 There was no known settlement until 1886, just three years before Washington gained statehood.The horse rancher Frank Beezley was the first to settle near the natural springs, thus the area was known as Beezley Springs.As the climate and topography were not promising to settlement, the entire region remained sparsely populated until several federal congressional actions, including the Northern Pacific Land Grant Act, the Homestead Act, and Desert Claims Act, encouraged the settlement of this semi-arid desert-like area.