Jeremiah W. Borst (1830 – August 10, 1890) was the first permanent white settler in the upper

Snoqualmie Valley The Snoqualmie Valley is a farming and timber-producing region located along the Snoqualmie River in Western Washington, United States. The valley stretches from the confluence of the three forks of the river at North Bend to the confluence of th ...

region. Born in 1830 to Willam Borst and Nancy Ann Bookout. Borst was raised in Tioga County, New York. In 1850, Borst traveled to California during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. He used the proceeds to rent a farm near

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. He moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

around 1858. His brother Joseph Borst had previously moved to Oregon Territory in 1846 and his sister Diana Borst Collins to Nisqually in 1847. In the spring of 1858, Borst was on his way to Eastern Washington over the Cedar River trail, decided that the Snoqualmie Valley was too good to pass up. He moved into an abandoned building at Fort Alden, at present Snoqualmie. He raised hogs and apples and carried the goods for sale back to Seattle. He owned land in what is now Snoqualmie and North Bend. In 1865, Borst accompanied Seattle pioneer Arthur Denny, William Perkins and a Snoqualmie native guide visited

Snoqualmie Pass Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County. Snoqualmie Pass ...

to make a plan to widen the trail to a wagon road. He oversaw construction of the first road through the pass in 1868. While in the Valley, Borst married first a woman named Sally. She died around 1867. He married secondly Mina Kanim in 1868.Washington Marriage Records They had several children, Bessie (1869-1869), John (1970-1947), Alice (1972-1952), William (1875-?) and an infant daughter (1876-1876). Mina died from complications to the birth of her last child. Borst married thirdly Kate Kanim Smith in 1879. They had two children Eva (1882-1937) and Jerry "Bud" (1886-1974). In 1882 Borst sold most of his land in the upper Snoqualmie Valley to the Hop Growers Association which created the Snoqualmie Hop Ranch on the traditional Snoqualmie Prairie. Borst and his family moved to Fall City, where in 1887 he and Kate filed the official plat for the townFall City Plat Map. Snoqualmie Valley Museum Collection 040.068. in anticipation of the arrival of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway to the Valley. Borst died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

on August 10, 1890, at Green River Hot Springs, Washington. Friend and fellow Snoqualmie Valley pioneer Will Taylor described him in his obituary: "Jerry Borst was a kindly, gentle, honest man, always helping those who needed help. I do not know what the early settlers would have done without him. They all looked to Jerry for everything."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borst, Jeremiah 1830 births 1890 deaths King County Councillors American city founders People from Tioga County, New York People from King County, Washington

See also

References