Mansfield, Washington — Wheat Boomtown at the End of the Line

Mansfield boomed because the railroad stopped there.

When a Great Northern branch reached Douglas County wheat country in 1909, Mansfield became the end of the line. Grain could suddenly move efficiently toward Wenatchee and distant markets.

Hotels, banks, restaurants, stores and a newspaper followed with remarkable speed.

Then fire started editing the business district.

Major fires in 1914 and 1922 destroyed wooden buildings, while drought, weak wheat prices and bank failures added pressure.

Roads and trucks eventually reduced the railroad's importance.

Wheat did not disappear.

Grain elevators still dominate Mansfield's skyline because the agricultural reason for the town survived the transportation system that created its boom.

Gold is not required for a boomtown.

Sometimes wheat and the end of the tracks are enough.