Selah, WA

Selah’s Origin Story

Selah is made up of three distinct areas—Wenas Valley, East Selah, and Selah proper. But its story began long before streets, storefronts, or irrigation ditches.

For generations beyond recorded memory, the Skwa-nanas—known as the “people of the whirlpool”—lived near the mouth of Wenas Creek. They called this land Selartar, meaning “Calm Waters.” In 1847, Yakima Valley chiefs heard of missionaries in Oregon and sent for them. Two years later, the missionaries arrived in Moxee, where several Yakama leaders—Ka-mi-akin, Te-i-as, Ow-Hi, Qualchan, and Skomowa—were wintering.

In the spring of 1880, Chief Wi-e-Mash-et sent his father, Chief Ow-Hi, to bring one of those missionaries, Father Pandosy, to Selah. He became the first white man to enter the camp. From then on, Selartar became known as Selah, translated as “Pause and Reflect.”

The mid-1800s were turbulent times. In 1855, conflicts among local tribes led the Army to intervene from Fort Dalles. A fishery—rich with salmon—was built where the Selah Elks Club stands today, stretching to the beginning of Wenas Creek. Families lived and raised children near these fishing grounds. Early explorers once described the Yakima Valley as “dry, desolate land with no future.”

But Selah’s fate was already changing. In 1864, cattlemen Mosier, Warbash, and Barnes drove a herd from southern Oregon to the Selah and Wenas areas. By the 1870s, cattle trading was thriving. In 1888, two men from Tacoma and Puyallup, drawn by the promise of hops, dug an irrigation ditch from the Naches River along the northern rim of the valley. Water transformed the land—turning what was once dismissed as barren into fertile farmland.

By the early 1900s, settlers poured in, homesteads sprang up, and Selah began to grow. In 1905, Frank Charbonneau built the first storefront—a small wooden building at 1st and Naches. Known as the Charbonneau Rural Station of North Yakima, it lasted only two years before he moved on.

In 1907, two new storefronts rose at that same crossroads, including the two-story Selah Trading Company. The upstairs hosted town meetings and church services, while the downstairs was stocked with goods for a growing community.

All was great until 1908 when most of the town caught fire and burnt down. There was no fire department yet, so a bucket brigade attempted to save the structures, but Selah was left in ruins to rebuild.

The roots of Selah coming together in crisis are strong and deep. The Selah Trading Company was rebuilt within a month, and several other businesses such as the Selah Hotel and the shoe store next door followed suit and were rebuilt within a year.

By 1910, homes and churches started to appear around town, most of the Selah Valley had been cleared of sagebrush and had irrigation, and the first bank even opened in Selah. Hops were growing crazy, and apples started. The first rail car entered Selah in July of 1913 moving people between Selah and Yakima, opening up trade and commerce. Selah’s population began to grow, and it was being recognized as a major fruit and horticultural district. By 1918, the population had grown to a whopping 200 people, the great world war was coming to an end, and things were looking pretty good for the little town. Prominent citizens campaigned for incorporation, and Selah became a town!

Today’s Selah may not look much like the Selah of 1918, but many qualities remain the same! Tucked safely off to the side of I-82 in the foothills of the Cascades, you will find a community of people that come together in crisis, much like the bucket brigade, and recover, much like the fast rebuild of buildings and community. We are an agricultural community at our core, and we have been the apple juice capital of the world since the start of the first plant in the late 1930s. We support our schools and kids’ sports, and we support small businesses.

WE ARE #SELAHSTRONG