Thanks to Charles Hansen for finding and sharing a bit in The Spokesman-Chronicle for January 2, 1899 (page 6): WASHINGTON'S FRUIT TREES. Spokane is the fourth county in importance in the state according to the "orchard census" just announced by Jesse E. Baker, the state horticulturist. Spokane County boasts 130,050 fruit trees. Walla Walla leads with 253,330 trees, but of the 34 counties in the state, only three can beat Spokane. Mr. Baker also reported that there were 2,414,626 fruit trees in the state.
Charles explained to me that it was likely that many of the trees were planted under the conditions of a land grant..... land was granted upon condition of planting so many trees and (Charles said) it did not matter what kind of trees but only ones which would grow in that environment.
According to Wikipedia, some German families settled in the Green Bluff area in 1899; a school district had been established in 1891, the first Methodist church and the first Grange in 1909. Today we think of Green Bluff in terms of orchards...... cherry, peach, pear, apple, and strawberries. I wonder if some of those fruit trees were planted under a land grant opportunity??
Anybody have a story about ancestors settling at Green Bluff and fruit trees? Would love to hear it!