Benton County Officially Born
After legal hurdles and a formal decree from the superior court, Governor Albert E. Mead signed the proclamation establishing Benton County, signaling a new era for the region.
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.
Governor Albert E. Mead has officially proclaimed the creation of Benton County. Following a petition presented on June 9, 1905, by a majority of voters in portions of Klickitat and Yakima counties, the superior court of Yakima County confirmed that all constitutional and statutory requirements for the new county were met. With the governor’s signature on June 17, 1905, the county is now fully established, and officials are set to qualify in Prosser to begin public business.
“I, Albert E. Mead, governor of the state of Washington... do hereby proclaim and declare the county of Benton... fully and completely created and established.”
This proclamation marked the formal origin of the civic landscape we recognize today in Kennewick. It highlights the administrative growing pains of the early 20th century as local populations sought to gain autonomy from distant county seats in Yakima and Klickitat.
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