White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-01-26
HOW IRRIGATION
CAME TO VALLEY
CONTINUED from last week.

While they encountered financial
difficulties at different times, the own
ers of the Hanford project were al
ways able to find funds to continue
the operation of the project. None OF
the stockholders, however, in any OF
the regimes of the Hanford company
ever received a dividend such as was
thought would be the case when m
corporators of the company commenced
the construction of the irrigation WORKS
and the sale of land.
First and last, considerable sum
was expended for construction, better
ments and operation. Not all of this
money, perhaps, was expended wisely,
but in this respect the project in this
valley was not different from those in
other parts of the state. Most of the
projects were started under private
ownership and they continued as such
until land sales and settlement fell
off, when the ownership was passed
on to the settlers, operating, generally,
through irrigation districts. Many OF
the projects, like this one, required
laundering in the courts to wash and
iron out the legal equities.
The early history of the develop
ment of the Priest Rapids valley CEN
tering around the operations of the
Hanford Irrigation g. Power Co., the
White Bluffs Irrigation company and
the White Bluffs Land & Irrigation
company, affords opportunity for
best seller" story, of interest especially
to the many new and old settlers,
engineers who were active in the con-
struction of the irrigation works, at
torneys who took part in the litigation
over water rights and many others
closely associated with the operation OF
the companies mentioned.
The names of some of these men are
recalled, most of them familiar to the
old settlers. There was John H. NC
Graw, former governor Of the state
of Washington, who was the Hanford
company's first president: first and
foremost in his desire to develop the
| valley and create a prosperous farm
district, was Judge G. H. Hanford, who,
| had his political and material fortunes
developed as he had hoped, would no
doubt have spent his retiring days in
the Priest Rapids valley; Manley B.
Haynes, John w. Cover and w. r.
Todd, together with Fred M. We'll and
George A. Todd, who were so active
| in the development of the country
| and the sale of lands. Then there was
Angus Hay, first owner and publisher
of the White Bluffs Spokesman, who
| left the valley in 1915 to engage IN
newspaper work at Sequim; w. w.
Watson, father of Barbara LAMAR,
| the moving picture actress, who was
the first editor of the Hanford Column
bian; Perry Willoughby who purchased
the Watson interests in the Columbian
and afterwards, George H. Baxter, who
revived the Hanford paper under the
name of the "Hanford Herald" Also
the present editor of the White Bluffs
Spokesman, who purchased Angus
Hays interest when he left the valley
Then there was Captain Henry
Bailey, who piloted the steamer Noun
tain Gem; H. r. Vibber, now engaged
in business in Kennewick who was
manager of the line and also acted as
purser, taking orders for all manner
of articles and supplies, which he de-
livered to settlers all the way from
Kennewick to Priest Rapids
Many prominent attorneys of Seattle
and Tacoma appeared for various
water users over the years Of litigation
Others were stockholders, who, to-
gether with business men of those two
Coast cities, have done much towarc
the development Of the Priest Rapids
valley. Some of these men were E. S
McCord, E. G. Hughs and Fl. r. elise
now deceased Others were Fred II
Lysons, Frederick Bausman, G. II. Far
rell and j. D. Farrell M NJ Moulton
the late Carroll B. Graves, H. j. Snively
also deceased, Judge j. G. Lloyd, B. H
Kizer, Fred Cunningham and number
of others.
Business men whose names are ia.
miliar to the older settlers were w. r
Rust, v. E. Manka, Clarence Hanford
James P Gleason, j. E. Chilberg
Charles E. Patten, DR.. j. w. NOVEL;
w. D. Mackay, H. C. Henry, jane
H. deVeuve, Gerald Fink, j. T. Rorick
N. A. and F. j. Bonn, Malcolm McFee
G. F. Whaley, j. j. Dwyer, w. E. eros
and others.
Those closely associated in the earl
days with the operations of the Han
ford and White Bluffs companies wer
H. M. Walthew, r. w. Hawley, G..
Petheram, J. P. Rogers, E. c. Hanfore
Michael Earles, H. K Owens, Charlie
NJ Sanford Fred M. Well James
Sells, James Barnes, E. j. Barnes
James Armstrong, as well as a numbe
of others who are still in the countr.
/, This concludes the history Of tn
1 Hanford project. Next week the histor
j. of the White Bluffs Land 81 Irrigatio