WSU Extension has 96-year tradition in Wahkiakum

WSU Extension celebrates a rich history in Wahkiakum County this weekend with Columbia River Country Days. A brief look at that history shows a record of innovativeness in Wahkiakum County; such as establishing the first Extension agent west of the Mississippi in 1912 and the first home economics 4-H club in the country in Seal River in 1914. That history also shows a long record of tumultuous funding from county government.

Grays River Grange member W.N. Meserve initiated the establishment of Extension in Wahkiakum County in 1911, with a letter asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture information on farm problems in Wahkiakum County. The USDA personnel answered the letter and gave him what information he could on the subjects from Washington D.C., and said that he’d get much better advice if they had a local county agent to study their problems and make recommendations in accordance with local conditions. That first agent, George Nelson reports, “Mr. Meserve immediately wrote back to ask them how a man of this kind might be secured…” The USDA said they would help fund the position if the county came up with $1,000; Meserve and other farmers and businessmen raised $760 among themselves, and the USDA agreed to put up the balance of the money required, altogether about $2,200.

Nationwide, Extension is a cooperatively funded agency by county government, the land grant university, and USDA. Wahkiakum County commissioners have pulled county funding before in Extension’s tenure, with records showing proposed abolishment in 1933, 1987 and 2007, as well as actual abolishment in 1925. Mr. Heston Weyrich, Extension Agent from 1942 to 1951, explained that the loss of the agent in 1925 was “the year the county commissioners refused to appropriate or budget funds for Extension work. Therefore WSU and USDA had no county funds to match, therefore there was no agent during that period. The commissioners’ action was so unpopular…that they made sure that funds were budgeted for an agent the following year and the years thereafter. Although several of the men ran for re-election several times, they were never elected to any public office ever again. People have long memories because they were still talking about it many years later when I was agent.” Eight years later, in 1933, the county again proposed to withdraw funding, and again county residents fought for funding for Extension, including Gus Jaspers, Master of the Wahkiakum County Pomona Grange, with his letter to the editor March 21st, 1933:

“The fishing industry has no further room for expansion; the timber is being rapidly depleted…The future of Wahkiakum County must therefore depend on manufacturing, commerce and agriculture. Can we then afford now to severely handicap this industry which is essential to the best business interest of all of our people?...”

As the first Extension agent, George Nelson recounts visiting many of the 220 farms in the county by boat and by foot, walking 8-12 miles daily over hills and up valleys to visit farms and schools. He traveled by boat in 1914 to the grade school at Seal River, and told teacher Miss Leona H. Laken about the new youth program called 4-H. With Nelson’s help, Lakin was 4-H leader to eight girls, teaching them to sew aprons and caps, and can 40-50 jars of prunes, pears and vegetables, using a new pressure cooker purchased by Nelson. In 1915, Miss Laken took four of the girls to the county fair in Skamokawa by Mr. Matt Kelly’s fish boat – a four hour trip. Nelson went on to establish several other 4-H clubs in the county around various projects, such as sheep, hogs, horses and land clearing.

Nelson advised farmers on crop yields, pasture management, dairy herd health, and multiple other subjects, including helping form a diking district on Puget Island. Nonetheless, his work with 4-H proved most rewarding. “From a personal standpoint, one of the greatest pleasures in my life has been working with these young people in helping them on to a greater interest and achievement in farm work and rural life. It is with great pleasure now to meet some of these former boys and girls who are now grown men and women and who are now carrying on successfully their part in life.” This sentiment is echoed by the many Extension agents who followed Nelson, as Wahkiakum 4-H youth become active local citizens, successful business owners, and heads of regional agencies and county departments.

Below are the WSU Wahkiakum County Extension Agents:

1912-1916, George Nelson.

1917-1919, A.F. Flagg.

1920-1921, H. M. Wivell.

1922-1925, Fred Martin.

1926-1929, Carl Izelt.

1930-1931, Thomas Webster.

1931-1936, Walter Clarkson.

1937-1942, Ralph Roffler.

1942-1942, Helmer Basso.

1942-1951, Heston Wyrich.

1945-1967, Dona Murphy.

1951-1951, Harold Poor, Jr.

1953-1964, Dale Dasch.

1967-1972, Cynda Webb.

1972-1974, Virginia Hunsaker.

1975-1978, Pearl Linde.

1979-1985, Carol Carver.

1986-1992, Janet Schmidt.

1993-1995, Joe Kropf.

1995-2000, Sandy Brown.

2001-2007, Jennifer Leach.

2007-present, Carrie Kennedy.