After years of fighting to get it, Doc Hastings and the House approved the plan to create a National Historical Park dedicated to the Manhattan Project and the important history of Hanford.

Referring to Senator Maria Cantwell's remarks about what the park will to for the regional economy and tourism,  the Seattle PI called her words "hyperbole."

They were referring to Cantwell's statement about the National Park dedicated to the Tri-Cities (and nation's) nuclear heritage:

“(the project will) give Hanford the same status as Independence Hall, Valley Forge and Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace."

The PI went on to say this:

"Unlike these other national landmarks, however, the new historical park celebrates something controversial and deadly — The Bomb."

As usual, we expected this kind of response from the West side, namely Seattle.    One of the bill's co-sponsors, Senator Lamar Alexander (R) from Tennessee, sees the big picture as to why it's important:

 “the Manhattan Project is one of the most significant events in American history.” Americans will “learn about the significance of the Manhattan Project and how it continues to shape our history.”

If you ever doubted the view Seattle's view of our region, consider this tidbit from the PI blog from Thursday December 4th:

"A Pasco market is proudly called Atomic Foods. Reservation workers can stop by Atomic Lanes in Richland to go bowling. Columbia High School in Richland fields “The Bombers” sports teams and uses a mushroom cloud as its symbol. (Hanford managers were not amused once when a Seattle P-I reporter asked if The Bombers had ever played baseball against a team from Japan.)"

If the PI did their homework,  they would have known the reason the school changed it's name from the Beavers to Bombers was because of the famous Day's Pay B-17 bomber that Hanford workers paid to have built by donating a day's wages to help the war effort.

Yes,  Richlander's are Proud of the Cloud.   I had that afore-mentioned mushroom cloud on the side of my helmet from 1978-80.  And our little "goals accomplished" stickers on those helmets were in the shape of little bombs.    We in the Mid-Columbia are proud of the heritage of the area - Richland was literally created out of the Manhattan Project.  Prior to 1942,  White Bluffs and Hanford were actually bigger than Richland itself.

Richland Bombers helmet
Richland Bombers helmet (Bomberfootball.org)
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While the article generally delivers information about the National Park project,  the writer doesn't miss pointing out the lows and negative aspects of the Hanford area - especially the cleanup.   To us, it appears to be a thinly-veiled swipe at the idea of celebrating the nuclear heritage of the Tri-Cities, and it's impact on the entire world.

But, considering legal pot passed largely because of King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties - that comes as no surprise.

 

 

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