On the eve of Spokane's prohibition (starting January 1, 1916) hotels hosted the biggest New Year's celebrations the city had ever seen. Even after that, hotels still had a surplus of alcohol and often sold it illegally. This image of a city official taking stock of contraband liquor found at the Spokane Hotel was one of the biggest early busts.

Image L93-18.54 courtesy of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.