Naches, WA

Naches sits along the Naches River at the foot of the Cascade foothills, about twelve miles northwest of Yakima. The town's name comes from the river and is usually translated as rough or turbulent water. Farming families were raising sheep, cattle, and dairy in the valley by the 1870s; later orchards turned apples, pears, cherries, and peaches into the local crop map. The townsite was platted in 1905, and the railroad made Naches the western terminus for shipments and passengers moving through the valley. Naches also served as the railhead for the Bumping Lake and Rimrock dam projects, with materials unloaded at the depot and hauled west by teams. The original depot now works as a visitor center and community meeting place, while the town's current agricultural map includes growers and apple-packing operations. Naches is a place where river water, fruit rows, railroad history, and the road toward the Cascades all meet.