The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 321

JOHN MECHTEL.

One of the important business enterprises of Yakima is the bakery owned and
conducted by John Mechtel, whose long experience in this line of business well
qualifies him for the successful conduct of the enterprise of which he is now
the head. He was born in Minnesota, October 18, 1867, and is a son of Mathew and
Katherine Mechtel. The father is still living but the mother has passed away.
Mr. Mechtel is a farmer and a dairyman who still makes his home in Minnesota.

John Mechtel acquired his education in the public schools of Shakopee,
Minnesota, and was reared upon the home farm to the age of eighteen years,
working in the fields with his father during the periods of vacation, while in
the winter months he pursued his studies. He afterward learned the baker's trade
under the direction of his uncle at Shakopee, working at twelve dollars per
month from four o'clock in the morning until eight o'clock at night. After
spending five years in that employ, during which he gained a comprehensive
knowledge of the bakery business, he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he
continued to follow his trade for two years. In 1893 he arrived in Yakima and
spent one year in the employ of Joe Metzger. He afterward became connected with
John Ditter and eventually they purchased the Luther grocery store on Front
street. At a subsequent date they removed to Yakima avenue and in 1896 they
purchased the bakery business of Joe Metzger. Mr. Mechtel then took over the
bakery, while Mr. Ditter continued in charge of the grocery store. In 1897 the
grocery store was destroyed by fire and for two years Mr. Ditter was with Mr.
Mechtel in the conduct of the bakery, but in 1899 Mr. Mechtel purchased the
interest of his partner and has since conducted the bakery alone. He has ever
maintained a lunchroom in connection with the bakery and both branches of his
business are liberally patronized. He has an excellent restaurant capable of
seating ninety people, and his pastry shop is in the rear. The bread shop is on
West Yakima and Eleventh avenues, and the bakery equipment consists of two ovens
capable of baking eight thousand loaves of bread daily. He ships bread to all
the surrounding towns, making the Butternut and the Holsum bread, for both of
which he finds a large sale. He also conducts an extensive wholesale ice cream
business and he manufactures his own candies. His trade has steadily grown to
extensive proportions and he now employs twenty-seven people. He is one of the
few business men of Yakima who have been connected with its commercial
interests for a quarter of a century. He has the oldest and largest bakery in
the valley and his business overtops that of and- other concern of the kind in
this section of the state. During the war he set an example by making such
changes in his bakery goods as to strictly conform to the existing food
regulations and, in fact, was food administrator for the city hotel and other
dining rooms for the Yakima district.

On the 14th of April, 1897, Mr. Mechtel was married to Miss Anna K. Hartmann, of
Shakopee, Minnesota, and to them have been born two daughters, Lucile Margaret
and Gertrude Georgia, both at home.

Fraternally Mr. Mechtel is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of
Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Modern
Woodmen of America, the Woodmen of the World, the Catholic Order of Foresters
and the Knights of Columbus and his religious faith is indicated by his
membership in St. Paul's Catholic church. He also belongs to the Commercial Club
and he is interested in all that pertains to the development and welfare of the
city in which he has so long made his home and in which he has been so very
active as a business man. There have been no spectacular phases in his career
but his enterprise and progress have accomplished splendid results not only in
the development of his individual interests but in the promotion of trade
relations of the city.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.