Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Pasco celebrates 125th anniversary

By Dalina Castellanos, Herald staff writer

The rain over Pasco paused long enough Friday afternoon for the city to celebrate its founding 125 years ago.

City officials, employees and residents huddled under the roof of Volunteer Park's new pavilion for Pasco's anniversary celebration and the pavilion's dedication.

"(It's) an appropriate occasion to pay tribute to Pasco's proud legacy of volunteerism," said Mayor Joyce Olson about the combination of events.

Longtime resident and retired judge Duane Taber delivered a brief history lesson, reciting facts about the city's past from two books written about Pasco.

"They're both available at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Bonneville Street," Taber joked. "Tell them I sent you." Taber was referring to the Franklin County Historical Society & Museum.

Though Pasco wasn't incorporated until 1891, the city was founded in 1884 when the Northern Pacific Railroad moved its operation from the town of Ainsworth, which is where Sacajawea State Park is located.

Pasco was named after a city in the Andes Mountains in Peru called Cerro de Pasco, one of the highest cities in the world founded in 1572, according to information from the city.

According to Virgil G. Bogue, a construction engineer for the Northern Pacific Railroad who located the railway through Pasco and constructed the railway across the Andes in Peru, the windy dust storms he experienced in Pasco reminded him of Cerro de Pasco, Peru -- hence the name.

The construction of Volunteer Park's new pavilion preserved the spirit of the 100-year-old park because it was built with the help of about 50 volunteers, Olson SAID.

"At the time (the park was named) trees were planted and volunteers carried buckets of water to keep the trees nourished," she said.

Olson and Duane Job from the Mid-Columbia Forestry Council were joined by city employees and representatives from the Pasco Chamber of Commerce to plant a tulip tree near the pavilion.

City council members Al Yenney, Bob Hoffman and Tom Larsen also picked up shovels and volunteered to move dirt.

The renovation of Volunteer Park began in 2001 with the redesign of three major entrances to the park and the planting of more than 100 trees.

-- Dalina Castellanos: 509-582-1542; dcastellanos@tricityherald.com