Hi Karen, Many of the French Canadians who immigrated from Quebec to Minnesota, then went on to Yakima. My father's family, both maternal and paternal (Boisselle and Laurent) did this. Here are some of the reasons I've heard from my father and some distant relatives. They considered Yakima as "Like Paradise". The weather is much less extreme then Minnesota or Quebec. The ancestors were able to work continuously throughout the year. Yakima does have it's different seasons, but the winters are much more tolerable. Another reason, which is how the Boisselle families came, was because of the timber industry. My grandfather's brother was sent to Yakima by a logging company to work a certain piece of machinery in the mill. My grandfather, his three sisters, their families and my great-grandparents all followed him to Yakima and lived there until their deaths. I have heard there were serious epidemics in Minnesota in those years, so I would imagine rather than stay and risk death, they moved on. Lastly, I have also heard they came because of the war. There were jobs here (Boeing-Seattle). In Yakima there were millwork jobs, carpenter work and farming. I hope this helps a little in explaining the "mass immigration" of our ancestors. Let me know if we have any family connections (Surnames: Boisselle, Laurent, Shields, Hecker) Good luck in your research, Mary Boisselle (born in Yakima, WA) Seattle, WA mlbois@gte.net -----Original Message----- From: khuber53 [SMTP:khuber53@gateway.net] Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 5:48 PM To: MNPOLK-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [MNPOLK-L] From Polk Co, to Yakima, WA It seems quite a few families moved from Polk Co, MN to Yakima,WA in the early 1900's. Is there something written about why there was such an exodus? My relatives were some of those that moved and I am interested in if they went in groups of friends or families? What was there in Yakima that interested these people so much? Thanks for a history lesson. Karen Huber SLC, UT khuber53@gateway.net