Timeline of the Tri-Cities, Washington explained

The following is a timeline of the history of the Tri-Cities, an area of the U.S. state of Washington encompassing the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland.

Before the 19th century

• Native Americans explore and settle throughout the Columbia Basin region which includes the Tri-Cities area.^[1] Kennewick Man lived there approximately 9,000 years before present.

19th century

• 1805 - October 16: The Lewis and Clark Expedition passes through the Tri-Cities area heading west, camping near present-day Sacajawea State Park and visiting Bateman Island.^[2]
• 1806 - April 28: The Lewis and Clark Expedition passes through the Tri-Cities area on their return journey.^[3]
• 1811 - Members of the Astor Expedition likely passed through the Tri-Cities traveling on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.^[4]
• 1824 - June 29: As part of the Oregon boundary dispute, the British propose a boundary between the United States and British North America using the Columbia River in a manner that would have split the region, placing what is now Kennewick and Richland in British territory with the Pasco side of the river being American territory. This proposal was rejected by the United States.

• 1847 - The St. Rose of Chemna Catholic mission was established approximately 3 miles from the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima Rivers on the south bank, at the approximate location of the current I-182 bridge in South Richland. The mission was reported abandoned as late as 1859.^{[5] [6] [7]}
• 1855 - The Umatilla and Yakama tribes cede the land the Tri-Cities sit on at the Walla Walla Council.^[8]
• 1879 - Ainsworth becomes the first community platted. The town, which no longer exists, was in what is now the east end of Pasco.^[9]
• 1883 - November 28: Franklin County splits from Whitman County with Ainsworth as the county seat.^{[10] [11]}
• 1884 - The Oregon Steam Navigation Company opens a railroad bridge over the Snake River at Ainsworth.
• 1885 - The seat of Franklin County moves from Ainsworth to Pasco.
• 1888 - The Northern Pacific Railroad opens a railroad bridge across the Columbia River.^[12]
• 1891 - September 3: Pasco is incorporated.^[13]
• 1894 - February 1: Weather records begin to be taken at Kennewick.^[14]

20th century

1900s to 1940s

• 1902
  • The first issue of the Pasco Express, a weekly newspaper, is published.^[15]
  • March 27: The first issue of the Columbia Courier, a weekly newspaper, is published. It would later become the Kennewick Courier.
  • September: The first load of wheat originating at Pasco was shipped.^[16]
• 1904 - February 5: Kennewick is incorporated.^[17]
• 1905 - March 8: Benton County is formed out of the eastern portions of Klickitat County and Yakima County with Prosser as county seat.^[18]
• 1908 - January 27: The first issue of the Kennewick Reporter, a weekly newspaper, is published.^[19]
• 1910 - April 28: Richland is incorporated.
• 1913 - Construction of the Franklin County Courthouse is completed.
• 1914 - April 2: The Kennewick Courier and Kennewick Reporter merge to become the Kennewick Courier-Reporter.^[20]
• 1915
  • March 6: The Port of Kennewick is created.^[21]
  • May 3: The Celilo Canal opens near The Dalles, Oregon, granting the Tri-Cities access to the Pacific Ocean.^[22]
• 1922 - The Pasco-Kennewick Bridge, informally known as the Green Bridge, opens allowing automobile traffic to cross the Columbia without a ferry for the first time in the area.^[23]
• 1926 - April 6: The first civilian air mail flight in the United States departs Pasco for Boise, Idaho and Elko, Nevada operated by Varney Air Lines.^[24]
• 1931 - Sacajawea State Park is established at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805.^[25]
• 1936 - July 15: The State Line earthquake, centered near Milton-Freewater, Oregon, impacts the region.^[26]
• 1940 - The Port of Pasco is created.^[27]
• 1942
  • Naval Air Station Pasco is established, becoming one of the three busiest naval aviation training facilities of World War II.^[28]
  • June 1: Grand Coulee Dam, part of the Columbia Basin Project, is completed allowing water from the Columbia River to be used for irrigation in and north of Pasco.
• 1943
  • The Richland Airport is built as part of the Hanford Site.
  • February 9: Selection of the Hanford Site is approved as part of the Manhattan Project, encompassing Richland and a large portion of Benton County to the north of town.

• 1944 - September: The B Reactor on the Hanford Site is completed, becoming the first large-scale nuclear reactor in the world.^[29]
• 1945
  • May 7: Plutonium from the Hanford Site is used at the Trinity Site near Socorro, New Mexico in the world's first test of a nuclear bomb.
  • August 9: Plutonium from the Hanford Site is used in Fat Man, the bomb detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
• 1946 - Crane manufacturer Lampson International is established in Kennewick.^[30]
• 1947 - November 13: The Pasco Herald (formerly the Pasco Express) moves to Kennewick, rebrands as the Tri-City Herald, and becomes a daily newspaper.^[31]
• 1948 - May 31: Flooding on the Columbia River inundates a large portion of Kennewick and Richland, killing one.^[32]
• 1949 - May 10: The Uptown Shopping Center opens in Richland.^[33]

1950s to 1990s

• 1950
  • The Tri-City Braves baseball team forms. The team was known under various names during its existence, including the Tri-City Atoms.
  • February 4: The Courier-Herald (formerly Kennewick Courier-Reporter) publishes its final issue.^[34]
• 1953 - Regional restaurant chain Zip's Drive In is established in Kennewick.^[35]

• 1954
  • McNary Dam near Umatilla, Oregon is completed, impounding the Columbia River and inundating parts of the Tri-Cities.
  • July 30: The Blue Bridge, officially named the Pioneer Memorial Bridge, opens.
  • December 28: KEPR begins television broadcasts.
• 1955
  • June 13: West Richland is incorporated.^[36]
  • September: Columbia Basin College opens in Pasco.
• 1958 - November: Port of Benton is created with a port district covering all of the parts of Benton County that weren't included in the Port of Kennewick's district.^[37]
• 1961
  • Ice Harbor Dam opens on the Snake River upstream of Pasco.
  • August 5: Ice Harbor Dam records the hottest temperature in Washington State history with a high of 118F.
  • October 10: KNDU begins television broadcasts.
  • December: The Port of Benton opens the Richland Airport for public use.
• 1963 - September 26: President John F. Kennedy visits the Hanford Site for the groundbreaking of the N Reactor.^[38]
• 1965
  • The Federal Building in Richland opens upon completion of construction.^[39]
  • January 4: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory opens in Richland.
• 1966 - July: Annual hydroplane races begin in Columbia Park.
• 1969 - Columbia Center Mall opens in Kennewick.
• 1970 - October: KVEW begins television broadcasts.
• 1974 - The Tri-City Ports (formerly the Tri-City Atoms and Tri-City Braves) play their final baseball season.
• 1977 - Control of the Hanford Site passes from the Department of Defense to the Department of Energy.^[40]
• 1978 - September 8: The Cable Bridge, officially known as the Ed Hendler Bridge, opens replacing the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge (Green Bridge) built in 1922.

• 1980 - May 18: Mount St. Helens erupts, blanketing the Tri-Cities in ash.
• 1982 - May 10: Passenger service on Ben Franklin Transit, the area's public transit agency, begins.
• 1983 - The Walla Walla Padres baseball team relocates to Richland and becomes the Tri-City Triplets.
• 1984
  • November 27: The Interstate 182 Bridge opens, creating the first road connection between Richland and Pasco.^[41]
  • December 13: The Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant north of Richland, starts commercial power production.
• 1986
  • The Tri-City Triplets play their final season before relocating to Boise, Idaho.
  • February 23: The stretch of Interstate 82 between Benton City and Kennewick is dedicated, granting the Tri-Cities access to the Interstate Highway System.^[42]
• 1987
  • The Tri-City Herald switches from an afternoon daily newspaper to a morning daily newspaper.^[43]
  • October 18: KTNW begins television broadcasts.
• 1988
  • The New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League relocate to Kennewick, becoming the Tri-City Americans.
  • November 19: The Toyota Center opens as the Tri-Cities Coliseum in Kennewick.
• 1989 - October 4: Four locations on the Hanford Site are added to the list of Superfund sites for environmental clean up. One was removed in 1996.

• 1990
  • Washington State University establishes its Tri-Cities campus in Richland. Previous to this, the site offered some courses from WSU, the University of Washington, and Oregon State University.^{[44] [45] [46]}
  • March: The Pasco-Kennewick Bridge (Green Bridge) that was built in 1922 is demolished.
  • July & August: Some events of the 1990 Goodwill Games take place at the Toyota Center.^[47]
• 1995
  • Gesa Stadium opens in Pasco as Tri-City Stadium.
  • The Tri-City Posse forms as a founding member of the Western Baseball League.
• 1996 - July 28: Kennewick Man is discovered in Columbia Park.
• 1999 - January 11: KFFX begins television broadcasts as KAUP, changing callsigns in April.

21st century

• 2000 - The Tri-City Posse plays their final season.

• 2001
  • The Portland Rockies baseball team (affiliated with the Colorado Rockies) relocates to Pasco and become the Tri-City Dust Devils.
  • November 18: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicates the Columbia River Washington Temple in Richland.
• 2005 - March 26: Arena football team Tri-Cities Fever plays their first game.^[48]
• 2006 - Columbia Basin College opens its Health Science Center in Richland.
• 2010 - February: The first lighthouse to be built in the United States since 1962 becomes operational on Clover Island.^[49]
• 2011 - September 11: A memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks, including pieces from the World Trade Center, is dedicated at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex.
• 2013 - December 31: The Port of Kennewick closes Vista Field, which was originally built as an axillary airfield for NAS Pasco.^[50]
• 2015 - September 14: Scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) on the Hanford Site and in Livingston, Louisiana detect gravity waves for the first time.
• 2016 - June 30: Tri-Cities Fever goes into dormancy.^[51]
• 2017 - May 9: A section of tunnel where contaminated materials were stored on the Hanford Site collapses.^[52]

See also

• Timeline of Seattle
• Timeline of Spokane, Washington
• Timeline of Washington (state) history

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kennewick — Thumbnail History . Jim . Kershner . March 2, 2008 . . December 28, 2019 . December 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191217213321/https://www.historylink.org/File/8499 . live .
2. Lewis & Clark Journals, October 16, 1805
3. Lewis & Clark Journals, April 28, 1806
4. Web site: Unit 2: Lesson 4 – Americans Enter the Rivalry . John M. Findlay . . November 9, 2020 . July 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200719112909/https://depts.washington.edu/cspn/resources/wa-state-history/#1510355710354-d2df354e-e394 . live .
5. Web site: Oblate Order in The Yakima Valley: 1847 - 1856: a summary. December 1, 2017. Yakima Memory. July 15, 2022. December 1, 2017. https://archives.yvl.org/. live.
6. Web site: August 19, 2003 . 1847 Mission May be Told at Reach Interpretive Center . live . https://www.newspapers.com/ . August 19, 2003 . July 15, 2022 . .
7. Web site: January 1, 2022 . Native Voices: 1847: Wagon trains carry measles; Cayuse blame missionary for withholding care . live . https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/308.html/ . January 1, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . National Library of Medicine.
8. Book: Hanford Reach of the Columbia River . . 1992.
9. Washington Territory, Robert E. Ficken, p.134, Washington State University Press, Pullman, WA,
10. Web site: Milestones for Washington State History - Part 2: 1851 to 1900. March 6, 2003. HistoryLink.org. September 17, 2020. January 19, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080119155050/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5380. live.
11. Web site: Franklin County . September 14, 2005 . . September 17, 2020 . September 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919224724/https://www.historylink.org/file/7452 . live .
12. News: Brief history of Kennewick up to 1909 . R. E. . Read . . February 19, 1950 . December 28, 2019 . December 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191230131442/https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/special-reports/article32047965.html . live .
13. Web site: MRSC - Washington City and Town Profiles . MRSC . 2020-09-17 . 2017-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170322204440/http://mrsc.org/Home/Research-Tools/Washington-City-and-Town-Profiles.aspx#P . live .
14. Web site: xmACIS2 . November 9, 2020 . August 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190815183401/http://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ . live .
15. Web site: About The Pasco express. (Pasco, Wash.) 1902-1915. Library of Congress. September 16, 2020. August 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200813211118/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86064015/. live.
16. News: Washington . Adams County News . September 10, 1902 . September 17, 2020 . January 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118133122/https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ADAMNEWS19020910&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- . live .
17. Web site: About The Kennewick courier. (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914 . . December 30, 2019 . October 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019014745/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093029/ . live .
18. Web site: Milestones for Washington State History - Part 3: 1901 to 1950. March 6, 2003. HistoryLink.org. September 17, 2020. June 7, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080607230713/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5381. live.
19. Web site: About Kennewick reporter. (Kennewick, Wash.) 1908-1909 . . September 16, 2020 . January 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118133023/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093030/ . live .
20. Web site: About The Kennewick courier-reporter. (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938 . . September 16, 2020 . October 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019015032/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093042/ . live .
21. Web site: History . Port of Kennewick . September 16, 2020 . September 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200929180410/https://www.portofkennewick.org/history/ . live .
22. Dana. Marshall N.. The Celebration of the Open Columbia. The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society. 1 June 1915. 16. 3 June 2013.
23. Book: Dorpat, Paul . Washington Then & Now . Sherrard, Jean . 106 . 2007 . Big Earth Publishing . 978-1-56579-547-1.
24. http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/1920s/Tran1G3.htm Centennial of Flight
25. Web site: Sacajawea Historical State Park . Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission . February 27, 2016 . March 6, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306005800/http://parks.state.wa.us/575/Sacajawea . live .
26. Web site: Walla Walla Valley Hit by Quakes . Spokane Daily Chronicle . . February 26, 2018 . July 11, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210711141152/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ddB7do2jUx8C&dat=19360716&printsec=frontpage&hl=en . live .
27. Web site: Port of Pasco History . Port of Pasco . September 16, 2020 . September 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200922235559/https://www.portofpasco.org/about-us/port-of-pasco-history . live .
28. Web site: Pasco — Thumbnail History . Jim . Kershner . HistoryLink . May 1, 2008 . December 30, 2019 . December 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191230192829/https://www.historylink.org/File/8604 . live .
29. Web site: Department of Energy – B Reactor . 2008-08-26 . . 2007-04-20 . Completed in September 1944... . https://web.archive.org/web/20080916040414/http://www.energy.gov/about/breactor.htm . 16 September 2008 . dead .
30. Web site: About Lampson International.... 30 May 2014. 5 June 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140605034032/http://www.lampsoncrane.com/AboutUs.html. live.
31. Web site: About Tri-city herald. (Pasco, Wash.) 1947-current . . September 16, 2020 . August 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200813194707/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093158/ . live .
32. Web site: Flood inundates Kennewick and Richland on May 31, 1948 . Elizabeth . Gibson . HistoryLink . March 31, 2008 . December 31, 2019 . December 31, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191231230641/https://www.historylink.org/File/5675 . live .
33. Web site: About . Uptown Shopping Center . September 16, 2020 . September 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925070137/https://uptownrichland.com/about/ . live .
34. Web site: About Courier-herald. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1949-1950 ]. . September 16, 2020 . August 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200813204348/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093045/ . live .
35. Web site: About Us. Zip's Northwest, Inc.. 2016-09-05. 2016-09-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160909054849/http://zipsdrivein.com/aboutus.html. live.
36. Web site: City of West Richland History: 1955-2005. April 30, 2018. City of West Richland. May 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180501161634/http://www.westrichland.org/community-information/city-history/. live.
37. Web site: Port of Benton History: 1958 -2012 . Port of Benton . 2012 . September 16, 2020 . September 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919025310/https://portofbenton.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/History2012.pdf . live .
38. News: Cary . Annette . Remembering JFK's visit to Hanford. 37,000 watched him wave 'atomic wand' . October 26, 2017 . September 16, 2020 . December 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171225140856/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article181066331.html . live .
39. Web site: Richland Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, RICHLAND, WA . . September 16, 2020 . October 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019143558/https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/richland-federal-building-and-us-courthouse-richland-wa#history . live .
40. Book: Hevly, Bruce . John Findlay . The Atomic West . University of Washington Press . 1998 . Seattle, WA.
41. Web site: Woehler . Bob . Bridge ends long commute . Tri-City Herald (via Google News) . November 25, 1984 .
42. News: Woehler . Bob . February 23, 1986 . Final ribbon cut on I82, 182 highway links . B1 . Tri-City Herald.
43. Book: Bagwell . Steve . Stapilus . Randy . 2013 . New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be . 223–224 . Ridenbaugh Press . Carlton, Oregon . 978-0-945648-10-9 . 861618089.
44. News: Academic Offerings . Washington State University . May 16, 2009 . 10 June 2009 . 18 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090318193839/http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/academics/academicsofferings.html . live .
45. News: Floyd calls on WSU Tri-Cities grads to serve communities, countries. Dupler. Michelle. May 16, 2009. 10 June 2009. Tri-city Herald.
46. News: University of Washington Department of Nuclear Engineering records . University of Washington . 10 June 2009 . 17 August 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100817083542/http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/findaids/docs/uarchives/UWDeptofNuclearEngineeringUA.xml . live .
47. News: Tri-Cities Coliseum gets Games' hockey, skating . Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington . Associated Press . March 16, 1989 . D5 . September 26, 2020 . January 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118133024/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NVxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5774%2C153984 . live .
48. Web site: Tri-Cities Fever Game Results . . https://web.archive.org/web/20071006130925/http://www.niflfootball.com/STAT%20HTML/National%20Indoor%20Football%20League%20-%20Tri-Cities%20Fever.htm . September 17, 2020. 2007-10-06 .
49. http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/07/kennewicks-clover-island-lighthouse-gets-its-lid/ Kennewick's Clover Island Lighthouse gets its lid
50. Web site: Vista Field - a piece of Tri-City history goes away . KFLD-AM . (Pasco, Washington) . McKay . John . January 9, 2014 . October 24, 2017 . October 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171025073317/http://newstalk870.am/vista-field-a-piece-of-tri-city-history-goes-away-pictures/ . live .
51. Web site: IFL Issues Statement on Tri-Cities Fever . OurSports Central . June 30, 2016 . September 17, 2020 . August 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810050800/http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/ifl-issues-statement-on-tri-cities-fever/n-5174401 . live .
52. News: Hanford Emergency Information . May 9, 2017 . hanford.gov . U.S. Department of Energy Richland Operations . May 9, 2017 . dead . https://archive.today/20170510002220/http://hanford.gov/c.cfm/eoc/?pag . May 10, 2017.