Kennewick's Ambitions for a River Port
Engineers draw up comprehensive blueprints to transform the Columbia River waterfront into a bustling hub for rail and water transit.
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P. P. Whitham, of Seattle, one of the most able port engineers of the Northwest, this week delivered to the commissioners of the Port of Kennewick completed plans for the improvement of Kennewick’s waterfront. Whitham has made several trips to this city, made a careful study of the river and shore line, and has attempted to incorporate facilities for meeting any demand of water shipping for many years to come. He suggests closing the channel between Clover Island and the southerly bank of the river, which would create a quiet basin where docks could be fitted, protected from high-water drift. In order to secure full utilization of the Columbia waterway, the steamship terminals must be coordinated with the highways and railways. The Port Commission is giving legal notice of a hearing to be held as a preliminary to the adoption of the plan, though no extensive improvements costing in excess of the $2,000 already raised by taxation can be made until the expenditure is voted by the people.
“The great Columbia River waterway is available to Kennewick as a highway to the sea.”
Kennewick’s perpetual struggle to leverage its riverfront geography remains a central theme in modern municipal planning. The 1916 vision of Clover Island as a protected, industrial harbor eventually transitioned into the recreational and commercial focus of the area today, mirroring the town's ongoing evolution from industrial port hopes to lifestyle-driven growth.
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