The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 868 PETER PETERSON. A considerable percentage of the citizenship of the district surrounding Selah comes from Sweden. The sons of that country have manifested their usual untiring industry, perseverance and reliability in the conduct of business affairs here and their worth is widely recognized. To this class belongs Peter Peterson, who was born July 29, 1866, a son of Mons and Enger Peterson, both of whom have now passed away. He spent the first sixteen years of his life in his native country and then in 1882 crossed the Atlantic to the new world and made his way to Chicago, after which he engaged in sailing on the Lakes, becoming master on vessels on the fresh water. He worked his way upward in that connection and also was part owner of Lake vessels. In 1900 he came to Yakima county, Washington, and purchased twenty acres of land on Selah Heights. which was then covered with sagebrush. He commenced its development with characteristic energy and his labors soon wrought a marked change in the appearance of his land. he also secured live acres near Selah and has added to his holdings until he now has a valuable tract of seventy-eight acres, of which twenty acres is planted to orchards, while forty acres is plow land and the balance pasture. He has sold the five-acre tract and concentrates his efforts and attention upon his other holdings, which are now bringing forth fine crops of fruit and of vegetables and cereals. He knew nothing at all of farming when he came to the west, having had no experience in this line and those who knew him predicted that he could not make a success of it. Perseverance and industry, however, are qualities which always triumph over difficulties and obstacles and these qualities Mr. Peterson possessed in large measure. He worked diligently, studied closely to master the business and acquaint himself with every phase of general farming and stock raising, and today he has one of the fine farm properties in the Yakima valley. He annually gathers large crops of hay and potatoes and makes extensive shipments of apples and grapes. In 1890 Mr. Peterson was married to Miss Helen Hansen, a native of Norway. who came to the new world in her girlhood days, settling in Chicago. The children of this marriage are: Esther, now the wife of Philip J. Eustace, a resident of Yakima, by whom she has one daughter; Leif, who is now deceased; Ruth, the wife of G. I. Foster, who is a member of the United States army, while his wife is at home with her parents; and Hazel and Hattie, twins, both of whom have passed away. Mr. Peterson is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church. His political allegiance is given to the republican party upon national questions but at local elections he casts an independent ballot. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished. He became the first settler in his part of the valley and he brought to his work no previous experience along the line in which he engaged. He did not know how to harness a horse or do anything in connection with farming, but he possessed intelligence and determination and set to work to learn all that was necessary. Step by step he has advanced and each forward step has brought to him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. Today he is a leading farmer of the district, reliable and progressive, and many who believed that at the outset he would meet with failure are now glad to follow his example and listen to his advice. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.