The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-10-11
TANG[E OVER
Street NAMES
Streets and Avenues North and
South Are Only That by
Common Consent
COMMISSIONERS WILL
RENAME BY ORDINANCE
Chaotic Condition of Affairs Laid
Bare at Meeting of the Com
mission Saturday in Matter of
Naming New Street


Delicate and important work con.
fronts the new commissioners of the
city of North Yakima. Mayor Splawr
and Com missioners Redman an(
Crocker spent the most of the day il
session Saturday, passing one ordi
nance and allowing number of bills
10 wind up the afternoon discus
sion came up over the reading of ar
ordinance naming some unnamed
streets in new additions on the west
side. Then was when the sensation
was sprung, and it was decided that
it would be better to postpone fur
Their consideration of the ordinance
for week or so, and then make q
number of changes, and clean up the
muddled matter all at once.
Postmaster w. L. Lemon, in order
the residents of North Yakima, must
know the exact street and number OF
the person getting mail. Here is the
STUN bling block. In the naming of the
streets of the original townsite OF
North Yakima the main avenue run
ming east and west was named Yak
ina avenue. The thoroughfares run
ming north and south were nam ed
streets, commencing with Front street
on the west, then First street, Sec
ord street, etc, eastward to the city
limits. There is no place in the city
charter, or later by ordinance, where
the streets North of Yakima avenue
are officially designated as North
First, North Second, etc. nor are the
streets south of the avenue designat-
ed South First, South Second etc
The naming of the streets North This
and South That seems to have come
mon consent. without it having been
given official sanction by the city
council.
West Side Avenues
The condition of affairs in the orig
inal part of the city is due to the lack
of action by many different city coun-
ellis, each one as it came into power
presuming that what everybody said
in regard to calling the numbered
streets North or South, with the street
numbered from Front consecutively
east. must have had official recogni,
ton. In that supposition, however
they appear to have been mistaken.
AS time passed and North Yakima
began to grow by leaps and bounds
expansion took place in all directions
During the time when P. M. Arm
bruster was mayor, the west side came
prominently to the front. Yakima
avenue was extended to the western
city limits, new additions were plated
and building went forward. Again
by common consent, the Northern
Pacific railroad was taken to be the
North Yakima. That part of the ave-
nue. east of the railroad became to
be known as East Yakima avenue
while that part of the avenue west OF
the railroad got the title Of West Yak
ina avenue.
1t will be noticed that the thorough
fares running north and south in the
original townsite are called streets,
while those on the west side are
Cdlleu avenues. Htlt 10 a oliSiit
ference in the way they were named.
The charter provided for tn names Of
these streets, but the names of the
avenues were fixed by the passage of
an ordinance That ordinance did not
provide that the avenues north OF
Yakima avenue should be called North
avenues. and the same is true in re-
gard to the avenues south of Yakima
avenue. That ordinance did provide,
however. that the avenues on the west
side of the railroad should be called
and they were so designated, as First
West avenue, Second West avenue,
etc. west to the city limits.
So there you are.
AS far as the official right to the
name is concerned, a person living on
Fourth avenue, for instance, is living
on Fourth West avenues, no matter
whether he resides north or south of
West Yakima avenue.
In order to bring order out of the
chaotic condition of affairs the mem
bers of the commission have tenta-
lively decided upon the plan to re-
name the streets as follows: What
are now known as streets on the east
side will be called North First street
or South First street, or whatevel
number the street may happen to be
The avenues on the west side will be
called First avenue north, First ave-
nue. south etc. according to the pres
ent number of the avenue.
Pending the passage of an ordi-
nance providing for the correct nam
ing of the streets and avenues the
names that have been in use for year.
by common and general consent will
continue to be used.