Cashmere

In 1863, Father Respari, a Catholic missionary, built a cabin near Cashmere and taught Christianity to the Wenatchi people for 20 years. In 1883, Father Grassi took over the cabin, and the church became known as the “Mission”. Soon after Father Grassi moved in, he built an irrigation system and taught the Wenatchi to raise vegetables on a small garden patch with the few seeds he had brought with him.

The first American settler in the valley was D. S. Farrar who came in 1883. Farrar began a farm and sold hay to the new arrivals. He was the only one who had any hay for sale. The Wenatchi called him “Hayman.

Cashmere is rich with Indian lore and fables. Here the old Catholic missionaries had their headquarters in the very early days and remnants of old Irrigation ditches can be seen where they brought water down to their gardens. It is the old stamping ground of Indians for ages. A branch of the Yakima Indians built a log church here over thirty years ago, which they replaced in 1892 with an attractive frame structure where they used to hold services. This place was originally called "Old Mission." 

The place is located eleven miles west of Wenatchee at the confluence of Mission Creek and the Wenatchee River. The first settlers in the vicinity were Aleck Brander and David Farrer, who came about 1879. J. F. Woodring, Ed. Hinman and D. Strong took up homesteads in 1884. Squire Stewart came in 1885. In 1887, J. F. Offord took up the land where the city now is. The town was laid out by J. F. Woodring about 1891. Prior to this, in 1887, Al. Morehouse opened a general store and the post offlce was established,

By 1903 the town's population was over 200. Citing confusion of this town, with another in northern Okanogan County (that no longer exists), that same year, Mission and the entire valley were renamed for Kashmir, India. The spelling was changed to a more Americanized "Cashmere".

The town was incorporated in 1904 and continued to prosper. The town's first hotel and saloon were constructed in 1905. A library was established in 1908. By 1909, Cashmere housed three banks. Telephone service was installed in 1909 followed by paved sidewalks in 1913, electric lights in 1914 and paved streets in 1919.

In 1918, the company was founded by two Armenian immigrants who settled in Cashmere. In 1920 they created Aplets, made with apples and walnuts and Cotlets made from apricots that are grown in the local orchards. That original idea has expanded to the full line of fruit-and-nut candies and fine food gifts that you'll find at Libertyorchards.com. You can take a tour of the factory and visit their gift shop.