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Ritzville, Washington
Visitor Information

Location

Ritzville is located 60 miles west of Spokane, 77 miles north of the Tri-Cities and approximately 260 miles east of Seattle.

Getting There

Road

Ritzville is located at the junction of WA 395 and I-90. Take Exit 221 north from I-90. Or, enjoy the passage of secondary access roads into town, such as Rosenoff Road, through the gently rolling fields of wheat.

Rail

Although the rail line that runs through the center of town is still in use, passenger trains no longer stop at Ritzville. The daily Amtrak passenger service the Empire Builder runs between Seattle/Portland and Chicago. Nearby depots are in Ephrata (57 miles northwest) and Spokane (58 miles northeast). Amtrak also has a coach service to Moses Lake (40 miles to the west).

History

In 1881, the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway ensured Ritzville's place as a agricultural shipping center, and fostered the development of the town. When Adams County was declared in 1883, Ritzville was named the county seat – not a difficult decision, as it was the only town in the county at the time. Over the next couple of decades, many many fine turn-of-the-century homes and downtown buildings were constructed. This was a boom time for Ritzville and it proudly declared itself "the largest wheat receiving station in the world." Despite a major blaze in1888 that ravaged original wooden buildings, the downtown area remains marvelously intact, and restoration projects continue. Ritzville remains modestly prosperous, although the advent of irrigation has seen nearby Othello grow to twice the size of Ritzville.

With the Germanic town of Leavenworth so prominent on the tourist map, it might come as a surprise to learn that Ritzville was actually settled by a good proportion of German-Russian immigrants. Noting street names such as "Bauman" and "Rosenoff", will give you hint of this heritage. As late as World War II, two of the towns eight churches were German-speaking.

Name

Philip Ritz founded a homestead here in 1878, and gave his name to the site.

Websites

Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 122, Ritzville, 99169. Phone: 509-659-1936.

This official web site includes a business directory, virtual historical tour with detailed descriptions of the buildings, recreation and events.

Ritzville Public Library

Includes history of the library, online photo archive and regional artwork. The library's historic photo collection spans nearly 50 years and depicts early agricultural techniques in the Big Bend region, life on the farm, and urban scenes.

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