THE TINY TOWN: Krupp, Washington (Or is it Marlin, Washington?)
THE TINY TOWN: Krupp, Washington (Or is it Marlin, Washington?)
For several months I’ve been exploring the tiny towns of Washington. I’ve always been fascinated by towns with a very small population like Grace, Washington with a population of 12. Why people would call the really small towns home like Anatone, Washington. How some minor towns become a major tourist attraction like Winthrop, Washington. The rich traditions that are still practiced today like in Neah Bay, Washington. Or small towns that created one of Seattle’s Best Coffee like Coupeville, Washington.
With each tiny town, I discovered interesting history that makes these small, hard to see dots on the map, so unique. So while looking for another tiny town to explore with just a few people living there, I stumbled upon a town named, Marlin with a population of 52-ish. But when I went to look it up on the map, to my confusion it kept pointing me to Krupp, Washington. “No, you stupid Google Map! I want Marlin, Washington!” Once again I was directed to Krupp in Grant County. Come to find out that both names, Marlin and Krupp, are one on the same.
Krupp/Marlin sits quietly in a small valley along side Crab Creek, just about 25 miles north and to the right of Moses Lake. So which name is it…really? Why the two names? Which name came first? Well, apparently it was first “settled” in 1871 by Henry Marlin (ah-ha!).
A townsite was originally a cattle ranch. Of course you can’t be a real town without a railway running through, so the Great Northern Railway was built through the area in 1892 and placed a station, which was named Krupp (wait, what?).
Families who emigrated from Iowa (that sounds so specific) came in, and was incorporated on January 7, 1911 as the town of Krupp (oh-kay).
In 1918 a post office was established under the name of, Marlin. (now you’re messin’ with me!)
The few people that resided there made a request to not use the name Krupp. Why? Krupp is a German name. There was an anti German sentiment during World War I, and then again during World War II.
This, by the way, was common with towns in the United States with German names. In Ventura County, there was a town called, Nordhoff, named for the author Charles Nordhoff (not to be confused with his uncle Charles Nordhoff who authored books like, Mutiny on the Bounty), who wrote a lot about California that caused many to come to Southern California. But with American’s distaste for Germany during WWI and WWII, the name was changed to Ojai, in favor of the Ojai Tribe that once occupied in the valley. But just like Krupp, the name still lives on with a Nordhoff High School, and there's a major street that runs through the San Fernando Valley called Nordhoff Street.
SO! From then on, the town Krupp was known by the name of its post office, Marlin. BUT! It was never officially renamed with the state of Washington. SO! Marlin officially remains as Krupp! Got that?
Back to that Great Northern Railway that ran through town. In 1909, a spark from a passing freight train set fire to a warehouse. Wouldn’t you know it. It was a windy afternoon, and the flames spread and burned down the entire business district. They rebuilt…this time not with timber but with brick. Which was a good thing when another major fire swept through town in 1914. The cause of the fire was never determined, although some thought perhaps arson.
In 1933, things began to change that would stunt the growth of Krupp/Marlin. The Great Northern closed shop. The only bank boarded up and moved to nearby Odessa. And because there wasn’t a major highway going through the town, the population slowly declined. No one was moving in, as long time residents started passing away. Businesses closed, and several more fires burned down parts of the town. In the 1960’s, half the population was gone. The last graduating class from Marlin High was in 1964.
By the 1970’s, many of the hippies from bigger cities moved into tiny towns that were close to being ghost towns. Krupp/Marlin was no exception. In fact, they tried to hold a 3 day music fest in ’71. It was supposed to have brought over 500,000 people. Well, the few fine outstanding members of the community that were left, shut that down quickly. But many came anyway. State troopers were brought in to block them from coming to the farmland that was to be the venue, that some wanted to compare it to Woodstock.
Today, Krupp/Marlin is a dot on the map, surrounded by farmland, between the towns of Odessa and Wilson Creek. A few old buildings stand with a few homes near by. And a sign as you enter into the town via Old Road 22 NE reads, “Welcome to Marlin/Krupp. Est. 1911”.