Waitsburg - Washington - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

From the guidebook:
WAITSBURG, 79.3 m. (1,272 alt., 936 pop.), a pleasant old town with shaded streets, lies on the miniature delta formed by the Touchet River and Copper Creek. In 1859 Robert Kennedy settled here; a few miles away on Copper Creek, a settlement was started, and in 1861 a tiny sawmill was built there. In 1865 a few small buildings were erected on the site of Waitsburg, then called Delta. Sylvester M. Wait, recognizing the power possibilities of the Touchet River, and noting that flour was selling for $44 a barrel, decided to build a flour mill. Farmers donated land for the mill and agreed to hold their grain until spring, at which time Wait was to pay $1.50 a bushel. They were pleased with this arrangement, which eliminated the cost of wheat shipments to Walla Walla. The enterprise was successful, and the town, platted in 1869 and named Waitsburg, prospered in spite of occasional setbacks.
In 1881 the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company extended its lines into Waitsburg, and in the same year the first municipal government was organized. Churches and a school were organized, streets were improved, new stores were started, and a bank was opened. The milling industry steadily expanded as population figures rose and wheat acreage increased. Among those who settled in the environs during these years were a number of Southerners. Names such as Sorghum Hollow, Whiskey, Whetstone, Hogeye, Misery, and Whoopemup still cling to roads and creeks and mountain peaks.
Situated in one of the most fertile farming regions in Washington, Waitsburg today as in earlier years depends upon wheat for its income. Annually more than 1,000,000 bushels are shipped from the town. Three flour mills are in operation, including the one established by Wait, which has been in continuous service since 1865. Hundreds of carloads of apples are also exported each year.
The Days of Real Sport, sponsored by the Waitsburg Racing Association, is a popular celebration held annually in late spring. The local track, one of the best east of the Cascades, is used as a proving ground for race horses, some being brought from as far away as California.
---Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State

The current population of Waitsburg is about 1200. The community continues to be an agricultural center but the flour mills have closed and the historic 1865 Waits Mill burnt down on Sept. 6, 2009. Two blocks of Main Street with buildings dating to as early as 1882 are included in the Waitsburg Historic District.