Ahtanum, Washington — Creek Is the Continuity

Ahtanum lies west of Yakima along a creek that organized human use of the valley long before modern suburbs appeared.

The area is part of the traditional homeland of the Yakama people.

Catholic missionaries later established St. Joseph's Mission nearby during the nineteenth century.

Agriculture expanded as settlers diverted creek and river water onto dry ground.

Private irrigation ditches were transforming portions of the valley before federal projects greatly expanded the system.

Modern Ahtanum is now a substantial unincorporated community along Yakima's western edge, with thousands of residents living near farms and open land.

The settlement pattern changed.

The watershed did not.

Ahtanum Creek remains the thread connecting the different versions of the place.