If not for a Tennessee congressman, Tri-Cities, Washington, today likely would answer to Tri-Cities, Columbia, as in the state of Columbia, not the state of Washington.

Hanford historian Donald Sorenson will speak on the history of Day’s Pay on Nov. 9 at the East Benton County Historical Society Museum at Keewaydin at 205 Keewaydin Drive in Kennewick. His address is part of dedication ceremonies for a permanent Day’s Pay display at the museum.

When the top-secret Manhattan Project got underway early in World War II and arrived at Hanford, it needed a place to take care of the medical needs of its growing number of workers.

Grape carnivals, town fairs, grape festivals and the first Benton County Fair in 1948 had long established tradition of festivals flavored as fairs in Kennewick. But 1949 saw the addition of the rodeo to the event.

It was 75 baseball seasons ago that Tri-City professional baseball originated, although not the 75th season of play here. A handful of seasons passed in which the Tri-Cities did not field a team.

Andrew Carnegie once was denied admission to a community library because he was too poor.
He grew up to become the richest man in the world.
So, he built a library.

Pasco celebrated the first air mail delivery when pilot Leon Cuddeback took off from Pasco Airport bound for Elko, Nevada, on April 6, 1926.

A boy who roamed Pasco streets and attended Pasco schools as a child had become a legendary figure in Hollywood by the time of his death, and had 10 times been nominated for an Academy Award for his work.

It was as wild and woolly a town that could have ever been found on the frontier.
Springing up at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers, Ainsworth came before the cities of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland staked out identities.