Wilson Banner Ranch
For more than 130 years, the Wilson family has worked the same ground near Chief Timothy. Today, Erik Wilson runs the ranch in partnership with his sister, Colleene, as the fourth generation to carry it forward. It's a place best known around the valley for pumpkins and cider, but that reputation is really just the latest chapter in their ever-changing story.
The ranch's roots go back to 1887, when Erik's great-great-grandfather squatted near a cave and spring by Chief Timothy, panning and mining for gold. It was hard living and he was barely getting by. Not long after, he managed to buy out the squatter's rights to the nearby land that would eventually become the ranch. When homesteading rights opened up, the family put down roots for good.
If there's a theme running through Wilson Banner Ranch's history, it's adaptability. The land has always been productive, it's just never grown the same thing for long. In Erik's great-grandfather's era, tomatoes were the big deal. By his grandfather's time, as irrigation systems improved, alfalfa took over as the primary crop.
When Erik's dad and uncles were running the operation, orchards became the focus, with major plantings going in during the late 1960s. Sweet corn was also in the picture by this point. Today, the ranch grows pumpkins, apples, cherries, peaches, pears, and other tree fruits, alongside truck garden vegetables like sweet corn. And of course, there's the cider, pressed at the ranch for as long as anyone can remember.
Erik prioritizes local food sourcing, explaining he enjoys quality produce. He recognizes regional strengths — Walla Walla onions, for instance — and trades accordingly rather than duplicating crops. The ranch sells primarily through Rick's Family Foods and A&B Foods due to farm stand and grocery chain challenges.
Wilson Banner Ranch partners with Happy Day Local, currently offering sweet corn with plans for apple cider and peppers. Products vary seasonally and weekly. The ranch typically opens weekends in October and operates by appointment otherwise, with Facebook as the primary contact method.