The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 910 
A portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Burt K. Ferris appears in this publication.

BURT K. FERRIS.

Burt K. Ferris, devoting his time and attention to general agricultural pursuits
and fruit raising in Yakima county, was born in Hampton, Minnesota, February 5,
1864, a son of Peter B. and Hannah (Karker) Ferris, who were natives of the
Empire state, but at an early day in the development of Minnesota established
their home within its borders. There the father passed away, and later the
mother came to Washington and made her home with her son Burt until her death,
which occurred in 1915.

Burt K. Ferris obtained his education in the public schools but was only fifteen
years of age at the time of his father's death and the responsibility of caring
for and developing the old home farm then largely devolved upon him. At a later
period the family sold the farm and removed to Northfield, Minnesota, where Mr.
Ferris of this review had liberal educational opportunities, there attending the
high school. He was afterward employed in the town and later in Minneapolis in
connection with a creamery business, in which he spent six years. Subsequently
he spent five years on his brother's farm near Northfield, acting as manager of
the property, and in January, 1896, he made his way to the northwest, arriving
in Yakima county. Here he purchased seventy-five acres of land six miles west of
Yakima, the greater part of which was wild and undeveloped. He at once began the
improvement of the property and after a time traded twenty acres of this for
water, thus irrigating the remainder of his place of fifty-five acres. He now
has fifteen acres in orchard, while forty acres are devoted to diversified
farming. He likewise keeps Holstein cattle and conducts an extensive dairy
business which is proving very profitable. He raises apples and pears for
commercial purposes and has other fruit upon the place for home consumption. His
crops of grain, too, are excellent and in fact everything about his place is
wisely and successfully managed and his labors are therefore crowned with a
substantial measure of success.

On the 15th of August, 1896, Mr. Ferris was married to Miss Clara Burroughs, of
Minnesota, and to them were born five children: Marie, who is the wife of Aubrey
Farrer, a resident of Seattle, by whom she has one son, Dean Clinton; Earl,
Cecil and Donald, all at home; and Harold, who died at the age of three years.

Mr. Ferris and his family are members of the First Baptist church, taking an
active interest in the work and contributing generously to its support. In
politics Mr. Ferris is a republican and while never an office seeker has served
as school director for one term. He belongs to the Horticultural Union of Yakima
county and is interested in everything that has to do with the welfare and
progress of his community, supporting all those projects and interests which are
a mater of civic virtue and of civic pride. As a business man he has made steady
progress. Starting out in the world when a lad of fifteen years, he has since
been dependent upon his own resources, and with industry as the basis of his
success, has built up a substantial competence.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.