Pasco’s Rail Troubles and the Future of Regional Trade
Poor train service threatens Pasco's commerce, as local editors argue that Kennewick is better positioned to capture regional trade.
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 miserable train service accorded by the Northern Pacific railroad lately is working a great hardship on the Pasco business men and the people of this valley who desire to trade in that city. There is no train run out of Pasco after 11:30 a.m., so anyone going to Pasco in the afternoon is compelled to remain in that city over night or go to Kennewick and wait several hours for the O-W. R. & N. motor car. When the new ferry is established at Villard, most of the trade of this region will be lost to Pasco business men, for Kennewick tradesmen are a bunch of live ones and will use up-to-date methods—judicious advertising and square treatment—to induce the trend of trade in their direction. It is really too bad that Pasco is on the line of but one railroad, which can make or break the business men of the town at will. Competition would remedy these conditions.
“Kennewick tradesmen are a bunch of live ones and will use up-to-date methods to induce the trend of trade in their direction.”
This reflects the long-standing friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry between Kennewick and Pasco. Regional connectivity has moved from rail schedules and ferries to bridge infrastructure, but the competition for trade dominance in the Tri-Cities persists.
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