through the Stevens Pass, the town was finally platted. The new rail line provided both employment opportunities and efficient transportation to get local produce to markets throughout the country. During the harvest season of 1902-03, Mission's fruit growers began shipping their apples to other Washington towns and beyond. Co-operatives were established, fruit warehouses and packing plants were constructed, and the myriad orchards of the Wenatchee Valley acquired a reputation for producing premium brand names in apples and soft fruits. There was only one small cloud on the horizon as the local apple industry surged forward: Mission wasn't the only municipality in Washington which bore the name of Mission. One of the town's leading citizens, Judge James H Chase, urged that the name be changed to coincide with the official incorporation of the township on 1 July, 1904. Impelled by the prose of Sir Thomas Moore, Chase had traveled to northern India, and he recounted the many parallels between his home in the river valley of the Cascades and the fertile Vale of Kashmir. The community at large agreed; thus Cashmere was formally entitled.