Basin City

The town of Basin City was laid out in the 1950s on land owned by dry-land farmer Loen Bailey. The town was established to support the local agricultural community which was being opened to irrigation through the Columbia Basin Project. The new settlers to the area consisted primarily of young farmers from Idaho and Southwestern Oregon and World War II Veterans, who received preferential status on the purchase of federal lands that were sold as part of the Project. Early crops included sugar beets, alfalfa, corn, asparagus, wheat and barley. Later, potatoes, beans, carrots, and onions also became important, while sugar beet production stopped due to closure of a local sugar beet plant. A large number of orchards were planted and the area is now a major supplier of the famous Washington Apples. Cherries and other fruits are also produced locally. The Basin City Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries began serving the public in 1990.