Featured Stories: 68
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Working Women of the Silver Valley
Not all the wealth of Wallace came from the mines. Some came from bedrooms of the working women of the brothels like the Oasis or the Bi-Metallic. As the miners extracted the ore from the ground, the…
Lilac Garden: Manito Park Tour
Before the Lilac Garden, this area was part of the Manito Zoo from 1905-1932, where buffalo roamed. One of the larger and more famous of the buffalo was King Ranger. When he died, his body was…
Spokane University
During the boom years of early Spokane, colleges and academic institutions began to pop up around the city. Spokane University was among the first universities in Spokane and the first in the valley,…
Taft: The Wickedest City in America
By the early 1900s, the rough and tumble frontier towns of America were dying off, slowly becoming gentrified and developed into respectable settlements. Taft, Montana was one town that wasn't going…
The Spokane Mountaineers: From Walking to Summiting
Beginning as a group of active librarians, the Spokane Walking Club evolved to become the Spokane Mountaineers
Cheney Historical Museum
The Cheney Historical Museum traces its roots to the Tilicum Club. This women's social and service club was organized in Cheney in 1903. In 1935, during the club's annual Pioneer Tea, a group of early…
Violet Noble, Resident Since the 1940s
"We didn't like the things they did and they didn't like the things we did."
Born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1927, Violet Noble came to the East Central neighborhood during the growth period of…
Spokane Shows Its Pride: “We’re Here. We’re Queer. We’re Fabulous- Get Used To It!”
In 1992, Spokane’s first pride march moved forward under restriction and threat, as participants took to the sidewalks to demand visibility in a city that had yet to make space for them.
A Snapshot in the Life of John McAdams Webster: A Coast to Coast Adventure from West Point to Fort Spokane
Plagued by poor health, John McAdams Webster served in the U.S Army at a time when military conflict was unlikely. But no matter where his career took him, he served with distinction. As a school…
Spokane Valley Heritage Museum/Opportunity Township Hall
You are looking at one of the last physical remnants of the now defunct "Township" form of government in Washington. A state vote in 1908 granted the formation of County Townships as semi-autonomous,…
Felts Field
Felts Field is not only the oldest airport in the Spokane area but is also one of the oldest federally designated airstrips in the country.
Located near Rutter and Fancher and along the banks of…
Helga Estby's Walk Across America
A suffragist marches coast to coast to save the family farm.
Susan Crump Glover:
First Wife of James Nettle Glover: Notable for Her Absence in Local History
Susan Crump Glover moved to Spokane Falls with her husband, James, in August 1873. Even though there is much historical information about James—the Father of Spokane—there is a curious lack of…
Kurt Waldheim at EWU: Commencement Speaker, United Nations Secretary General, War Criminal
In 1982, Eastern Washington University set out to find a notable commencement speaker to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
Invitations to participate in the centennial celebrations went out to…
Float Homes of Bayview: Floating homes, Lake Pend Oreille
The "Floating Village" near Bayview, Idaho has been part of the community's history since 1910. These homes are fully equipped for full time residents or vacationing families.
Fire Lookouts – From Hermit's Castles to Weekend Get-A-Ways: Fire Lookouts
The fire lookout started as a means of early detection of forest fires. Today its new role is as a week-end get-a-way.
The River Pigs of Logging: Logging on the River
Logging Companies used rivers and lakes to move logs from the logging camps to the mills. The brave men that guided the logs on the journey were called the River Pigs.
Morton School - Memories of a One-Room Schoolhouse
A typical day for a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse was not easy to define. They were challenged to teach grades 1 - 8 in the same class room. Teachers taught all subjects and learned quickly about…
The Hotel Aberdeen: and Carrie Harris
In a time before women had the right to vote, Carrie Harris was financially independent and a successful businesswoman.
Buried and Forgotten: St. Paul's Mission Cemetery
Beneath the pine needles that cover this historic cemetery lie generations of native and fur trade families.
Fast Times at the Hotel Emery: Brawls, thefts, scams, and scandals filled the brief life of this downtown hotel.
One of the early hostelries for visitors to Spokane Falls was the Hotel Emery, a two-story brick building on Riverside between Washington and Bernard that opened in 1892. The building's first owner is…
The Parsons Hotel: The historic Parsons Hotel has known good times and bad, mirroring the rest of downtown Spokane
Located on the southwest corner of Jefferson and First Avenue, the Parsons Hotel opened in 1910 as a family-oriented hotel with 104 rooms. It was built in 1909 by W. E. Parsons, a railroad man and…
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
In the 1920s, Episcopal Bishop Edward Makin Cross endeavored to create a successor to the All Saints Cathedral, which stood Downtown. He contracted the services of congregation member Harold C.…
Frontier Justice at Fort George Wright: Fort George Wright Tour
It was the night of August 14th 1916 and Edward F. Mayberry was on the run. Three witnesses had seen Mayberry murder 35 year old Native American woman Alice Vivian on the Colville Reservation near…
Barracks and Buffaloes: Fort George Wright Tour
The 24th Infantry regiment contained the famous all-black "Buffalo Soldiers" who had fought bravely in the capture of San Juan Hill during the Spanish American War. The regiment had endured many…
Theodore Roosevelt on the Parade Grounds: Fort George Wright Tour
You are standing where Teddy Roosevelt stood on April 8th 1911, reviewing the 500 heroic African-American troops of the 25th Infantry as they passed in review. The 25th Infantry had served with…
Washington State Archives, Digital Archives
Opening in 2004, the Washington State Archives Building was created to house both the Eastern Washington Regional Archives and both state and local government Digital Archives. It was the first…
John R. Monaghan Statue: Martyr to An Obscure War: Killed by Alfred Thayer Mahan
This dashing young man who perches in front of the Spokane Club, leaning on his sword and staring down the traffic on Monroe with steely-eyed determination is John R. Monaghan, who died because of a…
The Cheney Lynchings: Mob violence or ethnic cleansing?
In the early 1880s two men were hanged without trial, one Chinese and the other a Spokane Indian.
The Pirates Den: An African American Owned and Operated Harlem Renaissance-Style Dine and Dance Club
During the time of segregation in the Spokane area, one club owned and operated by an African American wrote their own history one dance and one meal at a time.