city, Whitman county, southeastern Washington, U.S. It lies at the edge of a major wheat belt, on the South Fork of the Palouse River, near Moscow, Idaho, and the Idaho state line. It was settled in 1875 by Bolin Farr, who in 1882 laid out the town of Three Forks (so named for the confluence of Missouri Flat Creek, Dry Fork Creek, and the South Fork of the Palouse). Renamed for George M. Pullman (Pullman, George M), inventor of the railroad sleeping car, it was reached by a railroad spur in 1885 and suffered a disastrous fire in 1890. Later it became a major stop on the Northern Pacific Railway (Northern Pacific Railway Company) and developed as a shipping point for grain and livestock. Washington State University (which began there in 1890 as a land-grant agricultural college) adds significantly to the city's economy. Inc. 1888. Pop. (1990) 23,478; (2000) 24,675.