Alex Trebeck Would Even Be Stumped by These Little Known Tri-Cities Facts
We asked you on Facebook this morning about little known facts about the Tri-Cities area that even a Jeopardy champion would miss and here a few of the highlights that you came up with!
I was blown away by how much I didn't know about the Tri-Cities and I've been here since 2007.
A few of these I was aware of like the town of Hanford ( I had taken the Reactor B tour many years ago) but a few others like the Rose Bowl I was unaware of.
Here's are our picks of the little known Tri-Cities facts that might surprise you.
The City Of Handford: It was once a booming town thanks to its high agriculture demand - It had a bank, hotel and elementary and high schools before it was depopulated in 1943. Residents where given a 30 eviction notice to clear out to make way for the Hanford Nuclear Site.
The City Of White Bluffs: It was also depopulated by the US Government in 1943 with some residents evicted with two days or less to get out. A lot of the buildings ended up becoming office buildings. White Bluffs was known at the time for the production pears, apples, vegetables and grapes for wine but the government destroyed all the fields until nothing virtually remains today.
The Rose Bowl: The infamous Richland wastewater treatment plant, a.k.a. the Rose Bowl, was located where Win Co Foods now sits on this location along George Washington Way entering Richland. It was painted pink hence the name "Rose Bowl"
The Grape Festival: Before there was the Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo, there was the Grape Festival that was held yearly in Downtown Kennewick.
The Cable Bridge: It might surprise you that the Cable Bridge's name isn't "Cable Bridge". It was a long fought dream of Ed Hendler, former Mayor and Insurance Salesma, who believed that by connecting Downtown Pasco with Downtown Kennewick, more commerce would commence for both cities. The bridge was completed in 1978 and is an awesome spectacle defining the Tri-Cities. It's named after the man who championed it's existence. The Ed Hendler Bridge.
The Fingernail: It's the band shell construction stage in Howard Amon Park in Richland. It was once part of an old concrete construction building in Richland and Jim Dillman in 1982 petitioned the city council of Richland to move it to it's current location in the park.You can check out this great video below and on how it constructed.
There are just a few interesting facts about the Tri-Cities that you submitted on our Facebook page, can you think of any more?