The Great Burbank Rabbit Drive
Nearly 300 hunters organized a massive cull to clear local agricultural lands, with the bounty destined for charity.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The rabbit drive at Burbank last Sunday was an extremely successful one. Between 250 and 300 hunters participated in the drive and it is conservatively estimated that over 4,000 rabbits were killed. An excellent lunch was provided by the residents of Burbank and the Burbank company, and 300 plates were set. The drive was regarded by all as the most successful held on the Burbank project this season, and another drive for January 17th was proposed by the participants. Surplus rabbits are being furnished to the Salvation Army and Odd Fellows Home in Walla Walla free of charge and otherwise donated to charity.
“Between 250 and 300 hunters participated in the drive and it is conservatively estimated that over 4,000 rabbits were killed.”
Rabbit drives were common in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest as settlers struggled to protect newly irrigated crops from exploding pest populations. While the scale of these culls is jarring today, they reflect the desperate agricultural realities of the era's 'boom' development in places like Burbank.
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