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A century ago, boosters dreamed of a massive industrial city on the Columbia, promised by the General Electric Company as a 'second Niagara Falls.'
“All things come to those who wait, and while some of us have sprouted gray whiskers in the interim, that Priest Rapids dam today looks more like reality to the old timers than it ever has before.”
A massive 100-million-dollar hydroelectric and industrial project proposed for the Columbia River promises to transform the region into a global manufacturing hub.
“Commencement of the work would mark a new industrial era in the Pacific Northwest.”
Seattle municipal power superintendent J. D. Ross defends the controversial Bone Bill in White Bluffs, arguing for cheaper rates through public competition.
“The passage of the Bone Bill... would create a desirable competition that he believed would be beneficial to the public at large.”
When the irrigation company took control of the water company's annual meeting, local farmers realized their rights to the water were being held hostage.
“The company's man stood firm and by voting their stock of 335 shares, which was nearly half of the stock present and voting, he was able to muster sufficient stock on the secret ballot to put his amendment across.”
Ranchers served with legal papers in a foreclosure suit seek counsel to defend their land rights against the struggling White Bluffs Irrigation Company.
“The White Bluffs Irrigation company came into being in 1907 and, like most of the irrigation companies organized at that time, it has had its trials and tribulations.”
Senator Poindexter eyes Priest Rapids as the potential site for a massive $20 million federal nitrate and munitions facility.
“I believe that, however, the purely military considerations might very well be emphasized.”
A landmark court ruling frees White Bluffs landowners from paying for irrigation water they did not use, potentially signaling the end for the local water company.
“The case is an interesting one and one of much concern to plaintiff company, for no doubt plaintiff company has acted in the utmost good faith... but, at the same time, in the absence of a statute giving it a lien, it must put its contract evidencing such lien in such form as to be recognized by law.”
An immigrant homesteader takes his own life after a grueling and unsuccessful struggle to find water on his property.
“Piazzi had been having a well drilled on his place and the drillers had broken drills, lost tools and met with other mishaps to delay the work until the deceased had undoubtedly become unbalanced over the matter.”
A man posing as a federal agent is found dead in a hidden moonshine still, leaving behind a curious trail of mystery.
“An interesting sidelight was the statement of several local people that De Vaul had told them he was a United States revenue officer.”
A booster report envisions a massive industrial city of 50,000 residents rising from the sagebrush desert at Priest Rapids.
“The city and plant are to be on the east bank of the river, at the swiftest part of the rapids. The dam crosses on three islands, one channel at a time to be built.”
A local insurance agent's attempt to discredit the Priest Rapids Valley land project is dismissed by the Spokesman as a publicity stunt.
“Even if the state should give the settlers clear title to the land I do not believe they would survive five years.”
White Bluffs growers are reeling after receiving final payouts from the Spokane Fruit Growers Company that fell far short of promised profits.
“Nothing but a feeling of goneness like that experienced when one searches frantically in his pockets for the $10 bill he knew he had a short time before.”
Federal cabinet members are set to investigate the Columbia River as a potential industrial powerhouse for national defense.
“Hearings before the house committee brought out that water power on the scale necessary to this enterprise was available only at Mussel Shoals in Alabama, and at Priest Rapids, on the Columbia river.”
An irrigation landowner at White Bluffs vows a 'fight to a finish' against corporate power companies for reneging on water contracts.
“I am in this fight to a finish and that I will stay with the farmer in my district until the last is cat skinned if it costs me every dollar I have invested in that district.”
Speculation runs wild in White Bluffs as the Milwaukee railroad moves to electrify its lines, fueling dreams of a massive dam at Priest Rapids.
“To harness the Columbia at this point will call for the expenditure of a great many million dollars and it is not probable that capital could be found to develop a site of that size until legislation is enacted.”
Federal engineers scour Priest Rapids, scouting a location for a massive $20 million government facility.
“It is understood that there are only four—two in the south, one in the east and the one at Priest Rapids—that are given serious consideration.”
A letter from Scranton revealed that a familiar White Bluffs resident had a wife, a son and two daughters—and that they had long assumed he was dead.
“It seems so strange for me to have a father, as we thought he surely must be dead when we did not hear anything from him for so long.”
The Dallas McGlothlen Post 124 organizes to oppose Japanese colonization in the Priest Rapids Valley.
“To it was given power to deal with individual Asiatics, especially Japanese, who attempt to come into the Priest Rapids Valley.”
Early White Bluffs settlers struggle with crop failure, water shortages, and financial desperation.
“None escape, and the battle goes to the strong.”
Washington State launches a defensive campaign against a hoof-and-mouth outbreak in California, warning citizens to watch for 'disease bootleggers' and misinformation.
“An infection of one dairy herd in the State of Washington would wipe this State off the map as an industrial factor.”
After twice being convicted of attempting to rob the First Bank of White Bluffs, C. L. Potter remains at large after a daring escape from the Walla Walla jail.
“Potter, although he had a chance to escape with the others, evidently figured that his chances of acquittal were better than his chances of being captured.”
Local irrigation users push back against the Pacific Power & Light company’s mandatory monthly fees, marking an early chapter in Columbia River valley utility regulation.
“The M. I. is the biggest item in their monthly bills and its being cut off would therefore cost the power company a large part of their revenue.”
A local well-digger perishes in a collapse while working on an Arthur Heidemann tract near White Bluffs, sparking a desperate, days-long rescue attempt.
“This manner of sinking a well has always been considered very dangerous by nearly all well diggers, particularly in this country where the formation is largely gravel and sand.”
A state-funded colonization project for veterans struggles amidst allegations of mismanagement, isolation, and a collapsing public image.
“It is needless to say, with this difference of opinion making the rounds of the State, the veterans who were contemplating settling there hesitated, and in the majority of instances lost interest entirely.”
After an attempted robbery of the First Bank of White Bluffs, the one man who stayed to stand trial is found guilty.
“Porter had an opportunity to escape with the other two but he evidently figured he could beat it and decided to stay and stand trial.”
As residents of White Bluffs relocate to a new townsite, historical buildings are being literally pulled across the landscape to find new footing.
“The skids have been put under the Maltbie house and on Thursday morning it started on its journey to the new town.”
The federal government pulls three islands from public entry at Priest Rapids, clearing a major hurdle for a proposed mega-dam.
“Who owns a river, the fisherman who used it first; the farmer who comes later and uses its waters to irrigate his lands, or the plain citizen to whom the industrial water-power development would mean employment?”
As Woodrow Wilson secures a razor-thin victory, White Bluffs voters reject the return of legalized breweries and saloons.
“The two Initiative measures, 18 and 24, known as the hotel and brewery bills, permitting the manufacture of beer and sale of all kinds of liquors in the state of Washington were overwhelmingly defeated.”
A government reclamation expert visits the Yakima Valley, sparking hope for a long-sought gravity ditch project.
“It is the general impression that a step has been made in the right direction, and one that will eventually lead to the government’s taking over of the project.”
A ranch manager, reportedly intoxicated on moonshine, threatened his wife and cook with a meat cleaver, sparking a local incident.
“Evidently crazed from the drinking of moonshine liquor, F. J. Coyle... chased the woman cook and his wife from the ranch with a cleaver.”
The entire valley converged on White Bluffs to christen the town’s first modern amusement venue with a night of dancing and patriotic fervor.
“Day was breaking in the east when the crowd finally dispersed, all of the same mind—that it was the best dance they had ever attended in the valley.”
The Governor visits White Bluffs to hear from settlers, while facing growing dissatisfaction over land conditions and the impending closure of the local settlement office.
“It has been my experience and observation that nothing in this world is worth having that you do not have to work hard for.”
As cases of rabies rise among local livestock and dogs, residents face the grim reality of a potential health crisis.
“Stockmen are all fearful of what may eventuate, and are keeping a close watch.”
When ammunition ran low during a massive local rabbit drive, hunters resorted to clubs, rocks, and sheer chaos to secure their harvest.
“One hunter hollered 'Shinney on your own side;' another swung for an uppercut to the chin of one big fellow as he ran the gauntlet, missing him entirely and killing two others with the same swing.”
As the Milwaukee Railroad pivots to electrification, White Bluffs residents pressure the federal government to break the deadlock on dam development.
“The solution of the water problem for this valley will never come until the Priest Rapids dam is built, or its building decided upon.”
After eighteen months in legal limbo, an attempted safe-cracker faces his sentence, while his two accomplices remain missing.
“John Burke and John Morrison, the two men accused with Potter, who escaped from the Pasco jail a few days before the date of their trial, are still at large.”
A grassroots effort to dissolve the local irrigation district fails as land owners abandon the petition, fearing the cost of independence.
“The first attempt to dissolve the district passed into history.”
Speculators and civil engineers move to transform 5,000 acres of Columbia River land into an irrigated agricultural hub, complete with a new town and river transport.
“White Bluffs, which will be the name of the new town, will become a city of importance in due time.”
As power companies eye the Priest Rapids dam, locals joke about putting up road signs to redirect the fish.
“Place 'Road Closed, Detour' signs in the Columbia at the mouths of the Snake and Yakima rivers, and the salmon will do what all travelers do.”
American Legion delegates seek to expand the local land settlement project, only to find the cost of pumping water may bury the plan.
“The Department of Conservation Development figured the pumping cost would be prohibitive.”
After prioritizing ex-service men for years, state officials open the valley's settlement tracts to all, citing a need for rapid development.
“The Legion officials felt that they could not reasonably expect the state to continue any longer the limiting of the settlement to only ex-service men.”
A state-mandated quarantine orders every dog in ten counties to be muzzled or destroyed on sight to stop a spreading epidemic.
“Peace officers are requested to assist in the enforcement of these rules and regulations and to kill on sight every unmuzzled dog found running at large.”
Sam Allard claims a slim primary victory for commissioner, decided by the very last precinct to report.
“The final result was in doubt until the Patterson precinct reported.”
A 1923 report highlights the ambitious, multi-million dollar industrial dreams once held for the White Bluffs-Hanford district.
“The building of an industrial city is the dream of builders.”
When McCord Taylor's home was lost to a sudden blaze, the local veterans' post immediately pledged to rebuild it for him.
“If he would buy the lumber to rebuild the house, members of the Post would do all the necessary work, gratis.”
White Bluffs and Hanford farmers secure preferred status for 1922 apple proceeds following the insolvency of the Wenatchee Valley Fruit Exchange.
“This order was made upon the showing of a Wenatchee attorney who was representing a number of the growers in both this and the Wenatchee valleys.”
Recalling the winter of 1909, when the White Bluffs Spokesman was forced to publish out of a canvas tent to keep the town's news flowing.
“This newspaper is published in a tent in White Bluffs, Washington. If you don’t understand what that means, ask any practical printer.”
Two cars collided head-on near Grant's Corner, leaving a Ford wrecked but its four passengers remarkably unharmed.
“Mrs. Harrington, who was riding in the back seat, was caught between the wrecked top and the front seat in such a way that she was able to breath but could not speak.”
For six years, settlers have waited for the federal government to allow the development of the Priest Rapids power site, hoping it would turn their land into productive farms.
“These settlers have waited for over six years for congress to take some action that would give them the facilities of developing their land.”
White Bluffs boosters asked the state university to sell 840 acres near Vernita at $10 an acre, arguing that settled farms would raise the value of the rest.
“The university will be asked to sell 840 acres, or 42 20-acre tracts, to the state for the minimum price of $10 per acre, for the settlement work.”
A telegram from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad promises federal intervention to stabilize agricultural banking in the Northwest.
“It should quickly and effectively improve the situation, subdue the fears of depositors and afford protection for all sound banking and business institutions.”
After an artesian well drilling project in Cold Creek reveals a strange, oil-like substance, prospectors are scrambling to secure land leases in anticipation of a massive boom.
“It looks like oil.”
When a 14-year-old girl suddenly lost the ability to swim in the middle of the slough, her peer's quick thinking and bravery saved her life.
“Hazel suddenly cried out that she 'could not swim another stroke.' Marian quickly swam to her and held her up.”
Community leaders mobilize across three counties to secure vital infrastructure for the valley.
“The White Bluffs and Hanford boosters, on their part, gave assurance that Benton county would at least match any improvement made by Yakima county.”
Voters in White Bluffs face a decisive primary election to protect their representation on the Benton County board.
“If Allard does not get the nomination next Tuesday we might as well kiss our commissionership goodbye.”
A representative of a regional retail chain faces local anger over accusations of price-gouging and lack of competition in White Bluffs.
“While it is probably true that The Produce Company needs White Bluffs, we think it is just as true that White Bluffs needs The Produce Company.”
When a legal ruling turned the simple joy of school swings into a site of municipal fear, the school board in North Yakima moved to tear it all down.
“A suit is now pending... for damage for injuries received by a child on a teeter board. The youngster on the opposite end of the board jumped off, causing a fracture of one of the other youngster's legs.”
A local mother’s panic turned to relief after tracking her two-year-old child through the scrub for miles.
“The mother had just about given up at 1 o’clock, when she found the child’s tracks in the sage brush.”
A local hotel proprietor finds his marriage and his finances in the crosshairs of a superior court divorce filing.
“Mrs. Morken asserts she had $2,400 at the time of her marriage to Morker, and that all the balance of their property is community property.”
Record-low water levels in the Columbia River leave irrigation systems high and dry, forcing farmers to brace for a parched season.
“The Columbia river is lower now than it was ever known before at this season of the year in the memory of the oldtimers.”
A man’s remains, recovered near Coyote Rapids, leave investigators with little evidence beyond dental work to identify him.
“The body was so badly decomposed that it was beyond recognition except for gold bridges in the upper set of teeth that may serve as a means of identification.”
A local lumber company leverages a housing-shortage pitch to sell building plans, even as court notices reveal the brutal reality of tax-foreclosure cycles for local settlers.
“Did you ever wake up in the morning with that tired-of-paying-rent feeling?”
When a local landholder challenged a water maintenance fee as vague and unenforceable, the court case signaled a broader struggle for the irrigation districts of the Columbia Basin.
“The defendants contended that the description and extent of the water right, particularly as to the maintenance being a lien on the land, was too vague and indefinite.”
Washington state public health officials launch a campaign to combat adolescent goiter through iodine-fortified chocolate tablets.
“Simple goiter of the so-called adolescent type yields readily to treatment and is easily preventable. The ailment is caused by a deficiency of iodine in the water and the soil.”
An irrigation company threatens to withdraw its infrastructure, putting the entire agricultural future of the valley at risk.
“Therefore it is up to the local people to pay their back maintenance if they expect the White Bluffs Water company to operate this summer.”
Patrons of the former post office site face a bureaucratic maze as the Department offers three distinct, and potentially inadequate, solutions for mail delivery.
“The principal requirement for the securing of rural free delivery is that the proposed route be at least 16 miles long, with an average of four families to the mile.”
As ice jams threatened to destroy the family ranch on the Columbia, two young boys took initiative to dismantle the machinery before the floodwaters could claim it.
“Mr. Arrowsmith, therefore, while he lost considerable property, gained the knowledge that the kids can be depended upon in an emergency.”
As White Bluffs migrates toward the hill, the Columbia hotel prepares for its literal trek to the new townsite.
“the old landmark will be put on the skids and started on its journey westward to the new town.”
With federal power legislation stalled, the community of White Bluffs looks toward government intervention to develop the region's massive water resources.
“Of all the sites possible of development, this one is the big plum.”
Thirty ranchers unite to form a National Farm Loan association, hoping to secure financing for the upcoming season.
“Eighteen ranchers qualified by signing up the request for loans.”
Federal marshals serve subpoenas to thirty-two local farmers challenging irrigation rates in a deepening legal battle.
“A plan of defense decided upon by the water users.”
Two schoolgirls survive a harrowing cart crash after a frightened mare triggers a chaotic chain reaction on the road to town.
“The Kruger pony scattered kindling wood from the Helsom ranch to the schoolhouse, where she dumped what was left of a once perfectly good cart.”
After three years of bitter infighting, the White Bluffs Post Office finally shifts to the railroad depot, signaling the death of the old townsite.
“It was as inevitable as time itself that the town should, sooner or later, find its way to the railroad, for railroads are the arteries through which the business of the country circulate.”
After rumors of crippling budget cuts, a last-minute push from local representatives and the American Legion secures funding for the White Bluffs land settlement.
“The legislature, under the urge of the economy plan being carried out in Olympia this session was in a mood to cut the land settlement appropriation to almost nothing.”
With canneries refusing to buy, White Bluffs pear growers face a harvest season defined by uncertainty and the threat of unpicked crops.
“It is almost impossible to get them to make any offer, or at least any offer that would pay the grower to pick.”
After overcoming Senate opposition, state land settlement project secures $50,000 in funding as settlers express guarded optimism about the program's future.
“In spite of the adverse conditions of the whole farming business all over the country... it is a fact easily ascertainable that a great majority of the settlers are satisfied.”
With their main exchange dissolved, White Bluffs fruit growers find themselves suddenly popular—and indecisive—as three rival marketing companies compete for their allegiance.
“Shall we cast our lot with the dignified and well known Northwest Fruit Exchange; shall we yield to that strong and dashing young suitor, the C. M. Kopp Company or will it be our neighbor, the Perham Fruit Company? Oh, Gosh! We WISH we could decide!”
While the 1923 community fair fell short on attendance, it proved a financial triumph and a showcase for the 'soldier-settler' dream in the Priest Rapids Valley.
“The soldier-settler booth with its army of vegetables, grains, etc., displayed under the sign 'All Raised on New Land' was an eye-opener, even to the old timers.”
Local fruit farmers in White Bluffs and Hanford demand financial vetting of Yakima-based Kopp Company before signing contracts.
“The representatives of the company intimated that they would like to have the growers tied up in fruit contracts but they did not receive much encouragement along that line.”
A Civil War veteran, struggling with a health crisis, died after attempting to extinguish an orchard fire on his daughter’s ranch.
“His watch, purse and other personal effects were found scattered over several feet of ground, showing that he had dragged himself a considerable distance.”
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