[2] It was also called Swede Settlement for a time because of a number of Scandinavians who purchased property in the area.

A rail line was built in 1911 and a town site was platted by Mary Biggam.

By 1919 the community began to be known as Whitstran and the name Valley Heights eventually faded from use.

[3] The community's name was changed to Whitstran by the Northern Pacific Railway in honor of two retired railroad nurses, Laura Whitaker and May A. Strangeways, who were cousins who developed a small acreage nearby.

[4] Another source indicates that the town was named by the North Yakima and Valley Railway Company in honor of a landowner from whom a right-of-way had been acquired.