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History of Spokane, Washington

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Prehistory-1810

First inhabitation

Spokane Falls in 1888

Spokane Falls and its surroundings have been a gathering place and focus for settlement for the area's indigenous people well before the 1700s, due to the area's abundance of salmon in the Spokane River and fertile hunting grounds.[1] For unrecorded millennia, the Spokane tribe lived in the area around the Spokane River, leading a seasonal way of life consisting of fishing, hunting, and gathering endeavors. The Spokane people shared their territory and Salish language with several other tribes, including the Colville, Flathead, and Kalispel tribes.[2] The Spokane consisted of three bands that lived along the Spokane River. The Spokane Falls were the tribe's center of trade and fishing. By the 13th century, the Spokane had developed permanent winter villages typically situated on rivers, especially along rapids and other places where fish were plentiful. Early in the 19th century, Indian and white fur trappers out of the east came into the northern Columbia Plateau forests.[3] They were friendly with the native people they encountered. They often lived with them, took on their customs, and intermarriage was not uncommon. In 1810, the Spokane commenced major trading with white men when the North West Company's Spokane House was established on their lands.[3]

1810-1890

The Spokane House

The Inland Northwest was first explored by Canadian explorer-geographer David Thompson, working as head of the North West Company's Columbia Department.[4] Crossing what is now the U.S.-Canadian border from British Columbia, Thompson wanted to expand the North West Company further south in search of furs, primarily beaver fur. After establishing the Kullyspell House and Saleesh House trading posts in what is now Idaho and Montana, Thompson wanted to expand further west. In 1810, Thompson dispatched Jacques Raphael "Jaco" Finlay and Finan McDonald to the Spokane River to build a trade house that would exchange with the Spokane and Colville Indians in present day Eastern Washington.[5]

In a yellow pine flat in the "V" where the Little Spokane meets the Spokane (roughly a mile below Nine Mile Falls --about nine miles downstream from today's downtown Spokane), Finlay and McDonald built a new fur trading post, which is the first long-term European settlement in Washington state.[4] This particular area was chosen because of the areas' large beaver population and potential for trade with the Native Americans located nearby.[4] This trading post known as the Spokane House, or simply "Spokane", was in operation from 1810 to 1826.[6] The Spokane House, operated by the British North West Company and, later, the Hudson's Bay Company, was the center of the fur trade between the Rockies and the Cascades for 16 years. As the North West Company was absorbed into the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, the operations at the Spokane House continued until 1825, when they shifted their operations to Fort Colville; afterward the company still remained active in the Spokane region.[4][7]

American settlement

Joint American-British occupation of Oregon Country, in effect since the Treaty of 1818 ended with the signing of the Oregon Treaty in 1846.[8] The first American settlers, squatters J.J. Downing, with his wife, step-daughter, and S.R. Scranton,[9] built a cabin and established a claim at Spokane Falls in 1871. Downing and Scranton were the subjects of arrest warrants held by the U.S. Marshal in Montana alleging livestock theft.[10] Downing claimed 160 acres on the south bank and Scranton filed on 160 acres on the north bank. Together they built the first commercial building in Spokane Falls, a small sawmill on a claim located near the south bank of the Spokane Falls.[10] James N. Glover and Jasper Matheney, two Oregonians passing through the region in 1873 recognized the value of the Spokane River and its falls, they realized the investment potential and bought the claims of 160 acres and the sawmill from Downing and Scranton for $2,000 each.[10] Glover and Matheney knew that the Northern Pacific Railroad Company had received a government charter to build a main line across this northern route and in 1873 they purchased the sawmill and the claims from Downing and Scranton.[11] Glover invited settlers from Oregon to join him, though without much success. In 1877 soldiers that were fighting a war against the Nez Perce Indians spent the winter in Spokane. They built Fort Coeur d’Alene, and Glover sold food and goods to the soldiers. The presence of soldiers encouraged families to move to Spokane, expanding its population. Glover built a store and lived with his wife in a building on the southeast corner of what is now Spokane Falls Boulevard and Howard Street.[12] In 1876, Glover bought out his partner Matheney's stake in the joint venture and opened Spokane's first bank. Glover became the founder and "Father of Spokane" and later became one of its first mayors as well.[12]

Camp Spokane

On October 21, 1880, Camp Spokane was established by U.S. Army troops under Lt. Col. Henry Clay Merriam at a location 56 miles (90 km) northwest of Spokane at the junction of the Columbia and Spokane Rivers.[13] The location of the camp at the river junction was strategic, having the intended goal of protecting the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway, and to secure the location for U.S. settlement. Settlers among the Spokane and Colville Indians in Eastern Washington were afraid that war might break out. Camp Spokane served to separate the Indians from the settlers, being located between the Colville and Spokane reservations—protecting the growing non-Indian communities of Spokane Falls (later Spokane) and Cheney.[13] While stationed, Merriam's troops erected some temporary buildings at the post, which they initially called Camp Spokane, but in 1881 one of the four infantry companies was still living in tents. Then early in 1882, President Arthur formally set aside a military reservation at the site, which was renamed Fort Spokane.[13]

Northern Pacific Railway

By 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway was completed, bringing major European settlement to the area. The city of Spokan Falls (without an "e"; the "e" was added in 1883 and "Falls" was dropped in 1891) was officially incorporated as a city of 350 residents on November 29, 1881. [14][15] The small population increased rapidly, streets were built, and the small settlement became a city. The city's population grew from 4,130 to 8,891 between 1881 and 1885.[16] Spokane won the county seat from Cheney in 1886 elections. The city's population ballooned to 19,000 in 1890 and 40,000 in 1900 with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway.[17] The railroad lured settlers from as far away as Finland, Germany, and England and as close as Minnesota and the Dakotas. By 1910, the population hit 104,000; prior to the building of the Northern Pacific, Walla Walla had been the commercial center of the Inland Northwest; however, with the arrival of the railroad in Spokane, that quickly changed.[17]

Spokane ca. 1895

Dutch investment

Real Estate development by European investors was a major source of capital for the building of Spokane. In 1883, Herman A. Van Valkenburg, a Dutch businessman, came to Spokane to appraise railroad investments, and in 1885, formed the Northwestern and Pacific Mortgage Company. The company was reorganized in The Netherlands as the Northwestern and Pacific Hypotheekbank on June 4, 1889.

The company was largely responsible for rebuilding downtown after the Great Fire of 1889, building structures from granite and brick to replace wooden buildings that had been destroyed. By 1893, Dutch investors held one-fourth of real estate in Spokane, and continued to provide a significant contribution to Spokane's growth through the middle of the 20th century.[18]

The Great Fire

On August 4, 1889, a fire that began shortly after 6:00 p.m. destroyed the city's downtown commercial district.[19] The most credible story of its origin is that it started at Wolfe's lunchroom and lodgings opposite the Northern Pacific Depot on Railroad Avenue.[19] Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started.[19] Firefighters began dynamiting buildings in an attempt to deprive the fire of fuel, but the flames jumped the spaces opened and soon created their own firestorm. When volunteer firefighters attempted to quench the flames, they found their hoses were unusable. Eventually winds died down and the fire exhausted of its own accord. In the fires' aftermath, 32 blocks of Spokane's downtown were destroyed and one person was killed.[20]

1890-1980

The Great Northern Railway

While the damage caused by the fire was a devastating blow, Spokane continued to grow; the fire set the stage for a dramatic building boom.[20] After The Great Fire of 1889 and the rebuilding of the downtown, the city was reincorporated under the present name of "Spokane" in 1891. [21][15] Just three years after the fire, in 1892, James J. Hill's Great Northern Railroad had arrived in the newly created township of Hillyard (annexed by Spokane in 1924)—the chosen site for Hill's rail yards, machine shops, and roundhouse because of the area's flat ground.[22] The addition of Hill's railroad resulted in another small population boom. The railroads in Spokane made it a transportation hub for the Inland Northwest region.[23] Spokane became an important rail center because of its location between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range and between mining and farming areas, making it a natural shipping center.[21]

During this period, railroad companies charged what many believed were unfair shipping rates on goods going into Spokane. These rates were much higher than rates to coastal cities such as Seattle and Portland; so much so that merchants in Minneapolis could ship goods first to Seattle and then back to Spokane for less than to ship directly to Spokane, even though the rail line ran through Spokane on the way to the coast.[24] This had a significant impact on the local economy, with many merchants simply choosing not to do business in Spokane.

In 1892, the Interstate Commerce Commission agreed with the city after it filed a complaint about these practices, but that decision was struck down by a federal court. In 1906, Spokane sued under the newly passed Hepburn Act, and won on July 24, 1911.[25]

The remnants of some of these railroads can still be seen today. The clock tower currently in Riverfront Park was built as part of a depot and is one of the biggest in the Northwest, with each of its clock faces measuring 9 feet (2.7 m) across. The clock tower is the only part of that depot that remains standing to this day.

Spokane as a commercial center

In the late 1800s, gold and silver were discovered in the Inland Northwest. Mining emerged as a major stimulus to Spokane and the city served as a popular outfitting and jumping off point for miners. The discovery of gold, silver, and lead in the Coeur d'Alene region (which generally encompasses present day Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties and northern Idaho) in the 1880s precipitated a rush of prospectors into the region. As a regional shipping center, the city furnished supplies to the miners who passed through on their way to mine in the Coeur d’Alene region.[21] By the mid-1890s, high mining operations were underway in the region.[26] Just after the turn of the century mining declined and agriculture and logging replaced mining as the primary influence in the economic development of Spokane. Today, the Spokane area is still considered one of the most productive and reformed mining districts in North America.[27] After mining, the city became noted for processing and distributing dairy and orchard products and for producing products milled from timber. The Spokane area is a major center for the timber and agriculture in the Inland Northwest region. By the early twentieth century Spokane was primarily a commercial center rather than an industrial center.[28]

Free speech fight

In 1909, a free speech fight was conducted in Spokane by the "Wobblies," or working class members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). At the time, "job sharks" charged a fee for signing up workers in the logging camps. Employment agencies were known to cheat itinerant workers, with bribes sometimes paid to periodically fire entire work crews, generating repetitive fees. The IWW launched a campaign with the slogan "Don't Buy Jobs." The agencies countered by pressuring the city council to pass an ordinance against street speaking. When religious organizations obtained an exemption from the ordinance, the IWW initiated a free speech fight. In one day 150 men were arrested and crowded into Spokane jails. More IWW members soon arrived, and within a few weeks the jails were overflowing. Among those jailed was feminist labor leader Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. The Western Federation of Miners called a boycott of all goods from Spokane to support the struggle, and taxpayers began to protest the cost of feeding the men. The city council repealed the ordinance.[29]

Growth and decline

Spokane continued to grow rapidly through the early 20th century. By 1900, the population had reached 36,848, and by 1910 had more than tripled, to 104,402.[30] This growth pattern continued until 1917, when the population reached 150,323.[31] Over the next three years, however, the city suffered a massive loss in population. The 1920 census reported only 104,437 people, nearly one-third less than in 1917, and a mere 35 more than the census in 1910.[32] The 1920s[33] and 1930s[34] saw similar but less drastic slow growth.

1974 World's Fair

Main article: Expo '74
The clock tower and U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

Spokane hosted the first environmentally themed World's Fair in Expo '74, becoming the then-smallest city to ever host a World's Fair.[35] This event transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad industry that built the city and reinventing the urban core. The Spokane clock tower was once part of a Great Northern Railway depot that once occupied the site.[36] Upon close inspection, it can be seen where bricks were added on and where the roof used to be. The clock tower is one of the biggest in the Northwest, with each of its clock faces measuring 9 feet (2.7 m) across.

Many of the structures built for the World's Fair are still standing and in use. The United States Pavilion sits next to an IMAX theater, and the Washington State Pavilion became the INB Performing Arts Center. The Expo site itself, located on Havermale Island, became the 100-acre (0.40 km2) Riverfront Park, containing, among other features, the U.S. Pavilion, the turn-of-the-20th-century Looff Carousel, and the Great Northern Railway clock tower, the last remnant of the vast rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74.[35] The U.S. Pavilion and the clock tower are prominently featured in the park's logo.

References

  1. ^ "Timeline: 1700". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  2. ^ Wynecoop, David (2004-12-21). "Children of the Sun: Chapter 1 Before White Men Arrived". The Wellpinit School District. Retrieved 2009-1-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ a b Wynecoop, David (2004-12-21). "Children of the Sun: Chapter 2 Fur Traders and Missionaries". The Wellpinit School District. Retrieved 2009-1-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Oldham, Kit (2003-1-23). "The North West Company establishes Spokane House in 1810". Essay 5099. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Timeline: 1810". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  6. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. p. 135. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  7. ^ Meinig, D.W. (1993). The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2: Continental America, 1800-1867. Yale University Press. p. 69. ISBN 0-300-05658-3.
  8. ^ "Northwest Boundary Dispute". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-1-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ "Timeline: 1871". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  10. ^ a b c Wilma, David (2003-1-27). "J. J. Downing and S. R. Scranton file claims and build a sawmill at Spokane Falls in May 1871". Essay 5132. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2009-1-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  11. ^ Kensel, W. Hudson. "Spokane: The First Decade," Idaho Yesterdays, Vol. 15, No. 1, Spring 1971.
  12. ^ a b "Timeline: 1873". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  13. ^ a b c Oldham, Kit (2003-3-04). "U.S. Army establishes Fort Spokane at the junction of the Spokane and Columbia rivers in 1882". Essay 5358. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Spokane History". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  15. ^ a b Bailey, Frank C. (2006-8-21). "Guide to the Frank C. Bailey Photographs ca. 1880-1896". University of Washington Libraries. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Spokane Falls Weekly Review". October 8, 1885. p. 2. Retrieved 7 December 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  17. ^ a b Boggs, Alison (1999-6-20). "Boom and Bust". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2009-1-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Fahey, John. “When the Dutch Owned Spokane”. Spokane and the Inland Empire (Revised Edition): An Interior Pacific Northwest Anthology. Ed. David H. Stratton. Pullman: Washington: Washington State University Press, 2005. pp. 189-191.
  19. ^ a b c Arksey, Laura (2006-3-20). "Great Spokane Fire destroys downtown Spokane Falls on August 4, 1889". Essay 7696. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Today marks 119th anniversary of Spokane's Great Fire". The Spokesman-Review. 2008-8-04. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ a b c "Spokane (city)". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008. Retrieved 200812-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. ^ Kershner, Jim (2007-12-15). "Spokane Neighborhoods: Hillyard". Essay 8406. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  23. ^ Ferris, Joel E. (2005-7-10). "Hill, James Jerome (1838-1916)". Essay 7294. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Durham, N. W. History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County Washington: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Vol. 1. Spokane: S.J, 1912. 598.
  25. ^ Durham, N. W. History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County Washington: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Vol. 1. Spokane: S.J, 1912. pp. 599-603.
  26. ^ Payne, Loretta (January 2001). "Spokane County Profile" (PDF). Employment Security Department, Labor Market and Economic Analysis Branch. Retrieved 2008-12-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Economy". City of Spokane. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  28. ^ Kensel, W. Hudson. "Inland Empire Mining and the Growth of Spokane, 1883-1905," Pacific Northwestern Quarterly, April 1969.
  29. ^ A History of American Labor, Joseph G. Rayback, 1966, page 244.
  30. ^ "City's Population for 1920 104,204." Spokane Press. 07 May 1920.
  31. ^ Spokane City Directory: 1917. Joel E. Ferris Archive, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. Spokane, Washington.
  32. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1920" U.S. Bureau of the Census. 15 June, 1998. retrieved 07 December, 2008.
  33. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1930" U.S. Bureau of the Census. 15 June, 1998. retrieved 07 December, 2008.
  34. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1940" U.S. Bureau of the Census. 15 June, 1998. retrieved 07 December, 2008.
  35. ^ a b Wilma, David (2003-1-27). "Expo 74 Spokane World's Fair opens on May 4, 1974". Essay 5133. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2008-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Great Northern Depot Tower/ Clock Tower". City-County of Spokane Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2009-1-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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