A road, a legacy and a misnomer

OAKESDALE - His grandfather and father had long driven by them. He had too, for 40 years.

In September, Kirk Hansen swung past one again on his combine during wheat harvest and decided it was enough.

The part-time farmer of 400 acres of the original 1,600 of the Hansen land near Oakesdale sent a note to Whitman County commissioners, asking that the signs for “HANSON RD” be changed to “HANSEN RD.”

“It’s been on our family’s mind since the first day the signs went up,” said Kirk, 52, who lived in on the road until sixth grade. “Grandpa went down and talked to them back then and they said, yeah,...