100 years ago in the Tri-Cities: A new bridge over the Columbia ‘cut the last link’ between eastern and western Washington

The Pasco-Kennewick bridge over the Columbia River was officially dedicated in a ceremony presided over by Lt. Gov. W.J. Coyle.

Coyle poured Columbia River water from a silver cup onto the bridge and said, “I now cut the last link that separates eastern and western Washington.”

The ceremony was attended by “what was said to be the largest crowd ever seen in Pasco and Kennewick.” Thousands arrived in automobiles from Franklin and adjacent counties.

“The traffic gave the bridge a baptismal test probably greater than it will experience again in a long time, but the builders and engineers said the load was light in comparison with what the structure is built to carry,” The Spokesman-Review wrote.

Many more attendees arrived by rail from Spokane, Seattle and other cities.

The bridge replaced an old ferry system and was the first auto bridge across the middle Columbia. It became known by locals as the Green Bridge. In 1978, a new bridge, the Ed Hendler Intercity Bridge (Cable Bridge), was built alongside it, and the old bridge was taken down in 1990.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1879: Thomas Edison perfects carbonized cotton filament light bulb.

1962: U.S. President John F. Kennedy addresses TV about Russian missile bases in Cuba and imposes a naval blockade on Cuba, beginning the missile crisis

1978: Pope John Paul II is inaugurated as Pope.