A Fourth of July in Kennewick
While the local band traveled to Prosser for the new county's celebration, families in Kennewick spent the holiday fishing and picnicking along the river.
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.
Yesterday was a quiet day at Kennewick with no special patriotic demonstrations, fires, or accidents. Many residences were decorated with flags and bunting. Those who hadn't gone out of town left in wagon and buggy loads for the various picnicking places and fishing grounds along the river. About fifty people enjoyed a picnic at Clements' Grove, at the mouth of the Yakima River, where fishing, bathing, wading, and pitching horseshoes occupied the day. Meanwhile, the Kennewick band traveled to Prosser to help celebrate the first Fourth of July for the new county, where they were credited as the 'hit' of the day and led the parade.
“The Kennewick band was the 'hit' of the day and made an appearance very creditable to the town.”
The transition from small-town river picnics to organized regional celebrations highlights how Kennewick evolved from a cluster of homesteads into a regional hub. Today, while the riverside remains a center for recreation, the scale of growth and the civic structure of Benton County have fundamentally changed the nature of our local holidays.
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