The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG—This year the Waitsburg Historical Society honors the Don Thomas Family as 2019 Pioneers of the Year. Thomas’ sons, Gary and Jay recently sat down with The Times to share a bit of family history and recount favorite memories.

Don Thomas was born in 1915 in Urbana, Missouri to Elijah Streeter Thomas and Abigail (Clymore). When Don was 5, his parents and two brothers, Rod and Mike, moved to the area and soon purchased land near Prescott, on Smith Springs Road, from Elijah’s brothers, Oliver and Jesse Thomas, who had already settled in the area. Oliver and Jesse moved to Washt...