We have visited some far off places, solely on the basis of the name having intrigued us in some way. How could we have bypassed Ritzville?
The town's true history began three years after Philip Ritz (above) founded a homestead here in 1878, and gave his name to the site. In 1881, the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway ensured Ritzville's place as a agricultural shipping center, and fostered the development of the town. When Adams County was declared in 1883, Ritzville was named the county seat - not a difficult decision, as it was the only town in the county at the time. Over the next couple of decades, many many fine turn-of-the-century homes and downtown buildings were constructed. This was a boom time for Ritzville and it proudly declared itself "the largest wheat receiving station in the world." Despite a major blaze in1888 that ravaged original wooden buildings, the downtown area remains marvelously intact, and restoration projects continue.
I absolutely love movies and when I find a vintage theater, I'm smitten. The New Ritz Theatre was opened in 1937 and was designed by prolific northwest cinema architect Bjarne Moe. It maintains the original architecture and seating arrangement for 400 patrons.
The Downtown has two blocks of fine brick storefronts and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The H.E. Gritman Building is a flagship example of the architecturally impressive brick buildings that line Ritzville's Main Avenue. Constructed in 1902 by Harry Emmet Gritman, the 50x90 two-story behemoth stands at the corner of Main Avenue and Washington Street, its turret and flagstaff serving as sentinels from a different era.
The Burroughs home (1890) is not only an example of some of the finer houses in town, it is also a museum. In 1888, Dr. Frank Burroughs was passing through by train when he had to stop for a medical emergency. He apparently found Ritzville to his liking, because he stayed for the rest of his life. He went on to later become the mayor and postmaster and to assist in the delivery of thousands of babies over a 40-year career.
Another structure I am drawn to our libraries, especially Carnegie Libraries. In 1902, Daniel Buchanan, a local farmer and prominent politician, donated over 550 volumes from his personal library to the City of Ritzville to be "used as a nucleus of a public library ... free, under the usual library restrictions, to all residents of Adams County, Washington." The Manhattan Club purchased furniture for $400 and the first librarian, Mr. G. Reicher, was hired for $35 per month. The first reading room and library was located over Mrs. Hallin’s millinery store. Later, donations were sought for a permanent library structure; $10,500 came from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation giving Ritzville the means to construct a full-fledged library.
On June 4, 1907, the cornerstone of the present library was laid by the Grand Lodge of the Masons. Local and out-of-town dignitaries, including Governor Albert Mead, attended the event. The brick building in a restrained Neoclassical style was designed by Preusse & Zittel of Spokane and built by Shontz Shuler. Shuler is now memorialized in this metal sculpture in front of the library.
The final component of any historical town, which I love, is its cemetery. Such history can be found there. This seven acre cemetery was founded concurrent with the town in 1887, and is presently an active cemetery. Called the Ritzville Cemetery until the end of the Great Depression, it acquired the "Memorial" in its name in honor of American veterans.
"Following an illness of several weeks, Mr. P. J. McGrath, proprietor of the Windsor Hotel, and one of the early settlers of Ritzville, passed away last Sunday at his home here. The sickness was described as ptomaine poison with complications. Owing to his age he failed to respond to medical treatment, but grew weaker so that his demise was not unexpected. The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon from Haight's undertaking parlor and was conducted by Rev. R. D. Snyder. Burial was made in the Ritzville cemetery.
P. J. McGrath was born Nov. 8, 1852, in Timmerick County, Ireland. He came to America when he was 19 years of age. On April 6, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Holmquist. He is survived by the widow and five children and six grandchildren.
In the spring of 1881 Mr. McGrath came to Ritzville, then a new town along the route of the Northern Pacific between Spokane and Pasco. Later he worked as a section foreman, giving up this work 20 years ago. He built the Star Hotel here, which he later sold, intending to move away. He found no other location that pleased him like the home town so he came back and built the Windsor Hotel. Mr. McGrath was an unobtrusive man, steady in his work, in his later years spending most of his time at his hotel. He saw and had a part of the development of this city in the past four decades."
The Journal-Times Thursday, January 13, 1921
This was a first for me. As I looked closer, I could see that there were a handful of nineteenth century monuments which were not made of stone. They were metal and have totally resisted weathering, surviving over 100 years of exposure, in excellent condition (rust-free). Called White Bronze these monuments were casted from pure zinc. Zinc forms a coating of zinc carbonate, that when it is left exposed, is rust resistant. The monuments have taken on a bluish-gray color that is a result of the zinc-carbonate. The term "white bronze" was used only to make the monuments sound more appealing.
Interestingly, two men, M.A. Richardson and C.J. Willard, are credited with perfecting the means of casting these metal monuments in 1873. The plaster casts were made from wax models. The wax models were created by an artist. The metal casts were done in pieces and then fused together using hot zinc. The Monumental Bronze Company made graveyard monuments from 1874 to 1914. The government took over the plant for the manufacturing of munitions during World War I. After the war the demand for the monuments had faded, and the company was dissolved in 1939. So cool! Yes, history is found in cemeteries.
Ritzville, the seat of Adams County, lies in the heartland of eastern Washington agriculture. The prominent grain elevators link the town to the surrounding wheat fields, and indicate Ritzville remains an important milling and shipping center for dryland wheat. Indeed, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers is located here.
”What's in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
-Juliet
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1 comments:
What a super cool, seemingly random stop!
I am loving the Gritman Building. It is definitely better than pretty good. :)
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