Mattawa, Washington — Water Grew the Crops; Migration Built the Town

Mattawa sits near the Columbia in dry country transformed by irrigation.

Once water reached the Wahluke Slope and surrounding farms, orchards, vineyards and row crops expanded rapidly.

Those crops required workers.

Migrant farmworkers, many from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, came for planting, pruning and harvest. Families stayed. Businesses, churches and schools changed with them.

Mattawa incorporated in 1958, but the community that developed over following decades became much more than the small agricultural settlement that preceded it.

Wine grapes, apples, cherries and other crops still tie the local economy to irrigation and seasonal work.

Calling Mattawa simply a farm town misses half the story.

Water made the agriculture possible.

Migration made the modern community.