On February 21, 1893, an Act of the Washington State Legislature changes the name of Slaughter in south King County to Auburn. Originally intended to remember Lt. William A. Slaughter (d. 1856) who was killed in the Indian War of 1856 near the town site, the name is considered by both new and old residents as somewhat embarrassing. A runner from a local hotel met trains with a cry of, "This way to Slaughter House!"
The new name honored Auburn, New York, another prominent hop farming area. In the 1890s, hops (used to make beer) were the principal crop of the White River (now Green River) Valley.
Sources:
Clarence B. Bagley, History of King County Washington (Chicago-Seattle: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929), 712-713; Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1893 (Olympia: State Printer, 1893), 39.
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