The History of UCA

--Linnea Torkelsen and Doug Johnson--

What opened 80 years ago was Yakima Valley Academy...in 1921 or 1922.  That school had to close down because the young people were literally causing it to split the seams. Walls were held together by metal cables mounted on both sides of the rooms!  They had to find a bigger place and Elder Mote was empowered by the brethren to spend no more than $100,000 for a school.  Elder Mote came to the auction for the old poor farm here in Spangle, but the opening bid was over his limit.  He told the auctioneer that he guessed he couldn't bid, so it was lowered to an opening bid of $100,000.  Elder Mote's was the only bid and we got it, along with 15 hogs that they sold for $1500 to provide operating capital for the first year of school!