HISTORY​

 

In the years since we became a state in 1889, progressive values and government have brought Eastern Washington:

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• Rural electrification, water and sewer infrastructure, town and county roads

• Public schools, first responders including fire fighters and law enforcement, all overseen by our local communities, towns, and cities   

• A massive Columbia Basin Project that provides irrigation for our farms, water-access to the Pacific for shipping our crops and manufactures, and hydroelectric power for our homes, factories, businesses, towns, and cities

• Public highways, airports, and mass transit

• Accessible telephone, radio, television, and now internet service

• Public hospitals, medical schools, colleges, and research universities

• Recognition of Tribal fishing rights; conservation programs for our timberland, waterways, fish and other wildlife; and support for sustainable, productive management of our farmland and aquifers

• Public parks, fairgrounds, and recreation spaces; preservation of historical sites

• Port districts for facilitating economic development, industrial parks, and trade

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EWC4P celebrates such progress while recognizing that some past developments had serious indirect costs for the region’s Tribal cultures and for Eastern Washington’s fishing and timber resources, natural environment, and economic life--costs that future growth and economic initiatives must acknowledge and strive to balance if we are to create a fair and sustainable future for our communities.

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