History of King County, Washington
By Clarence B. Bagley in 1929. Now in Public Domain
From Chapter 47: Issaquah, Pages 773-774
Issaquah: Dairying and Poultry
Dairying has long been an important contributor to the prosperity of Issaquah. Early in the century R. H. Wilson had a fine herd of Guernsey cattle, and the Guernsey and Holstein stock of W. W., R. R., and E. E. Pickering were well known. The three brothers for many years engaged in dairying on their 360 acres. The Tibbetts brothers also did an extensive dairy business. The Meadowbrook Condensed Milk plant was established in 1911 and afforded a convenient market for locally produced milk. The Northwestern Milk Condensing Company was organized with a capitalization of $25,000 in 1908 by John Anderson, a dairy farmer, in association with Dr. W. E. Gibson, Tolle Anderson, P. J. Smith, W. M. Sylvester, and A. F. Giese, farmer. After five years of successful business the founders sold the plant to others. The company is still in business at Issaquah, making a high grade of condensed milk and several kinds of cheese, which find a ready market in Seattle.
Coal first put Issaquah on the map of King County, lumbering, dairying and farming have made substantial contributions to its growth and progress, but of late years a new industry, poultry raising, promises to equal, if not surpass, the others in the annual value of the return to the valley. The Wold sisters and others are enjoying large profits from this industry.
On April 26, 1929, A. J. Peters, president of the Issaquah State Bank, gave the writer the following summary of the status of local industries:
"I have consulted the local postmaster and four or five of the oldtimers here who have been active in business and otherwise aware of the developments in the community and they all join me in the opinion that lumbering and logging as grouped together still occupy the first position as to receipts in the community although there has been no particular growth in this line in recent years, and no doubt as the timber is cut away it will be on the decline.
"Poultry and poultry products no doubt take second place and have gained this position during the short period of six or seven years. This line of farming is still on the increase but not as rapidly as it was several years ago. Both the Washington Co-operative Egg & Poultry Association and the Fox River Butter Company, two of the largest egg gatherers in this state, have stations here and they are no doubt an important factor in encouraging and enlarging the poultry business. They are gradually reaching out into more distant territory and centralizing the poultry business at this point. Both of these concerns are now planning to establish candling stations and hope soon to be able to make direct rail shipments of their products from here. They are now covering practically all of the territory which might be called Central King County east of Lake Washington.
"Dairying might be placed third in rank, and is probably very much at a standstill. We have noticed no particular increase or decrease in this line for a number of years. And because of the rather limited supply of land that is suitable for this purpose we see no reason why this line should increase very much except by new and better farming methods and more concentrated efforts.
"Coal mining has declined to fourth place. At present there are only two small mines operating in this vicinity and although we do not predict any great amount of development in this line for a good many years yet, still scientists and experts tell us that the day will come when our coal will be sought after."
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By Clarence B. Bagley in 1929. Now in Public Domain