Big Pasco Industrial Center
The Depot that Supplied the Secret City
During World War II, the U.S. Army needed space, lots of it, to store and move materials vital to the Hanford mission. Big Pasco delivered, becoming one of the largest military supply depots in the Pacific Northwest.
Built by the U.S. Army in 1942–43, Big Pasco was an enormous logistics hub with over 60 warehouses connected by rail. Strategically located at the confluence of major train lines and highways, the facility was designed to store and distribute military supplies on an industrial scale, much of it headed toward the newly established Hanford Site.
Big Pasco was heavily secured and bustling with round-the-clock activity. Materials arrived by rail, were sorted and inventoried, then shipped to Hanford and other Pacific Northwest military installations. Many workers didn’t know what the shipments were for, only that speed and accuracy were paramount.
Though now partially redeveloped for commercial use, Big Pasco’s original grid, warehouse structures, and military footprint remain, a reminder that even the quiet corners of the Tri-Cities played a big role in one of history’s most secretive efforts.
