Back in old cowboy days:
From the Kennewick Newspaper the “Courier Reporter.”
June 5th, 1908 Bears in Kennewick?
Tuesday Morning about seven o’clock James Dodson discovered bear tracks near his barn on his Horse Heaven ranch about seven miles from Kennewick. Taking his trusty rifle he mounted his horse, called the dogs, summoned his brother Hershel and the two men started out on the trail. After a ride of about ten miles, during which they jumped up numerous jackrabbits and coyotes, Jim heard Hershel yell and coming up over the point of the hill below the Koch place, southwest of Kennewick, saw a race started between a white horse and a black bear, joining in the fun Jim put spurs to his steed and was soon enjoying the contest. After a chase of three miles, Jim threw his rope over the black brute, and in a few minutes, the men had the panting bear firmly tied.
Frank Neal was summoned with his wagon from his ranch about a mile away and Mr. Brun was soon having a free ride to the city.
You can't see all of the Sturgeon, but you can imagine. This picture was taken
early in the 1900s, they used a mule team to put these guys out.
The 1906 shootout
A true live western shootout! The town Marshall of Kennewick M. D. Glover died: Sheriff A.C. McNeill was wounded, his deputy Joe Holzhey died, and also one of the posse members was mistakenly shot and killed by another posse member.
How it happened: the local merchandise store was burglarized, and the Marshall went to the hobo jungle near the railway bridge to question the suspects. They were met with hobos who resented their spying. As they returned to town, they met the sheriff who was going to the hobo jungle to look for stolen goods, so they all joined up and approached a suspect who was holding a rife. He opened fire. One of the suspects Jacob Lake was shot by sheriff McNeill and died. Another suspect Robert Layton, alias Robert Barker surrendered later to the posse.
Robert Barker later escaped.
May 28th, 1920 “The meanest men”
Three of the meanest people in the world made a tour through the valley last Friday. That is, if anyone can think of a meaner, smaller, or more despicable act than they put over, it is yet to be chronicled in the papers of this section. A tourist, going from Prosser to Kennewick, after leaving Kiona behind him several miles, came to a car that was seemingly in trouble and stopped to ask if he might assist the two men who were working with the disabled machine. Without making any reply, the men proceeded to take the wheel of the car that
had just driven up, removed the damaged one from their own machine, placed the good wheel on their car, and with the parting advice to the kindly tourist “take that old wheel and go to a warmer climate,” they made off down the road. The kindly autoist had to sit in the sagebrush for several hours awaiting the passing of a car his way when he sent into Richland for help and for the proper officials to be notified.
Deputy Sheriff Copeland immediately took up the trail, but it is believed the miserable thieves made off toward White Bluffs and so far, they have not been caught.
If you can think of a meaner and smaller trick than this, advise the columns of this paper and we will be open for publicity covering it. It doesn’t seem to be safe nowadays to even offer help to disabled tourists as the only way you could be sure that they were not of this caliber would be to put a written guarantee of respectability on every windshield advising the public that it was safe to meet up with the occupants of such a car in the main highway without being “jipped”of part of your own means of transportation.
1918, A Kennewick man was arrested for seditiousness. (This was really printed in the Richland Advocate newspaper.)
Other Pro-Germans to Follow too unless they stop cussing the U.S.
Wm. Reynolds was arrested and taken to Kennewick last Saturday on a charge of making seditious remarks against the government, the president, and the soldier boys. The arrest was made by a federal marshal of Yakima.
The complaint was made by Phil Schireman and Chester Wheelhouse and Wm. Davidson, they were accusing witnesses.
At the hearing in Kennewick Reynold’s bond was placed at $2000.00 and on failure to raise it he was taken to North Yakima.
It is reported that Reynolds who was an erratic socialist had cursed the president and the federal government.
2nd of June 1927
A debt of gratitude is due to the public-school teachers who through their best energy rise to the challenge of instructing the youth of Kennewick. It is a job that calls for much self-sacrifice, and unceasing diligence, and it involves nervous strain.
In 1908, an ugly story.
William Howell, who owned the Kennewick bar was jailed for manslaughter in the death of Henry Williams, who had been found dead in the jail. It was said that Williams had been eating at the bar, in an ungentlemanly manner. Because of this Tim O’Brien hit him over the head and knocked him unconscious. Then Howell dumped Williams in the alley. Later he was taken to the jail unconscious and left there unattended and found the next day dead in jail. Howell was later found not guilty. (Williams was black!)
Jan 1907
Sunday night about 2 o’clock the Northern Pacific bridge across the Columbia was found to be ablaze at the West approach. A crew of westbound freight discovered the fire and coming to Kennewick were ordered to return to the bridge taking Section Foreman W. A. Morain and his crew with them. Forming a line from the river edge they passed 5-gallon cans of water and by rapid strong arms work soon put out the blaze. Two of the uprights were burned off and several cross sleeper’s cross sleepers were badly charred. The bridge crew from Pasco came out at 4 o’clock and by daylight, all repairs were completed
April 19th 1907
.An auto rtrip from Walla Walla to Kennewick an automobile party of five men, A. A. Rauch, E. W. Gibson, A. A. Kirby, G. W. Jewett and W. H. Dixon, all of Pomroy, came into town Monday afternoon from Walla Walla. They left home in the morning and Walla Walla in the afternoon at 1:30 and arrived here about 5 o;clock, having crossed the Columbia at the Wallula ferry. They made good time considering the sandy roads. The machine is a Mitchell of 30 horse power and weights 2300 pounds. The wheels were fitted out with chain loops over the rubber tires to make them hold better in the sand, but even then the wheels sometimes spun around until they excavated a hold deep enough to let the axles touch the ground.
The party started out this morning and at the west end of the Garden Tracts and ran into soft sand left in a roadside ditch by the washout and got stuck. In trying to back out they broke their back-up gear and returned to town to get it repaired, the machine running forward all right. Machinist Barr soon had them fixt out again. The severest test an automobile can have is a sandy road. The party will go home thru Ritzville and Spokane
5 February 1904
Kennewick becomes incorporated by election . The council immediately began the normal stuff like appointing committees to plant trees etc., utilities ,clean-up and endless things to do. They were smart about their trees, they planted by experience I guess. They planted all the good growing trees in the Tri-Cities: Poplars,maple, American elm, birch and black locust.
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