Settled by Mortimer Thorp and a number of French-Canadian farmers in 1867 who specialized in hop growing. In 1921, the town was incorporated. The Native American name, which was Mooxee, “translates to Smoke on the water,” and refers to a spring on the Thorpe ranch which emitted vapor, even in the coldest weather, which never froze.

This village might be taken for the suburb of a French city because of the names on street signs or over the shops. The inhabitants of French descent, many of them pioneer settlers, came from Canada. Through the 1940s French was still used extensively by the old people of the city. The Moxee rural district is dotted with large prosperous homes.

Hops in this section, developed by generations of growers through the 1940s, were of high quality, rivaling the best of imported stock. When ripe, the hops become crisp, and their color changes from a light silvery green to a deep yellow, indicating that the lupulin content is at its best. The value of a hop is contained in the lupulin, a yellow substance that possesses a pungently bitter, but agreeable flavor. The brewmaster’s ideal hop is said to be not too large, and tender and thin-leaved.

Of note is the National Register-listed La Framboise Farmstead on Mieras Rd., which consists of the original farmhouse, barn and silo, and a church/blacksmith shop (1895 to 1902). The property is owned by descendants of a pioneer family.