By the Herald editorial staff
There were those who doubted the wisdom of unearthing Hanford workers' garbage pits from the early days of the project.
With lots of beer bottles and old Vick's VapoRub jars, the excavation shows something very real about what life was like at Hanford in the 1940s, when scientists and laborers struggled to build the nuclear reactor that would help end the war with Japan.
Reporter Annette Cary's story on the excavation captured much of the charm and hinted at some of the little quirks of this bygone day.
Coca-Cola bottles were found in profusion. Many were made in Yakima, Bend, Ore., and other plants around the nation.
Many nickels changed hands on the basis of those cities. It was a common thing in the '40s and into the '50s, at least, to gamble on those bottles. The winner would be the guy whose Coke came from the farthest away.
And those Parker Quink bottles will bring back memories to anyone old enough to have used them in grammar school, first dipping nibs mounted in wooden shafts into the little ink well at the top of the bottle and laboriously writing out the day's assignment in real ink.
Parker Quink (which still is made) was a notable invention because it was so quick-drying. Most inks of the day dried by evaporation of alcohol in the fluid.
Parker invented one that would penetrate the paper and dry much, much faster.
Just as the workers at Hanford were on the cutting edge of science and physics, they were using "state of the art" ink to record their progress.
Old car parts, hubcaps and other paraphernalia from those long-gone days still are being rooted out of the ground at Hanford, to the delight of researchers sorting through the debris.
We're told that after the dig is completed, a public display of the artifacts is being arranged.
That's a great idea. And this was a worthy undertaking to try to re-establish a connection with those long-ago workers, and with most of those still living probably in their 80s and 90s, it is none too soon.
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Community copes with 2,000 Hanford layoffs
Community copes with 2,000 Hanford layoffs
Editor's note: Hanford started this year with 12,000 workers and nine months later about 2,000 positions have been cut. Herald reporters and photographers take a closer look at what this means to Tri-Citians and our economy with a daily series of stories that begins today.
The day after the last of almost 2,000 workers were told they were losing their jobs at Hanford, Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar opened at the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.
Business has been excellent, said general manager Will Willingham. Customers have been filling its 267 seats, with waits of up to 30 minutes on some nights.
Feds make decision about Hanford contaminated soil
Feds make decision about Hanford contaminated soil
RICHLAND — The federal government has made the first decision on how to clean up contaminated soil in the heart of Hanford, settling on a combination of methods planned to protect the environment.
The soil, contaminated with plutonium, is within the central 10 square miles of Hanford that will be permanently used for radioactive and hazardous waste disposal. Land use plans call for no one to ever live there and the area will be cleaned up only to industrial standards.
"This decision balances public sentiment for digging deeper with a science-based cleanup action that will protect human health and the environment," said Matt McCormick, manager of the Department of Energy Hanford Richland Operations Office, in a statement. "This decision was based on the anticipated future use of this area of the Hanford Site."
Hanford stimulus spending called a success
Hanford stimulus spending called a success
Not since environmental cleanup began at Hanford has the nuclear reservation had a period where it could point to as much work completed as in the last 30 months.
As the Department of Energy wraps up most spending of its $1.96 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money, Hanford regulators and the state of Oregon, which keeps a close eye on Hanford, are calling the program a success.
Within a day of receiving its first Recovery Act money in spring 2009, Department of Energy contractors were hiring to ramp up cleanup.
Stamps keep history alive in Richland
Stamps keep history alive in Richland
Little pieces of history are on display in Richland. They are really little pieces -- thumbnail-sized rectangles of paper.
The postage stamps and the envelopes they are attached to offer surprising glimpses into foreign countries -- did you know there are Boy Scouts in Libya? -- and they tell the story of the Tri-Cities.
And that is why many collectors like the stamps -- for the stories they keep alive. But the miniature illustrations and the men and women who collect them are becoming ever rarer, as habits change and old mail is shredded rather than passed on.
Stamps keep history alive
Stamps keep history alive
Little pieces of history are on display in Richland. They are really little pieces -- thumbnail-sized rectangles of paper.
The postage stamps and the envelopes they are attached to offer surprising glimpses into foreign countries -- did you know there are Boy Scouts in Libya? -- and they tell the story of the Tri-Cities.
And that is why many collectors like the stamps -- for the stories they keep alive. But the miniature illustrations and the men and women who collect them are becoming ever rarer, as habits change and old mail is shredded rather than passed on.
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