Badger Canyon's 'Fun' Money
A simulated canyon amusement zone becomes the main draw of the Fifth Annual Grape Carnival, using fake currency to keep crowds entertained.
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.
It was a happy, carefree, joy-making crowd that turned out of the gates of Badger Canyon at midnight Wednesday, the hour set for the formal closing of the Fifth Annual Columbia River Valley Grape Carnival. 'Badger Canyon,' the happy thought of the management, was an instantaneous success both from an amusement and a financial standpoint. The crowds came into the canyon and lingered each evening until the closing hour. Badger Canyon money in bills of ten-bone denomination became the most popular legal tender of the three days, regardless of the fact that it was good only in the canyon and good there for nothing but fun. Instead of carrying with it a sense of finality, visitors buried their money in the canyon for a good time. The canyon was operated by the carnival management for the dual purpose of giving the people something new in the way of entertainment and to take the place of the queen contest as a revenue producer. It made good on both.
“Badger Canyon money in bills of ten-bone denomination became the most popular legal tender of the three days, regardless of the fact that it was good only in the canyon and good there for nothing but fun.”
This 1915 'Badger Canyon' scheme echoes the modern festival practice of creating 'curated experiences' or ticket-based economies to maximize engagement. It reflects a time when Kennewick was betting its reputation on being a booming, fun-loving agricultural hub during the peak of its grape-growing prestige.
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