The Sudden Loss of Kiona
A devastating fire in the nearby town of Kiona leaves a general store, hotel, and post office in ruins.
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.
Fire Monday night practically wiped out the little town of Kiona. The fire originated in Kelso Bros.’ store at 3 a.m. There was a stiff northwest wind blowing at the time and in a very short space of time the large double building that housed the general store of Kelso Bros., the hotel, postoffice and warehouse were in ruins. The loss is estimated at $25,000 with about $8,000 insurance.
“There was a stiff northwest wind blowing at the time and in a very short space of time the large double building... were in ruins.”
Small towns in the arid interior of Washington were highly vulnerable to fire, and the total loss of a commercial core could effectively end a community's growth. Kiona, located in Benton County, serves as a stark example of how fragile the infrastructure of early 20th-century frontier towns actually was.
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