The Farmer’s Mutual Insurance Company, 1906

Torger Peterson purchased membership to The Farmer’s Mutual Insurance Company in 1906 for $2.00 (around $50 today).

Here’s a brief bit of the company’s history, which is still going strong today:

“In 1898 a group of Enumclaw, Wash., residents got together to create the Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company. The articles of incorporation stated that the purpose of the organization was “to insure farm and village buildings and personal property against loss by fire and lightning.” Funding was provided by assessment of the members to restore property after catastrophic loss.

During the next 45 years, the company slowly expanded its insurance writings. In 1943, extended coverage perils were added to the fire and lightning coverage previously provided. In 1947 the company began to write non-farm properties. A year later casualty insurance was added to the portfolio of offerings putting Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company on an equal footing with other companies for the first time.

In 1952 the states of Oregon and Idaho were added to the service area. At this point the company was writing approximately $2 million in premiums. Ten years later Farmers’ Mutual merged with the Butteville Insurance Company of Woodburn, Ore., which brought total writings to $5 million. The company also began writing commercial insurance in 1963.

On May 1, 1966, the name of the company was changed to Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company.

Growth continued through the years and in the summer of 2002, the company expanded to Utah.”

Enumclaw Property and Casualty Insurance Company was launched in Washington in December 2002 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company. The new company was established to facilitate new marketing opportunities in both personal and commercial lines of insurance. As of December 31, 2009, Enumclaw Property and Casualty had more than $20 million in written premiums while Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company’s written premiums totaled more than $315 million.”

Photo courtesy of Linda Lewis.

Click on image to enlarge.