Editing Thorp, Washington (section)

===Boomtown and beyond===
Through the first few decades of the 20th century, the town's economy remained steady with the population reaching its peak at around 400 people.<ref name="registrationform"/> Eugene B. Brain wrote of the flourishing town of Thorp, as it was poised to enter into its [[boomtown]] era, in ''The Coast'' magazine:

<blockquote>"The people of Thorp are prosperous and well-to-do. The business interests are represented by two general stores, a fine hotel, drug store, restaurant, livery, meat market, blacksmith shop, saw mill, flouring mill, numerous fruit packers and shippers and other pursuits [...] with a bright present, a prosperous and large future lies before the town. Thorp is bound to grow and with its enterprising and progressive residents a magnificent town is assured--a town of wealth and importance for Kittitas County."<ref name="eugene"/></blockquote>

Then in the late 1920s and 1930s, Thorp experienced a remarkable economic boost despite the Great Depression that had descended upon the nation.<ref name="registrationform"/>

This period of growth and prosperity was led by an influx of [[lumber|timber]] workers from the Taneum Canyon, where the [[Boise Cascade|Cascade Logging Company]] maintained a portable [[logging]] camp.<ref name="daily19890818"/> In 1928, Thorp became one of the headquarters for the Bureau of Reclamation's Kittitas Division of the Yakima Project which focused on construction of the Highline Canal, an event that brought yet more activity to the town.<ref name="registrationform"/><ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Write interesting story of the building of the High Line," 1953-07-06, pp. 2.</ref>

This coincided with the establishment of Camp Taneum as Company 4771 of the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] at nearby Taneum Canyon, bringing as many as 189 young men from as far away as [[New York state|New York]] to work at the camp, many of whom frequented the town of Thorp for shopping and entertainment. Camp Taneum was disbanded in July 1938, and its enrollees transferred to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Little Rock, Arkansas for reassignment.<ref name="daily19730508"/><ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Looking back - July 8, 1938," 1968-07-08, pp. 4.</ref>

The boost in the economy brought workers into the town, spawning the need for social venues which, with the absence of liquor during the Prohibition era, made Ellison's Hall a great attraction. Located at the corner of Railroad Street (Thorp Highway) and First Street, Ellison's offered lively [[social club|smokers]] on Saturday nights.<ref name="daily19890818"/> It was also the home of many parties hosted by the Ladies' Aid Society, and dances featuring local favorites like "Larry's Harmony Aces"<ref>''The Ellensburg Capital'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "New dance hall," 1932-04-08, pp. 2.</ref> and "Pinky's Roamers".<ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Opening dance! At the Ellison hall," 1932-04-08, pp. 4.</ref>

On the morning of May 24, 1938, a serious fire burned several small businesses to the ground, including the Thorp Hotel, and a mercantile along with the clubhouse on the second floor above it which was home to the Thorp [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows|Odd Fellows]] and [[International Association of Rebekah Assemblies|Rebekahs]] lodges.<ref name="capital19380527">''The Ellensburg Capital'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Blaze at Thorp destroys two buildings," 1938-05-27, pp. 1.</ref>

The Thorp Hotel had been operated as the "Tanum House" {{sic}} first by J. F. Duncan<ref name="eugene"/> and then by Frank and Callie Mattox.<ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Mrs. C. Mattox dies in Tacoma," 1947-05-21, pp. 1.</ref> The name was changed sometime in the 1920s, and subsequently operated by Harrison and Nancy Barrett from 1924 to 1930.<ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Mr. and Mrs. H. Barrett are wed for 50 years," 1958-02-18, pp. 5.</ref> At the time of the fire it was operated by Ray Long.<ref name="capital19380527"/><ref>[http://content.statelib.wa.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/ellensburg&CISOPTR=2212&CISOBOX=1&REC=5 Washington State Library, Washington Rural Heritage, Source BBS373.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120708130642/http://content.statelib.wa.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/ellensburg&CISOPTR=2212&CISOBOX=1&REC=5 |date=2012-07-08 }} . Retrieved 2011-09-25.</ref>

None of the businesses destroyed in the 1938 fire were rebuilt, and the business district of the town was again struck by fire on the afternoon of August 16, 1943, when another commercial building was burned. The blaze threatened a serious conflagration, and was extinguished by state forestry crews with the assistance of a pumper from Ellensburg.<ref name="daily19430817">''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Blaze destroys Thorp building," 1943-08-17, pp. 1.</ref>

The realization that the fire might have been more serious, coupled with the previous fires in the town, gave impetus to a movement that had been underway at Thorp for some time regarding the purchase of fire equipment. An emergency meeting of the town residents was held on the evening of August 19, 1943, to discuss the town's response to the problem.<ref name="daily19430817"/> Kittitas County Fire District No. 1 was organized in that same year at Thorp, and is the oldest fire protection district in the state. The [[volunteer fire department]]'s small fire house was topped with the large bell that originally hung in the [[bell tower|belfry]] of the old Thorp school house. The bell is now an artifact at the current fire station which was recently built adjacent to the old one. The original fire house was subsequently sold and has been converted to an artist's studio and residence.<ref name="daily19890818"/>

The boomtown days began to subside with the departure of the canal workers and the winding down of nearby logging operations. The local economy greatly suffered with many businesses closing never to reopen, and the boom era had essentially come to a close by the end of World War II.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

The Northern Pacific Railroad depot at Thorp was officially closed on July 1, 1952. The Northern Pacific cited a steady decline in shipments and competition from trucks as the reason for the closure. The last shipment of freight moved from Thorp via the Northern Pacific line was on May 9, 1952.<ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Depot at Thorp closed by N.P.," 1952-06-30, pp. 1.</ref>

In 1967, ground was broken at the site of the 1938 fire by the Ellensburg Telephone Company which acquired the land to build a local telephone exchange office for the Thorp area. The building, which cost $25,000 to complete, was cut into service in May 1968, and is still in use. The exchange office was originally equipped to handle 400 subscribers.<ref>''Daily Record'' (Ellensburg, Washington), "Thorp gets telephone building," 1967-05-31, pp. 3.</ref>

The construction of a two-lane steel [[truss bridge]] over the Yakima River west of Thorp in 1936, prepared the way for the designation of the Thorp Highway, from State Route 10 ([[Washington State Route 10|SR 10]]) to [[US 97]], as SSH 3M ([[List of Primary State Highways in Washington|Secondary State Highway]] 3M) in 1937. In 1953, the highway through Thorp was deleted from the state highway system.<ref>[http://bridgehunter.com/wa/kittitas/84686000000000/ Bridgehunter, North Thorp Highway Bridge.] Retrieved 2011-09-23.</ref><ref>WikiProject Washington State Highways, "When each route was added to the state highway system."</ref>

The location of [[U.S. Route 10]] (now [[State Route 10]]) north of Thorp in 1926,<ref>[http://www.usends.com/10-19/010/010.html US Highway Endpoints, Photos, Maps, and History.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205152242/http://www.usends.com/10-19/010/010.html |date=2009-12-05 }}. Retrieved 2011-09-23.</ref> and the eventual opening of [[Interstate 90]] in 1968,<ref>''Spokesman-Review'' (Spokane), "Interstate opens near Ellensburg," 1968-11-21, pp. 1.</ref> all played vital roles in the changing population and economic conditions that shaped the small community.

In 1980, Interstate 90 from [[Seattle]] to Thorp was designated the ''Mountains to Sound Greenway'' to protect its outstanding scenic and cultural resources.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mtsgreenway.org | title= Mountains To Sound Greenway (Washington) | accessdate=2008-08-24}}</ref>

[[File:ThorpThorpCemetery.jpg|left|thumb|Thorp Cemetery is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young Indian woman who met a tragic death around the year 1890.]]