The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 1100 PETER JOHN NORLING. Peter John Norling, who passed away on the 2d of April, 1919, had witnessed the growth and development of the Kittitas valley during more than a third of a century and had been actively identified with its ranching and stock raising interests throughout that entire period, owning a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in the vicinity of Ellensburg. His birth occurred in Sweden on the 16th of November, 1848, his parents being John and Elsie Norling, who passed away in that country before their son, Peter John, had reached the age of six years. Peter J. Norling spent the first twenty-three years of his life in the land of his nativity and then, attracted by the favorable reports which he had heard concerning the superior advantages and opportunities offered in the United States, he crossed the Atlantic and after reaching American shores made his way into the interior of the country, arriving in Chicago on the 7th of June, 1871. A month later he removed to Whiteside county, Illinois, where he remained for two years and then took up his abode in Sycamore county, that state, working as a farm hand in order to earn a livelihood. In 1875 he journeyed westward to Blackhawk, Colorado, and four years later removed to Ten-mile, that state, where he remained until 1883. In that year he made his way to the Kittitas valley in Washington, traveling via San Francisco, California, and The Dalles, Oregon. He first purchased one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land but later disposed of the property and purchased another tract of equal size near Ellensburg. He subsequently sold forty acres of the latter place but retained the remaining one hundred and twenty acres and was successfully engaged in the cultivation of hay and grain and the raising of stock throughout the remainder of his life. As the years passed his labors were attended with gratifying results and he long ranked with the prosperous and representative ranchers and stockmen of the valley. He also possessed considerable inventive genius and patented a ditcher. On the 17th of July, 1895, Mr. Norling was united in marriage to Mrs. Anna Maria Swanson, the widow of Charles Swanson. She bore the maiden name of Anna Maria Munson, is a native of Sweden and emigrated to the United States in the year 1884. By her first marriage she had three children, namely: Augusta, now the wife of Olaf Johnson, who is engaged in ranching in the Kittitas valley; John, at home; and Oscar, a resident of Ellensburg. Mr. and Mrs. Norling had one son, George William, who is a member of the United States army. In politics Mr. Norling was a republican, staunchly supporting the men and measures of that party at the polls. Both he and his wife attended the Lutheran church and were highly esteemed as people of genuine personal worth. Coming to the new world in early manhood, he found the opportunities which he sought and through their wise utilization won a place among the substantial and respected citizens of his community. His demise, which occurred in the seventy-first year of his age, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for he had gained an extensive circle of friends during the long period of his residence in the Kittitas valley. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.