The New Rail Line Toward Portland
A railroad builder reveals that contracts are let for a direct line through the Kennewick valley, signaling major expansion.
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.
Yes, it is true the contract has been let for the entire road from Kennewick to Portland, said a prominent railroad builder who passed through Kennewick yesterday. Siems & Shields, who have the contract, will sublet all the work and only furnish supplies. Work will begin in earnest as soon as the sub-contracts can be let and the outfits can get on the ground; in about 30 days there will be something doing. Regarding the survey, a line has been run from one end to the other and only a few minor changes will be necessary. When asked if the high cost of right-of-way through the valuable Kennewick valley irrigated lands would cause a change of location, he replied, 'No, for a direct route regardless of expense is the principal object of the two companies.'
“A direct route regardless of expense is the principal object of the two companies in building the road.”
Railroad infrastructure shaped the early 20th-century economy of the Tri-Cities, mirroring the ongoing regional debates about transit corridors and the tension between land development and transit utility.
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