Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association

Richland Junction is between Richland and the Unites States Government line into the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. The Northern Pacific Railway Company served the south end. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul Railway Company served the north end. Richland is between Richland Junction and Ruby, on the Columbia River. The town was founded in 1900 by Benjamin Rosencrance, a homesteader who bought land from the Northern Pacific Railway Company as the Benton Post Office. The original name was Chemna by the local Indians and settlers. In 1905, the name was changed to Richland in honor of Nelson Rich, a state legislator from Prosser, who helped locate the townsite, and who was a partner in land holdings and an irrigation company in the area. Richland is known as the Town the Atom Built because of its location to the Hanford atomic works plant. The post office opened on October 2, 1905. Benton County, Washington (T9N, R28E)

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