The Mabton area's original inhabitants were the Yakama, who were forced onto a reservation in 1855. Mabton existence as a town is due to the Northern Pacific Railway, which arrived in the area around 1884. The town's name is an abbreviation of Mabletown; a railroad official's daughter was named Mable. Mabton was officially incorporated on November 7, 1905. The Mabton School District has been the repeated beneficiary of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: * $558,000 over five years (from 2000 to 2005) to enhance student access to technology; * In 2001, Mabton High School was one of sixteen high schools chosen to participate in the Washington State Achievers Program; the school gets a share proportional to its student population (about 330 students) of more than $9 million to support school improvement and redesign efforts and more than $100 million for college scholarships for its students; * Over $40,000 over five years (2001-2006) to improve high school education and access to higher education; and * Over $125,000 over 34 months (2001-2004) to support professional development programs in partnership with Heritage College. Perhaps the best known person from 'Mabton' is Mel Stottlemyre, a pitcher and later a pitching coach for the New York Yankees. He won 164 games for them as a pitcher from 1964 to 1974, with three 20-win seasons. A small ranch near 'Mabton' was home to the first confirmed case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathymad cow disease in the United States. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabton%2C_Washington