Toppenish, Washington

Toppenish is a place in Yakima County in the U.S. state of Washington, who was one of just 8,946 inhabitants in 2000. It is located in the Reserve of the Yakama, approximately 30 km southeast of the city Yakima. Around 6.5 % of the population are of Latin American or Spanish origin, almost 8 % reported in the census of 2000, is attributable to a tribe of Indians, now do this around 15%.

The origin of the name is unclear. It is derived either from the Yakama word " Xuupinish " from what may be " scattered ", " downhill ", or hot, or it goes back to " Thappahnish " which means " people of the path coming from the foot of the hill " means.

Another unusual feature is the high number of large-scale paintings on 70 walls of houses. In order to take care of the Toppenish Mural Society, which it presents on its website and commented. For this purpose, the only Hop Museum is in the United States and the Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center.

History

After the Whitman Massacre of 1847 and the subsequent war against the Cayuse 1855 14 peoples and groups in the Treaty of Walla Walla forced to relocate the Yakima Indian Reservation, and summarized.

The area of present-day Toppenish appeared in 1853 on the map of Captain George McClellan under the name Sahpenis, but he changed on later maps in Toppenish.

As part of a land distribution program under the General Allotment Act of 1887 Josephine Bowser Lillie received, had the Indian and white ancestry, a plot of 80 acres. It is now considered " the mother of Toppenish ." They parceled and sold half of their land and created the first time so that private ownership of land in the Yakama Reservation. Other families, such as the French, Olney, Robbins and Spencer participated in the first allowed private land acquisition. The previously common type of land appropriation, which consisted simply to occupy vacant land, one called squatting and so the lands were called initially squatter 's claims.

The village became a town and founded on April 29, 1907 formally by Johnny Barnes. In 1911 she was connected to the railway network of the Northern Pacific Railway ( to 1961 ). 1989 Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum Association was founded, which built a museum of the remaining stocks.

Since 1933 rodeos are conducted every year, who had a great significance for the Indians of the area, because for four days, numerous representatives of the tribes met in eastern Washington.

Opened in 1980, the Yakama Nation Museum, one of the oldest museums of indigenous peoples in the United States. Around this time was also the Heritage University, which has set itself the goal of improving education in the ill-equipped area. This attracted mainly students of Indian and Spanish descent.