Ritzville was platted in 1881 along with other towns on that section of the Northern Pacific Line. It was named in honor of Phillip Ritz, a successful farmer and businessman from Walla Walla, who had planted trees along the Northern Pacific Railroad in the area.
The first Volga Germans came to Adams County, Washington, from Nebraska in 1883 when a group of 17 families under the leadership of Johann Friedrich Rosenoff arrived. By the mid-1890s, continuing immigration led to the Volga Germans being the largest ethnic group in the Ritzville area.
- Adams County Washington Pioneer Edition (Ritzville: Ritzville Journal-Times, September 15, 1949), p. 5, 29.
- An Illustrated History of the Big Bend Country Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin Counties State of Washington (Spokane: Western Historical Publishers, 1904).
- Becker, Paula, "Volga Germans led by Johann Frederich Rosenoff settle near Ritzville in 1883" (HistoryLink.org).
- Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time (New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 2006), p. 63.
- The History of Adams County, Washington (Ritzville: Adams County Historical Society, 1986), p. 264.
- Kirk, Ruth and Carmela Alexander. Exploring Washington's Past: A Road Guide to History (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1990), p. 96.
- National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form (1979) - Zion German Congregational Church (Online)
- Scheuerman, Richard D. & Clifford E. Trafzer. The Volga Germans: Pioneers of the Northwest (Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press, 1985): 139.
- 1920 Federal Census of Adams County (Eugene Jenkins)
- Ritzville Memorial Cemetery (A-H) (I-Q) (R-Z)
Ritzville, Washington (Wikipedia)
Map showing the location of Ritzville in Adams County, Washington.
Source: Wikipedia.
Wheat hauling (ca.1910) in Ritzville, Washington.
Source: Wikipedia.