Wheat King of the Big Bend Country

HARRINGTON - It is that golden field time of year again when thoughts in Lincoln County turn to harvest. The reader might find it interesting to hear the story of Luther Turner who was proclaimed "Wheat King of the Big Bend Country" in a March 1906 issue of the Spokesman-Review.

Luther, born Oct. 6, 1862, came from humble beginnings as the only child of Civil War Union Officer Sergeant Robert C. Turner and Abigail Williams in Meigs County, Tennessee. Robert Turner died a young man the result of his time as a prisoner of war. He was not able to see his son grow to manhood.

In 1888 Luther Turner emigrated from his native Tennessee to Harrington with a wife (Jane Ivester), his first-born daughter, his mother, father-in-law and niece. On arrival he was able to purchase 480 acres of unimproved railroad land.

Years of hard work and reinvestment paid off, allowing Turner to expand his holdings to 4,000 acres by 1904.

An April 1906 article from the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported Mr. Turner had four square miles in crop. He owned between 13-14 sections of land, 160 horses with harnesses, 11 plows, four combined harvesters, 14 drills, 20 26-foot harrows, and 16 wagons.

This farming operation required 20 men to plow, 25 men to harvest and 15 men to haul wheat. He enjoyed using a large steam powered threshing machine.

He was paying more in taxes than any other man in Lincoln County.

The Turner farm sold 153,000 bushels of wheat at $1.46 per bushel according to a Nov. 1916 Spokesman-Review article. This was a combination of the 1915 & 1916 crops.

An unnamed neighbor said Luther Turner's dedication to expanding his holdings in the early years once prompted him to walk six miles out of town to look at a farm he later brought. It was also reported he walked six miles back too.

Mr. & Mrs. Turner raised their family of six children in a 12-room home in Harrington. As the Turner family ventures became more successful, they left the small town behind and built a new home in Spokane.

This home is in use today as an office building at East 1521 Illinois Avenue. It was built by John Burrill who had designed the Opera House and Bank Building in Harrington and was well known by the Turners.

In their 20 plus years of living in Spokane, the Turners used their home to host family weddings and receptions that were covered in the society pages. Luther lived to see five generations of family gather at his mansion.

Luther Turner passed away on Dec. 8, 1941. He was 79 years old. Mr. Turner's estate was valued at $400,000 at the time of his death.

Regardless of his wealth, Mr. Turner was reported to be an unassuming man in appearance so that a person on the street would not know he was wealthy. This humble attitude is supported by a report that when looking for a place to build his mansion, Luther decided against building on the South Hill where the elite of Spokane lived.

The home was built instead on the north side of the Spokane looking over the river.

His son Attie Turner remained in Harrington and managed the family farming interests until his own retirement.