Finley, WA townsite

The town of Finley was named after George Finley, a poor Nebraska farmer. In 1902, he and his family moved to their 40-acre land holding south of Kennewick. There, they lived in a tent while clearing their land for farming. Winnie Lou Angell recalls the family’s arrival: “My mother broke down and cried when she saw the desolation of the area. There was nothing but sand and sagebrush.”

Finley slowly grew into a town of 25 souls by 1908, when the post office was established. By 1910, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle (SP&S) railroad helped bring prosperity to the community resulting in a new hotel, store, barbershop, two lumber yards, a hardware store, depot, and school.

Finley eventually absorbed many souls migrating from the neighboring town of Hover, which was slowly dying. Hover died in 1957, but Finley still lives on.

Source: Finley / Hover History, by Tom Mercer

Research by Jeremy Wells.

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