The Fight to Bypass the Railroads
Civic leaders across three states unite to promote Columbia River shipping as a 'shackle-breaker' for isolated interior towns.
The story, cleaned up
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A committee appointed by the governors of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to investigate and report on highway development related to Columbia River traffic met in Portland last Saturday. The committee, including Kennewick’s own George F. Richardson, elected Samuel Hill of Maryhill as chairman. The group plans to map the river’s drainage basin and collect data on freight shipments from all tributary towns. Samuel Hill argued that the Columbia River should be considered as a single unit, advocating for municipally owned docks. C.S. Jackson noted that the state line is merely an imaginary barrier to trade, and suggested that canalizing the river could liberate towns like Goldendale and those in the Yakima Valley from high railroad costs. Judge Richardson emphasized the absurdity of taking freight over mountain passes by rail when a 'downhill' haul to the river is physically possible and far more economical.
“The mighty Columbia, which stretches out into the fertile interior for 1500 miles, could be canalized at no great expense. An open river would strike the shackles from the tied up towns.”
The century-old argument over 'railroad shackles' and the need for efficient river-based transit echoes modern struggles over how Kennewick and the Tri-Cities move goods through the Columbia Basin. While the docks and rail lines have evolved, the tension between regional economic autonomy and the massive influence of transportation monopolies remains a constant in local civic discourse.
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