Selma...........My grandparents went to WA during that period. 1880 and 1881. My grandmother.......at least was in Iowa for a short time before that. I believe that the US Government was offering free land there........and if the families had been in the old world farmers............they, the government sent out brochures proclaiming that WA state had fertile land....... They were also told that the railroads would be there soon..........and that meant that there would be a huge influx of people coming there who would be customers for the wheat, barley and crops that could be grown. My grandparents came from Alsace, then German , now French. The climate in Washington is similar to the area Alsace......... Now..........I'd be a real fish out of the water if I moved to the East Coast......coming from So. California. So I feel that these people moved to place that was similar to where they had immigrated from. Hope this helps. Louise King La Jolla, CA (3 blocks from the ocean......and I'm not going anywhere) In a message dated 6/27/98 8:34:55 AM, selmag@pacbell.net wrote: >Dose any one know what brought a great influx into WA about 1895-1900? I >have talk with quite a few people whose ancesters left Maine 1875-1885, >stopped off in Wisconsin untill 1895-1900 and then left for WA. I can't >find any journals to tell me what was going on. >Selma Grant