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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 19 |
| 1915 | 24 |
| 1916 | 30 |
| 1917 | 16 |
| 1918 | 5 |
94 stories matching small
- The Highlands Flagpole Vandals
A small-town mystery where a stolen rope prevents the local club from honoring Lincoln and Washington.
- The Great Hog Debate: Local Farmers vs. The Packing Trust
A reader fires back at critics of local livestock brokers, exposing the tension between small-scale Benton County hog farmers and the massive meat-packing monopolies.
- City Hall Bans the Big Firecrackers
A heated debate over fireworks and public safety ends in a compromise measured by the inch.
- The Telephone Dust Prank
A creative hoax in a small town fooled local housewives into wrapping their telephones in rags to 'blow out the dust.'
- The Pig Club Success
A local teenager turns a small investment and kitchen scraps into a tidy profit, proving the value of home-grown feed.
- Banquet Bridges the Prohibition Divide
In a display of small-town unity, the citizens of Palouse hosted a 'Wet' and 'Dry' banquet to focus on common infrastructure goals.
- Kennewick Creamery Expands Territory and Market Reach
Local creamery reports an increase of nearly $40,000 over the previous year and successful expansion into the Seattle market.
- The War of Words Between Kennewick and Prosser
A bitter editorial feud erupts between rival newspapers over a dispute involving county road and bridge funds.
- The Tomato Whisperer of the Columbia Valley
After two decades of watching his crops wither, a local farmer discovers the surprising secret to thriving garden plots in volcanic soil.
- A Small-Town Wage Fight Goes to Arbitration—and Both Sides Pay Half
When a Richland nursery salesman disputed his pay, the town improvised a three-man board instead of a courtroom.
- An Emigrant's Journey of 1852
A local resident recounts her mother's grueling eight-month journey across the frontier by wagon train.
- Kennewick's Street Improvement Fiasco
After building roads with dirt and sand over oiled gravel, the City Council calls in an expert to fix the crumbling infrastructure.
- The High Price of Bacon and the Low Price of Hogs
A local pig farmer fires back at a packing industry executive, alleging that market manipulation is crushing small-scale producers.
- The Mail-Order Menace: How Catalogs Were Killing Kennewick’s Main Street
A fiery editorial in the 1914 Courier-Reporter warns that buying from Montgomery Ward’s catalog is a betrayal of local commerce, arguing that every dollar sent to Chicago or New York directly causes the death of small-town merchants.
- The Dairy Wars: Small Farmers Fight for Survival
Kennewick farmers push back against federal dairy regulations they claim are a Trojan horse for the 'Beef Trust.'
- The Shadow of Infantile Paralysis
As a polio outbreak grips the nation, public health officials in 1916 offer desperate, homespun advice to anxious mothers.
- Frost Takes Half the Potato Crop: Kennewick Growers Face Lean Season
A cold spring and killing frosts cut the early potato yield nearly in half, leaving growers with only 20 cars instead of the usual 40—but prices remain strong.
- The Comeback of the Kennewick Creamery
After years of mismanagement and receivership, a local cooperative secures the loyalty of dairy farmers from Richland to Hover.
- Burbank Loses Its Only Trading Post
A general merchandise store is completely destroyed by fire, leaving a small community without a local shop.
- Fire Scare in Olmsted Addition
A faulty fireplace joint nearly claims a home, but neighbors manage to contain the damage with a garden hose.
- Freighter Lost to Fire at Pasco Dock
The Columbia Pasco, a river freighter, was destroyed by fire during maintenance work, marking a significant loss for the local river transit trade.
- Fire Levels Farmhouse While Owner Seeks Bread
A minor errand for a loaf of bread leads to the total loss of a Richland home.
- A Californian Comes Back After Five Years and Can't Believe His Eyes
Property owner C. E. Williams steps off the train expecting the old town and finds a boom instead—then pledges to spend freely fixing up the derelict second story of his block.
- The Hungry Season in Richland
As berry pickers flood the valley, residents struggle to balance their charity with the reality of petty theft.
- Brush Fire Consumes Hay and Hog Pens at Costello Ranch
A routine cleanup of orchard waste turns into a local disaster when a sudden wind catches the rancher's winter feed supply.