The Commercial Hotel Changes Hands
Management of Kennewick’s Commercial Hotel shifts as the proprietor departs to pursue mining ventures.
Management of the Commercial Hotel passed yesterday from Grant A. Stewart to Samuel Netherlands, who has been employed at the hotel for several months as chief clerk. Mr. Stewart is retiring from the business to devote his entire time to other interests. He expects to leave within a few days for Republic, where he will take charge of the operation of the Laurier copper mine, owned by himself and his brother, Dayton Stewart, of Spokane. The mine has been worked on a small scale for a number of years, but its development has been retarded by its inaccessibility. This is now to be overcome by the building of a large tramway down the mountainside from the tunnel mouth to the railroad. Mr. Stewart’s family will remain in Kennewick and he will continue to make this city his permanent home.
“The mine has been worked on a small scale for a number of years—but its development has been retarded by its inaccessibility.”
Mining and tourism were early pillars of the Pacific Northwest economy, and many small-town entrepreneurs balanced hospitality with speculative extraction. Today, Kennewick’s economic focus has shifted from mining interests to a diverse service and tech sector, but the town remains a hub where people still balance local business ownership with broader regional investments.
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