The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., January 23, 1909, page 1

OUR PIONEER FRUIT GROWERS
By John G. Maddock

     Lyle, Wash., Jan. 17. - The late James Coffield came from Pennsylvania to Klickitat County a quarter of a century ago. He was well supplied with money. He had looked over the fruit culture in the great Walla Walla Valley, where he was urged to locate, but Klickitat looked good to him. Near the present town of Cliffs he transformed ugly sand dunes into wind breaks for fruit culture. He spared no means in making development. Lucky for Klickitat that she possessed this pioneer Grange worker and horticulturist.
     Tempting investments would never allure him to town or city. He loved the mysteries of the soil and in his Klickitat rural home you could always find the man who "did things" farming. "Coffield" peaches as big as large coffee cups, with uniform size, became the delight of traveling men, and he received many orders from them. Coffield once related he came to Klickitat with more money than brains. Generous with the horticultural knowledge he possessed, he was one time jollied to tell why his Alberta peaches grew so large and were so pronouncedly kissed by the blush of heaven. His reply was: "Soil and climate, prune severely, and carefully, cultivate and irrigate properly."
     Eighteen years ago last spring Mr. Coffield brought his fruit wagon to a halt in front of the late Hon. William R. Dunbar's office in Goldendale. He had on the wagon a crate of strawberries, he said, for exhibition. They were the first berries known to have ripened in the Northwest at that time. To his surprise, many eager purchasers appeared, showering money upon him in prices that to him seemed fabulous. Coffield afterwards related that the town was evidently "berry hungry" and he was forced to take money he felt he had not earned it; but from that time on he increased his strawberry production to an acre, which proved one of the best investments he ever made in Klickitat.
     Frank Coffield, schooled by an illustrious sire successful in all of his experiments in horticulture, visited different portions of Klickitat and Yakima counties with a view to establishing a commercial orchard and berry location. In the Big Klickitat River country this young horticulturist, with ample means and a growing family, acquired a piece of raw land nine miles up the river at Gravel Pit. Mr. Coffield, the son, today has eight acres of the best variety of peaches, showing the fertility of the soil after a year's growth, and he has an acre of strawberries and other fruits.
     Columbus O. Barnes has been dubbed the "Strawberry King" of Klickitat. Mr. Barnes experience blended with trials of penury, pluck and industry, have brought opulence. Mr. Barnes was born in Washington County, O., in 1856. At the age of 21 he was in Klickitat, a poor boy and worked at any kind of labor for the late "Uncle" John J. Golden, founder of Goldendale. Later Mr. Barnes married Mr. Golden's eldest daughter. With a growing family the plucky Ohioian, with outside wages and as renter of the Goldendale ranch, managed to get along with many wants unsupplied. "Jim" Coffield had told Mr. Barnes and others there was a good field for strawberry-growing for the local market. Mr. Barnes planted his first experimental patch near Goldendale. The old California prospector, Golden, his father-in-law, discredited success, owing to the elevation. The experiment was a success and the berries proved much firmer and better shipments than those grown at lower elevations Crops failure to him in 15 years is unknown. "Barnes" strawberries, like "Coffield" peaches, have gained more than a local reputation. Next June Mr. Barnes expects to ship strawberries from his own fields by carload to outside markets. Mr. Barnes estimates there are many thousand acres of idle land on the slopes about Goldendale that can be made as prolific for strawberry-growing as his fields.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer