A Major Military Center
Established along the shores of the Columbia River was one of the largest wartime logistics centers in the United States. Dubbed "Big Pasco", this facility both supported the Hanford Project and processed millions of tons of military freight headed to the Pacific Theater of World War II. Its juxtaposition to major railway systems, expansive river systems, the Hanford Site, and the Pasco Naval Air Station made it one of the most important military centers during the war.