Securing Water for 'God's Acre'
The Kennewick Cemetery association wins a victory to keep local greenery alive in the desert.
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.
The Kennewick Cemetery Association held its regular monthly meeting with the president, Mrs. W. G. King. After the routine business had been disposed of, Mrs. King announced that the N. P. I. company had agreed to sell water for irrigating the cemetery next year. For the last two years the company has allowed us to use the waste water and with this about 200 trees have been started. Plans for further improvements are already being made and by the first of the year it is hoped more definite announcements can be made. With plenty of water, the cemetery can be made an ideal beauty spot, which, because of its location can be seen for miles around. But it will take time, work and money to accomplish this result. For this purpose the association has saved all receipts not needed for improvements, repairs and running expenses. The trustees feel that they will have a big responsibility and they ask the help of everyone, those who have lots in the cemetery and belong to the association and those who do not.
“With plenty of water, the cemetery can be made an ideal beauty spot, which, because of its location can be seen for miles around.”
In the semi-arid Tri-Cities, the fight for water rights has always been a matter of life and death—or in this case, dignity for the departed. The Cemetery Association’s push for a ‘beauty spot’ highlights the perpetual struggle to cultivate oasis-like landscapes in the high desert.
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