Wild Rose Prairie
Wild Rose Prairie was one of the first areas settled as families moved north from Spokane Falls.
The Hazard post office and store on Wild Rose Prairie in a 1930's WPA photograph. The original photograph is located in the Library of Congress collection. Located by none other than Peter Coffin.
The W.E. Strong homestead where the Louis Olson family camped under the largest tree before moving on to their new home, homestead tract northwest of Deer Park.
This photo furnished by Sharon Boyd Clark depicts the Tarbert family in 1922. The Tarberts and Palmers appear to have been the eariest settlers on Wild Rose Prairie. Joseph Tarbert homsteaded the SE/4 Section 4 TWP 27 N-RGE 42EWM just across Monroe Road from the Wild Rose Cemetery. Title was granted to him in October of 1889, so it was likely he applied for the land in 1884.
George Lewis Coffin (1830-1924) was an 8th generation American. His family first arrived on this continent in the 1640s. He was a wounded Union Civil War veteran and was a prisoner of the Confederate Army for several months. After numerous moves across the nation, his family settled in the Wild Rose Prairie area in the late 1880's, A detailed outline of his life written by his descendant, Peter Coffin will appear in a future issue of the "Reports to the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society". Photo courtesy of Peter Coffin.
Wild Rose Prairie School Photo
Year currently unknown. 
The United Methodist Church has been standing watch in the serenity of Wild Rose Prairie for well over a century.
When Pastor Ralph Reynolds returned home from Nazi Germany following his service as Lead Attorney at the Nurnberg Trials, he indulged himself in a lifetime in the ministry. Seven of those years he spent as Pastor of this little country church.
On the opposite side of Monroe Road from the church pictured above stands the Wild Rose Community center. It is active today, but not as active as it was in the days when it was the Wild Rose School. Three different school buildings have occupied this site down through the decades.
Darts Grist mill located at Dartford which lies a few miles south east of Wild Rose Prairie. Compliments of Anni Sebright and courtesy of the Spokesman Review.
The Mike Burdega dairy farm in the 1950s
When you have 80 to 100 milking cows, one can only imagine the amount of hay required, not to mention the grain. Oats and barley were the main stays of the day. The Burdegas still reside on Wild Rose Prairie.
This is Mike Burdega astride what appears to be a Thoroughbred race horse.
This is Mike Burdegas place in the winter of 1968. As I recall 1968 rivaled 1949 & 1950.
This very same ranch back in 1889.
Services are still held here every Sunday on Wild Rose Prairie.
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A present day school district map gives a perspective of the lay of the land from Clayton on the northwest, southeast to Deer Park and due south to Wild Rose Prairie.
Please Note: This file has been contaminated & no longer visable. Left click on this diagram & a larger more easy to read map of Wild Rose Prairie homesteader map can be seen. The earliest settlers received the patent for their land in1889 and more received their land as time went by. One being Rowland Hazard in 1897 on Wild Rose Road. The Hazards built the store and post office pictured at the top of the left hand column. Farmers gathered from miles around every Friday to pick up mail, supplies and visit. The very first business until Deer Park became the center of the community some years later when the railroad came through Deer Park.
Pleasant Madden (1847-1907) was born in Indiana. He married Samantha Lewis in the early 1870s. After numerous travels around the nation's midwest, the family moved into the Washington Territory, arriving at Wid Rose Prairie sometime between 1884 and 1885. The family is listed among the original homesteaders of that area having patented the SE/4 of Section 34 TWP 28 N, RGE 42EWM one half mile east of the Wild Rose school. After Pleasant's death in 1907, Samantha moved to Deer Park and lived there until her passing in 1937. A detailed outline of their lives, written by their descendant, Peter Coffin, will appear in a future issue of the "Reports of the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society". Photos courtesy of Peter Coffin.
Samantha Madden at her Deer Park house in the mid 1930s. In order to survive she ran a small boarding house and stable for people who came to town to shop.
The Madden headstone in the Wild Rose Cemetery. Many other pioneers of this area rest here.
The Andrew Eickmeyer house, built on the 360 acres he purchased from the Northern Pacific Railroad. The house was under construction from 1884 to 1892 when it was finished in time for the engagement party of his eldest daughter Emma to Forrest Grove Chadbourne. Photograph taken in 1892, from Florene (Eickmeyer) Moore's collection.
The "Rock House" was built in 1943 by Jim Rock, grand father of Florene Eickmeyer Moore, on the southern edge of Wild Rose Prairie for the Rock family. Florene Eickmeyer remembers of hearing how the young Rock family mother had to take care of the children and cook for the construction workers at the same time.
This is the Rock House from above. After many years of abandonment, restoration is under way.
The Burdega herd, ready to go into the milking parlor.
The Burdega family (left to right); Kerry Burdega, Glenn Dobson, Dave Burdega 5, Hazel Dobson 60, Laurie 18 mos, Marney Burdega 7. Photo taken April 10, 1953.
Bill Weger, left, and Dave Burdega at Shore Acres in 1953
Bob & Loretta Greiff have the North Spokane Farm Museum out on the beautiful Wild Rose Prairie. Each visitor is given a guided tour by this couple.
There are green fields and pastures in every direction.
The families of many prominent pioneers still reside on their ancestor's farms. A few that come to mind are the Eickmeyers, the Tarberts and the Burdega family.
This 1884 hay rake was restored by the Greiff family.
ROWLAND HAZARD'S HOMESTEAD PATENT dated May 21, 1897.
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