WHEREAS, In April 1892, a party of Northern Pacific Railway and Yakima Irrigation Company officials visited the recently chosen, but as yet unnamed townsite on the north bank of the Yakima River, to fulfill a vision of transforming the arid desert land of the lower valley into a lush, green valley of agricultural productivity; and
     WHEREAS, Among others, the party consisted of Walter Granger, General Superintendent of the recently completed Sunnyside Canal, and Thomas F. Oakes, President of the Northern Pacific Railway, his wife Abby, and their 19-year-old daughter Zillah; and
     WHEREAS, The decision was made to name the town Zillah, after the railway president's daughter; following which seventy acres of railroad land grant and state-owned land were platted for the town, and the development of the townsite occurred quickly with the construction of a hotel, followed by a general store, a drug store, and a blacksmith shop; and
     WHEREAS, Walter Granger became president of the Zillah Townsite Company, and the trustees were: Thomas F. Oakes, Paul Schulze, William Hamilton Hall, and C.A. Spofford; and in 1894, School District #32 was organized and a schoolhouse was built, followed by two stage lines and two telephone lines; and
     WHEREAS, The town gained a railroad in 1907 to serve a new branch line from Sunnyside Junction near Toppenish; the line carried fruit from Zillah's rich fields twenty miles to Sunnyside, from where it was shipped worldwide; and
     WHEREAS, The City of Zillah became incorporated in 1911, and by 1920 had a population of 647; and since 1970, Zillah has been growing at the fastest rate in history, those residents enjoying the small town life; and
     WHEREAS, The Teapot Dome Service Station, a roadside attraction, was built outside Zillah in 1922, as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming; and
     WHEREAS, The Teapot Dome Service Station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and will be moved next Spring into the City of Zillah; and
     WHEREAS, The current officials of the City of Zillah are Mayor Gary Clark and Councilmembers Bob Gallagher, Jeff Miles, Doug Stewart, Janice Gonzales, and Kevin Russell; City Attorney Jamie Carmody; City Clerk Sharon Bounds; Fire Chief Dan Hargroves; Police Chief Dave Simmons; Public Works Director Tim Tilley; and Librarian Fern Greene; and
     WHEREAS, The City of Zillah lies in the heart of wine country and is an active community enjoying many fun-filled celebrations throughout the year, such as the Zillah Community Days and Parade, a 4th of July celebration, a Blue Grass Bash, a farmers market, and an Old-Fashioned Christmas;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate officially recognize and congratulate the City of Zillah and its citizens on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Town of Zillah; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the City of Zillah's Mayor Gary Clark; its Councilmembers and City Officials; and to Amber Schlenker, Editor of the Toppenish Review Independent.