Whitman
Whitman is the final town along the Nisqually River, and is the second-largest town in the area.
The town itself is largely residential, with only a small commercial strip near the river:
It also has a brand-new elementary and high school which were recently expanded to service the nearby towns of Sultan and Arlington, as well as the local kids.
The major industry for the area (as with the other river towns) is agriculture. While only a few of the town residents work on the farms anymore, most are employed in the food-processing center across the river:
Because the region is so remote from other markets, fresh produce can only be sold locally. James Watson built this vegetable cannery in 1912 and the planted acreage tripled within a decade.
By the late 1920s, the cannery was running well over its designed capacity, and more farmland was being cleared every year, so Watson's company built a new facility:
This area also features a large warehouse, and grain elevator, plus a small lumberyard, a few bakeries, a milk processing plant and some other assorted industries.
That concludes our visit to the Nisqually River towns. Next up, new economic news.
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