Kennewick Men Venture to the Rattlesnake Hills Gas Well
Local business leaders tour a mysterious, productive natural gas well, fueling regional excitement for industrial development.
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Secretary C. A. Day, F. L. Runions, and P. E. Hall, Jr., of the Yakima Natural Gas and Oil company chaperoned a party of thirty Kennewick business and professional men on a trip to the gas wells in the Rattlesnake district north of Benton City. The trip was made by automobile. Although the well on the holdings of the Conservative Land company has been sputtering gas since 1912, it has occasioned only casual interest among the people of Kennewick. Every member of the party returned thoroughly convinced the well is a producer, and enthused over the possibilities of the field. The well is 706 feet deep, with a daily flow of 320,000 cubic feet. Promoters rely upon reports of geologists that there is every indication that a large body of paraffin base oil underlies the gas.
“the minor hardships of the journey were forgotten in the delights of hot coffee boiled on a gas burner at the well side.”
The Rattlesnake Hills gas field became a significant, albeit short-lived, economic focus for Benton County. The dream of striking oil in Washington has periodically resurfaced, reflecting the region's enduring interest in extraction as a path to prosperity.
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