Lower Kittitas County
CITY OF
Kittitas
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ittitas was founded as part of the westward expansion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroads. The community was established in 1889 and was incorporated as a city within the state of Washington in 1931. Today, Kittitas is a friendly, hometown community. Visit Olmstead Place State Park, a working pioneer farm at 925 Ferguson Road. There’s an old log cabin, farmhouse, tools, farm implements and machinery.
Vantage
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CENTRAL WASHINGTON | VISITORS GUIDE
T
he community of Vantage sits on a scenic bluff overlooking the Columbia River about 28 miles east of Ellensburg off Interstate 90. Vantage may have only 100 or so full-time residents, but it welcomes many more guests throughout the year. Through the summer, Vantage swells with people traveling to and from concerts at the Gorge Amphitheater near George, across the Columbia River in Grant County. The Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center features displays on the geological history of the area and Native American culture, along with spectacular views of the Columbia River, Sentinel Gap and the surrounding Ice Age flood-carved basalt landscape. Petrified wood was discovered in the region in the early 1930s, leading to the creation of the state park.
