The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 401

YAKIMA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION COMPANY.

Yakima Valley Transportation Company, the value of whose service in connection
with the public welfare is scarcely to be overrated, was established as the
Yakima Inter-Valley-Traction Company in 1906, the stockholders being local
people. H. B. Scudder, now deceased, was the first president, with Murray Miles,
also now deceased, as the secretary. Franchises were granted to this company,
which was reorganized in 1907 as the Yakima Valley Transportation Company, with
A. J. Splawn as the president and George S. Rankin as general manager. They
built about three miles of road. In June, 1909, Nathan C. Richards came to
Yakima and purchased the plant for the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. Richards was
made manager of the company and started the development work. In 1910 he was
elected to the presidency of this corporation, with J. P. O'Brien as vice
president and P. D. Spencer as auditor. The company now has over forty miles of
road, extending to Selah, Wiley City and Henryb'ro, covering most of the valley,
and the electric railway lines of the city. The equipment is thoroughly modern,
power being secured from the Pacific Power & Light Company, and today they have
over one hundred employees. They do a large freight business, shipping over both
the Union Pacific and the Northern Pacific. The capital stock is held by the
Union Pacific system. The company operates three freight locomotives, handling
the ordinary freight cars, and operates three interurban passenger cars,
together with seven city cars. This is the best electric service in Washington
for a town of its size.

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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.