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• 1916 ×

1. The Town That Relocated for the Rails

   After three years of bitter infighting, the White Bluffs Post Office finally shifts to the railroad depot, signaling the death of the old townsite.

   Jun 2, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

2. Water War Hits White Bluffs

   Federal marshals serve subpoenas to thirty-two local farmers challenging irrigation rates in a deepening legal battle.

   Jun 2, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyFollow the Money

3. The Battle for Mail Service in White Bluffs

   Patrons of the former post office site face a bureaucratic maze as the Department offers three distinct, and potentially inadequate, solutions for mail delivery.

   Jun 9, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, White Bluffs, Franklin County

4. Hanford Landowners Fight Water Monopoly

   Thirty-two land owners organize to challenge the Consumers Ditch Company's water rates.

   Jun 9, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanHanford, Benton CountyFollow the Money

5. Discovery of Unidentified Body in the Columbia

   A man’s remains, recovered near Coyote Rapids, leave investigators with little evidence beyond dental work to identify him.

   Jun 30, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanCoyote Rapids, White Bluffs, Grant CountyTrue Crime

6. Rail Strike Anxiety Stalls Apple Harvest

   Threatened railroad walkouts trigger market volatility and costly diversions for White Bluffs fruit growers.

   Sep 1, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyWork & Pay

7. The Price of Parched Earth

   Irrigation users in White Bluffs vote for another tax to cover ballooning debts.

   Sep 8, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyFollow the Money

8. A Frontier Home Consumed in Minutes

   A fierce blaze leaves a Hanford ranching family with little more than their jewelry and a piano.

   Sep 15, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanHanford, Benton CountyDisasters

9. Professional Safe-Crackers Nabbed in Pasco

   A trio of traveling criminals accused of looting the Richland post office were apprehended by authorities after a spree of alleged continent-wide heists.

   Oct 6, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanPost Office, Richland, Benton CountyTrue Crime

10. The Harrington Wheat King

    Luther P. Turner secures a record-breaking payment for his massive harvest, spotlighting the booming grain economy of the era.

    Nov 3, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanHarrington, Lincoln County

11. Rabies Quarantine Declared in Richland

    State officials order lockdown of district between the Horn and the Columbia River to combat epidemic.

    Nov 24, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanThe Horn, Richland, Benton CountyCity Hall

12. Tragedy at Lake Alcove

    A Mansfield bank president drowns during an afternoon swim.

    Jul 28, 1916Coulee City DispatchPateros, Okanogan CountyDisasters

13. The Wolf-Dog of the Grande Ronde

    A ranger’s loyal pet answers the call of the wild, but gives his life to defend his master against his own pack.

    Sep 1, 1916Coulee City DispatchAsotin, Asotin CountyStrange But True

14. Safe-Crackers Nabbed in Pasco After Richland Heist

    Three men were apprehended in Pasco, Washington, suspected of orchestrating a professional burglary at the Richland post office.

    Oct 5, 1916Coulee City DispatchPasco, Franklin CountyTrue Crime

15. The Battle for the Sunset Highway

    Delegates from six counties clash in Wenatchee over the proposed route for the new state highway, revealing deep-seated regional rivalries.

    Oct 12, 1916Coulee City DispatchWenatchee, Chelan CountyBoom & Bust

16. Police Raid High-End Queen Anne Apartment

    Prohibition-era sting nets stash of liquor, gambling gear, and opium in a fashionable Seattle neighborhood.

    Oct 26, 1916Coulee City DispatchQueen Anne, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

17. The Lake Washington Shipbuilding Boom

    A new canal connection to Puget Sound drives the expansion of a local steamboat yard into an ocean-going venture.

    Oct 26, 1916Coulee City DispatchLake Washington, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

18. The King of the Wheat Belt

    A Harrington farmer cashes in on a historic wheat windfall, securing the largest grain payment ever recorded in the state.

    Nov 2, 1916Coulee City DispatchHarrington, Lincoln CountyStrange But True

19. Winter Thaw Damages Yakima Valley

    A rapid melting of snow causes significant disruption to irrigation infrastructure and roads.

    Feb 18, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanYakima, Yakima CountyDisasters

20. Emergency at the River: How Two Children Saved the Pump

    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.

    Mar 3, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyDisasters

21. The Prohibition Tug-of-War in Colfax

    A Whitman County sheriff’s liquor seizure tests the limits of state law, pitting authorities against the express company in a legal standoff.

    Jun 16, 1916Coulee City DispatchColfax, Whitman CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

22. Kennewick Men Venture to the Rattlesnake Hills Gas Well

    Local business leaders tour a mysterious, productive natural gas well, fueling regional excitement for industrial development.

    Mar 24, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanBenton City, Benton CountyBoom & Bust

23. Prospecting Tragedy on the Columbia

    Two men set out from Prosser in search of fortune, but a capsized boat on the Columbia River left one man lost to the current.

    Apr 28, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanTrinidad, Grant CountyDisasters

24. The Cricket War at Stratford

    Farmers in Stratford scramble to maintain ditches as a massive migration of crickets threatens to devour wheat fields.

    Apr 28, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanStratford, Grant CountyStrange But True

25. The Town on Wheels

    As White Bluffs migrates toward the hill, the Columbia hotel prepares for its literal trek to the new townsite.

    Apr 28, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanWhite Bluffs, Benton CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

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