Richland's alphabet soup houses

An A house today

Richland, Washington's alphabet houses were quickly constructed to house thousands of people working on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

The one- and two-story ranch style homes formed the nucleus of the community which grew out of the desert as people converged to construct the atomic bombs that were later dropped on Japan to end the war.

B house today

The community was quickly designed, with street construction starting in March 1943. The first house was completed a month later. Before construction started, Richland had only about 20 homes, hardly enough for the 16,000 people coming to work at Hanford.

Each house style was assigned a letter, with B being the most common, followed by A. Both were duplexes. Housing was assigned based on how many people were in a worker's family. Some houses had only one bedroom, others had three. Though almost all of the houses had chimneys, few had fireplaces. Instead the chimneys were used to vent from the coal and oil used to heat the homes, the local historical society says.

Dozens upon dozens of the houses exist today, just about everywhere you go in Richland. While the houses essentially all looked the same back then, today's owners have added decorative touches such as paint schemes, porches, window shutters and carports. As you drive around Richland, it is amazing to see the changes made by a little creativity.

Barnard Griffin winery

Barnard Griffin is a small, quality winery operated by a husband-and-wife team located in rural Richland, Washington.

Rob Griffin has been involved in the Washington wince scene since 1977. He and his wife Deborah Barnard have been making wines under their own label since 1983.

Winemaker Griffin has a master’s degree in viniculture and enology from the University of California at Davis. He came to southcentral Washington in 1977 to serve as the first winemaker for Preston Winery located a few miles north of Pasco. He met with quick success, with his 1977 Chardonnay winning Best of Show at the Seattle Enological Society’s Northwest Wine Festival.

Barnard Griffin Wines Started in 1983

He and his wife began making wines under their own label six years later, with their first bottlings consisting of a total of 400 cases of Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc and Riesling. Griffin went on to become winemaker and general manager at Hogue Cellars in Prosser, before the couple went full-time with their winery. They have been at their present facility at 878 Tulip Lane in Richland, Washington, since 1996.

Barnard Griffin has used colorful tulips on its label since 1983, and bottles lines of White Tulip and Red Tulip wines in addition to their white and red reserve lines. The winery’s production is more than 75,000 cases a year.

Winery Wins Many Awards

The number of awards the winery has won attests to the quality of their wines. Many of their awards come from California wine festivals, making the wins particularly sweet because California is better known for its wines than Washington. In early 2009 alone, Barnard Griffin wines have won at wine festivals in Riverside, Monterey and San Francisco. For the fourth consecutive year, Barnard Griffin won a gold or better for its Rose of Sangiovese at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Barnard Griffin was named the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest in the spring of 2006.

Wine Grapes Come From Throughout Mid-Columbia

The grapes for Barnard Griffin wines came from throughout the Mid-Columbia region, from the Wahluke Slope to the north to the nearby Red Mountain vineyards.

The on-site tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The tasting room also houses a small art gallery, where glass works by Deborah Barnard are on display. There is a fee to taste wines which is refunded when purchases are made. The winery also has a small wine bar/eatery and offers live music on weekends.

How to Find Barnard Griffin Winery

Barnard Griffin is one of three wineries on Tulip Lane. It is the middle one, bounded on the north by Tagaris Winery and on the south by J. Bookwalter Wines.

Take the Queensgate Road exit off of Interstate I-182, which runs from Interstate I-82 in the west, past Richland and on to. From Queensgate turn onto Columbia Park Trail, then left onto Windmill Road, and finally right on Tulip Lane. Watch for the winery signs on Columbia Park Trail.

Richland’s Horn Rapids Golf Course Utilizes Desert Surroundings

Horn Rapids Golf Course

Horn Rapids Golf Course incorporates the surrounding desert landscape into the club’s 18 holes which are the centerpiece of the golf course community. 

The Horn Rapids subdivision is located a few miles out of Richland, Washington, proper, though it is still within the city limits. The golf course is surrounded by upscale housing which is surrounded by the desert. Inside the golf course community, the fairways are lined with sagebrush. There are many ponds on the golf course and it is not unusual to see ducks paddling away.

Horn Rapids Golf Course opened in mid-90s

Horn Rapids Golf Course opened in 1994. It was designed by Keith Foster who has designed and renovated golf courses across the United States.

The course features 18 holes spanning 6,988 yards. There are six tees, the black tee being the longest; the aqua tee is the shortest at 4, 455 yards. The black and blue tees’ hole 12 is the longest hole at 579 yards. The black tee’s hole 13 is the shortest tee for the course at 200 yards. The golf course website has hole by hole descriptions and diagrams of the course.

Horn Rapids Golf Course is a par 72 course.

Horn Rapids offers year ‘round golfing

The Horn Rapids Golf Course is open year ’round. Cheapest greens fees are Monday through Thursday or in late afternoon any day of the week.

The golf course has a driving range, three practice greens and an 18-hole bent grass putting course. Carts and clubs are available for rent through the pro shop. A full-service restaurant with banquet facility is located on site.

Horn Rapids Golf Course Has RV Sites

The Horn Rapids Golf Course offers golfers the opportunity to play in close proximity to their recreational vehicles. The course has four RV sites which have 30-amp electrical hook-ups as well as water and sewer hook-ups. The Horn Rapids RV Resort is located right across Highway 240 from the golf course community. It has more than 200 full hook-up sites for RV’ers. The resort also has a recreation hall, convenience store, internet access, fenced run for dogs, deli and laundry.

The Horn Rapids Golf Course is one of 10 golf courses in the Tri-Cities area of southcentral Washington which encompasses Pasco, Richland and Kennewick. West Richland, a growing town which borders Richland, is considered part of the Tri-Cities area.

Horn Rapids is located just off Highway 240. The golf course is at  2800 Clubhouse Lane.

Art in the Park

Mark your calendars now to attend Art in the Park July 29-30 at Howard Amon Park in Richland,
Washington.

This will be the 61st outing for the Allied Arts Association which sponsors the art show. It's always held the last weekend in July which coincides with the hydroplane races which take place in the Columbia River at Columbia Park in Kennewick..



Howard Amon is a long narrow park along the Columbia River. Filled with huge shade trees, it' a most pleasant place to be in the summer, with all sorts of activities taking place there. My favorite is Art in the Park, an outdoor art show I first attended in the mid-1980s when I lived in Connell, about 35 miles north of the Tri-Cities.

The art show features work by traditional artists as well as photographers and crafts people. You can find handmade clothing and furniture, ceramics and pottery, wall hangings and greeting cards, as well as the traditional paintings and photographs. The offerings change from year to year, so it's a good way to keep up on trends in the crafts world. I few years ago, I fell in love with seashells glued to coastal scenes, but regrettably did not buy a painting. I was determined to buy one the next year, but none were on sale.

The art show draws artists and crafts people from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Allied Arts says artists come from 46 states and Canada. Some even demonstrate their crafts for visitors. The two-day event is just a cool experience.