The Clemmer Theatre, now known as the Bing Crosby Theater, was built in 1915 by Edwin W. Houghton. The building was first used as an 800-seat movie theater. The theater was very luxurious with painted murals, 1600 lights, and a grand Kimball organ. In 1929, the building was sold to Universal and renamed Audian. A few years later the theater was once again resold, and it became the State Theater.

The Metropolitan Mortgage Company bought and refurbished the building in 1988, and The Metropolitan Theater of Performing Arts, or The Met, became the new name. When the Metropolitan Mortgage Company went out of business in 2004, Mitch Silver purchased and renamed the property the Bing Crosby Theater. This was in response to a local historian who realized the city needed a landmark to commemorate their most famous entertainer, Bing Crosby. The theater is also recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bing Crosby played some of his earliest musical engagements here. In the summer of 1925, Bing Crosby and Al Rinker were the only two remaining members of their previous band, called the Musicaladers. They were hired at the Clemmer Theatre, as part of a group of entertainers responsible for the intermission and between movies show. The group wrote their own scripts, built their own stage sets, and chose what songs would be appropriate. The idea was to build their mini production around the theme of the movie that would be playing.

For five months, Bing Crosby was free to spread his wings and explore his acting and singing skills. One of the songs Al and Bing sang was "California Here We Come." Two months later, the two men went on a journey that would lead them straight to Hollywood.

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"Dutch" Jake Goetz and his partner Harry Baer embodied the gold rush and pioneer attitude. After receiving two hundred thousand dollars in 1888 for their role in discovering the Bunker Hill mine, Dutch and Baer moved to Spokane Falls. There the partners constructed a hotel saloon called the Frankfurt Project, named after Goetz's German birthplace. The Saloon was completed in 1888 and burnt down in the great Spokane fire of 1889. After the fire, the Frankfurt Block was included in a list published in the New York Times among the more important buildings lost in the Spokane fire.

Dutch and Baer were not deterred by the fire, in fact after their establishment had burned, they erected a large tent to serve as their temporary housing while they maintained operations and raised money. In 1894 the Coeur d'Alene hotel was built.

The Coeur d'Alene Hotel was described as the greatest variety, greatest extravagance, and greatest overall place in Spokane by Jim Wardner. Jim Wardner had a part in the Bunker Hill mine, was the namesake of Wardner, ID and traveled extensively between Arizona, California, Utah, Wisconnsin and Washington following the mining booms. Wardner marveled at the use of an electronic Keno game, that kept the game square, and other gambling activities such as Roulette and Stud Poker. Aside from gambling the Coeur d'Alene Saloon had multiple bars, lunch counters and lodging for its guests. The Hotel also was home to a theatre, a dance hall, Turkish bath and the finest whiskey. Jim Wardner explained:

"A person can get anything he wants in this place of business - drink, bath, meal, bed, shave, go to the theater, dance hall or gambling room."

The building was heated by steam and lit by gas and electricity. Although Dutch is admittedly running a casino, his moral standards are praised by Jim Wardner, who explains that Jake encourages moderation by his guests in all of his many amenities. Goetz is also described as a philanthropist as it was said at the Coeur d'Alene Hotel that even the homeless could come in for a meal, rest and a bath at no charge. Goetz was described as a fair employer as well, paying his employees an average of four dollars per day while spending $576 per day on his combined staff salary. It is no doubt that the Coeur d'Alene Hotel was a busy and exciting place near the turn of the century.

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Spokane artist Glenn Emmons was the artist chosen by the Northwest Mining Association to sculpt what Spokesman Review writer Lorie Hutson dubbed, the "larger-than-life bronze statue" that they donated to Spokane. According to Hutson, "he carefully researched the details for each of his sculptures. He went to the Hecla Mining Co's mines in Silver Valley to study miners at work and their equipment for the bronze." The statue depicts a hard-rock miner holding a jackleg drill against rock face, checking the quality of the ore that he's extracting. This is Emmons' most prominent sculpture in Spokane.

This statue was commissioned by the Northwest Mining Association, in celebration of their centennial anniversary in 1995. The NWMA was founded in 1895 in Spokane, Washington as a non-profit, non-partisan trade association. The association soon grew to support the mining industry in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, Alberta, and British Columbia. Their main purpose is to support and represent the mining and smelting interests in the U.S. and Canada and consider themselves "the national voice for exploration and access to public lands." Today they monitor and interpret local, state, and national legislation that impacts the mining industry. They also consider creating and dispersing mining education materials to federal and state agencies, the public, and international business communities as part of their purpose. Committee activities, referrals, and their annual convention are the platforms they use to accomplish their purposes.

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Welcome to Hole-in-the-Ground, where you will notice one of the most peculiar geological formations in the region. As part of the channeled scablands, Hole-in-the-Ground was created by the powerful flood waters of glacial Lake Missoula some 15,000 years ago. The torrents carved coulees, valleys and gorges through the basalt rock of the region, leaving behind the immense walls surrounding enormous trenches. But these geological formation of the region can also be explained in another way.

According to Palus tribal legend, Hole-in-the-Ground was the home of Beaver during the "time of the Animal People." Armed with spears, the five Wolf Brothers ambushed Beaver as he resided peacefully at his lodge. An epic battle ensued, which consequently formed the curious geography of Southeast Washington. During the fight, Beaver ripped and "chewed-out" nearby Rock Lake and as he clawed his way towards the Snake River Valley, his beating tail created the various small waterfalls along the Palouse River. Beaver was eventually killed by the Wolf Brothers and, in the throes of death, he carved-out the sheer cliffs of Palouse Falls. Beaver's heart turned to stone as the giant creature collapsed at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse rivers. His remains were transformed into the region's various tribes, but the Palus were said to have "sprung from his heart." For the Palus, Hole-in-the-Ground is not just an interesting sight to behold, it is at the forefront of creation.

The natural barriers provided by the massive stone walls, along with the fertile, 1,000 acre valley below, makes for a great livestock and horse corral, especially for the region's cattle rustlers. In the 1870s and 1880s, the Masterson Gang, a notorious group of rustlers and thieves led by "Big Bill" Masterson, used Hole-in-the-Ground as their main rendezvous point and corral. The gang raided ranches as far as Montana and Oregon, bringing back as much as 500 horses in a single trip. The herds were rested here, grazing in the lush grassland valley for a few days before they were driven again to be sold - and always at a profit. Sometimes, the herds were sold back to the same ranchers the gang stole them from. The gang was eventually foiled by Hole-in-the-Ground homesteaders Henry Jones and Luke Rawls. Rawls, who was deputized, successfully infiltrated the gang and with the aid of Jones, was able to arrest Masterson in the Spokane Valley after returning from a trip to "fetch some horses" in Montana.

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Fires on the scale of 1910's were not unheard of at this time. In 1825, upwards of 3.5 million acres in the settled Northeast succumbed to fires, while in 1871, Northeastern Wisconsin witnessed the obliteration of 1.5 million acres, 1,000 deaths, and 16 towns. However, what made the fires in Idaho, Montana, and Washington unique was the fact that they originated far away from civilization, thus making containment tactics much more arduous.

During the summer of 1910, multiple fires broke out, including: Bean Creek Fire, Big Creek Fire, Clearwater Fires, Forty Nine Meadows Fire, Iron Mountain Fire, Lakeview Fire, Loop Creek Fire, Lower Clark Fork Fires, Mineral County Fires, Placer Creek Fires, St. Maries Fire, St. Joe Fire, Setzer Fire, and Trout Creek Fire. The worst fires surrounded Wallace, ID. On August 20, gale force winds reaching 70 mph pushed the fires across the parched earth into one another, forming the "Big Blowup," also known as the "Big Burn."

This being a period of high immigration, many immigrants were recruited to combat the blazes. Men were pulled off the streets and out of saloons, and were even accused of setting fires in order to stay employed. The fire season was so severe many of the Northwest units of the U.S. Army were mobilized to help, along with mining and logging workers who were accustomed to fighting fires.

After the fire died out, official reports estimated 1,736 total fires burned more than 3 million acres of private and federal land. In comparison, wildfires throughout the nation consumed roughly 5 million acres in 1910 altogether. The 1910 flames scorched an estimated 7.5 billion board feet of timber and at least 85 people were killed. Several small towns were completely decimated, and one-third of Wallace was destroyed. Smoke from the fires reached New England and San Francisco, and soot traveled all the way to Greenland.

The Big Blowup occurred only five years after the establishment of the U.S. Fire Service (U.S.F.S.). Many of the men who were involved in the 1910 fires would earn high positions in the U.S.F.S. in subsequent years. This was the catalyst for U.S.F.S. wildland fire suppression policies, which still influence fire prevention and management around the world today.

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In 1878 just fifty-four citizens called Spokane home, including two young entrepreneurs who would leave a mark on the city. John Browne and Anthony Cannon made great fortunes in real estate and business and became Spokane's first millionaires. In 1889 they began construction on the magnificent Auditorium Theater, which would become the center of Spokane's civic and cultural life.

Located on the corner of Main and Post, where present day Riverpark Square now stands, the Auditorium Theater was still under construction when the Fire of 1889 left Spokane's central business district in ruins. When construction was complete in 1890, the immaculate five story red brick building became one of the finest theaters west of the Mississippi. Before construction began, Cannon and Browne visited Chicago to see what was then the largest theater in the country, the Chicago Auditorium. To rival Chicago, builders were instructed to go "one foot wider and one foot deeper" on the Spokane Auditorium. From 1890 until the construction of the Hippodrome Theater in New York in 1914, the Auditorium in Spokane was the largest theater in America.

No expense was spared in the construction. Granite was taken from the base of Mt. Spokane to complete the foundation. Inside, were 17 dressing rooms and a "box office vestibule (lit) by stained glass windows." Atop the building stood a large gold-plated statue of Thalia, Goddess of Music. The Auditorium drew acts from all over the world. Sarah Bernhardt, Alma Gluck, Anna Held and Al Jolson, performed on the stage. Jolson appeared in 1917 while a young Bing Crosby watched from his seat.

Several factors contributed to the demise of the Auditorium Theater. Browne and Cannon went bankrupt, World War I and the Great Depression happened, and the rise of motion pictures overshadowed the glory days of the live theater. In 1934, the building was sold and the new owners promptly had it razed. In its place stands a Payless Drug Store.

The "world's largest stage" remained a fond memory for many Spokanites who were alive to experience it during its time. Old Bill Wallace, who once managed the theater came by to see the "old stage ripped apart" on that fateful day in 1934. Unable to watch any longer, Old Bill simply "walked away" and "let her go."

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Kate, a young, blushing bride, married W.P. Horton on September 21, 1861 in Walla Walla County in Washington Territory. W.P. promised “to be to her a good, kind, faithful, and affectionate husband,” and Kate “to make him a kind, faithful, and affectionate wife.” This is not how things turned out.

According to court testimony, the very day after the wedding, Kate Horton began “disregarding her duties and obligations as the wife,” and initiated a series of quarrels featuring abusive and insulting language towards her new husband.

According to Mr. Horton, his new wife only married him to get away from her mother. What she really wanted was to “go away and reside in a house of ill-fame." He tried to talk her out of this rash course of action, but Kate replied that "she had always wanted to be a whore and that she would be one.”

A few days later, Kate left for a dance hall and warned W.P. that he should not follow, presumably because she would be fulfilling her desire to become a prostitute.

On September 30th, nine days after the wedding, W.P. Horton made his way to the courthouse. Mrs. Horton was issued a summons, but court records show that she was not present at the time the case was heard. The divorce was granted that same day, which was very uncommon for cases of abandonment which normally required a year waiting period.

This was perhaps because of W.P. Horton's standing in the community. The next year, he was elected County Recorder and soon he was a Justice of the Peace himself, granting a divorce for Ned and Mary Clough in 1862. A few conclusions can be made about Mr. and Mrs. Horton’s divorce— it could have been granted quickly due to his influence and connections in Walla Walla County, the very short duration of their marriage, or additional knowledge that the presiding judge may have had.

This is not the last we heard of Mr. Horton. He remarried about a year after his divorce, had children, and continued on with his life, eventually ending up in Whitman County. Mrs. Horton is not mentioned again in either newspaper articles, marriage records, or court records, and she vanishes without a trace.

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Daniel Drumheller, A pioneer of the Northwest and early Mayor of Spokane was perhaps one of Washington’s most iconic pioneers. Traveling across the plains from St. Joseph, Missouri, all the way to Sacramento, California, at age 14 in 1854, “Uncle Dan” Drumheller had already seen more of the new world than most kids would ever imagine seeing.

Drumheller was an adventurous young man, and luck was often on his side. After arriving in Sacramento, young Dan quickly became a full-time cowboy in northern California and eventually eastern Washington. He fought in the Pyramid Lake Indian War and allegedly served in the Pony Express covering a section known as the Carson Sink in Nevada, a notoriously dangerous stretch of “road.”

In 1860, at the ripe old age of 20, Dan decided it was time to move his roots to Walla Walla country. There he began to run sheep and cattle, and provided meat to a rapidly growing white population. In 1880 he made his way north to the pioneer village of Spokane Falls, becoming one of its earliest and most prosperous citizens.

Sometime shortly after the construction of the first bridge across the Spokane river in 1883, an apparently inebriated Indian man thought it would be funny to spook Drumheller and his sheep while Drumheller was crossing the bridge. An enraged Drumheller struck the Native man with a stick, and the Indian left and returned with a gun. At that point, a police officer intervened and arrested the Indian, whose name is not given in any of the surviving accounts.

The Indian was placed in the town's makeshift jail, a rude timber structure with wide gaps between the logs. Like most prisoners in the unsecured and unguarded jail, he was chained to a large rock to prevent escape and left for the night.

The next morning it was discovered that the man had been shot. "Atrocious! A Dastardly Deed!" cried The Spokane Falls Review. It was reported that the killer had place a stub of candle on one of the logs and shot the Indian with a shotgun.

A week later, the Review reported that the wounded man was in pain and dying. “There is no one in this community who excuses the crime,” the paper said. An update at the end of the article read, “P.S. We understand that the Indian died Friday evening.”

Suspicion immediately fell on Drumheller as the possible murderer. Even before the victim died, it was reported that "Friday evening Mr. Dan Drumheller was arrested on a warrant sworn out by an Indian named Lewis, and released on his own recognizance. Of course, no one believes that Drumheller was implicated in the shooting, but as he struck the man on the bridge the Indians have an idea that he must have desired the death of the prisoner."

Drumheller was quickly acquitted of the murder; a report on the proceeding claimed that: “A number of witnesses were examined but nothing new was elicited.”

Did Dan Drumheller murder the Indian man? We cannot say for sure. This brief run-in with the law in no way slowed the rise of Daniel Drumheller. He build a slaughterhouse on the northern edge of the growing city at a site that today is known as Drumheller Springs. One of the largest cattle ranchers in Eastern Washington, he had a herd of as many as 14,000 cattle. He organized the Traders National Bank in 1885, which eventually became a part of Seattle-First National Bank. Drumheller was elected Mayor of Spokane in 1891.

In the early 20th century, an elderly Dan Drumheller was a beloved reminder of Spokane's frontier past. He was often a participant in parades and ceremonies, and in the 1910s he told his life story to a newspaperman, whose columns about Drumheller were combined into a popular book, Uncle Dan Drumheller Tells Thrills Of Western Trails In 1854.

When he died in 1925, Daniel Drumheller left an estate of $118,000 to his seven children. In the newspapers, he was lauded as "one of the real pioneers of the Inland Empire." But no one ever mentioned that time in 1883, when he was charged with murdering an Indian man.

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Founded by members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) on June 12, 1967, Spokane’s American Indian Community Center was formed in response to the social and economic turbulence experienced by Indigenous peoples. As more Natives left the reservations in search of employment, the community center— originally located on 1007 N Columbus St—helped new arrivals find stability in a city where urban Indians were a distinct minority.

“We [needed] to show that not all Indians [were] riding around on horseback with feathers in their hair,” said Bert L. Peters, director of the Center in 1969; to do this, they worked to involve “the Spokane community in several projects…to help the Indian reach his rightful place in society.”

Hoping to foster pan-Indian relations, the center aided multiple native nations throughout the eastern Washington region and beyond—including, among others, the Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Northern Cheyenne, Blackfeet and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. While they were considered a small population, estimated at 2,400 in 1967, Spokane’s urban Indian community experienced rapid-growth during the 1960s.

“Many people…wonder why the Indians leave the reservations for the cities,” said Peters, “they are forced to because conditions on the reservations are far worse than they are in the city.” But with these swelling numbers came the realization that many Native Americans from reservations had little preparation prior to relocation.

In response to the growing needs of urban Natives, the center sponsored events and programs including job fairs to help adults find employment opportunities in Spokane. They also advocated for self-determination by promoting vocational schooling and cultural events.

This dedication to supporting Indigenous peoples continues to this day; the community center—now found at 801 E 2nd Ave—still plays a vital role as a socializing-hub for urban Indians in the Spokane area. “There’s a lot of Natives here that are smart—that are educated; they know their people [and] they know what it takes to serve [their] people,” said Lux Devereaux, Executive Director of the center. “We’re in this whole thing together—don’t leave us out. We’re not invisible.”

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Beginning early in the year of 1905, Chief of Police Leroy Cotman Waller unleashed a campaign against all “vagrants” designed to round up as many perceived undesirables as possible and place them in the city jail. As the war on crime progressed into the spring, police attention turned to the Black prostitutes in the downtown area, who Waller blamed for almost all the robberies in Spokane. On May 8th he officially announced that all Black women “engaged in unlawful occupations” were to leave town immediately or be arrested. Eight women had already left and four more were slated be jailed if they did not quickly follow. Two weeks later, police jailed seven women of color believed to be pickpockets. Some plead guilty and were fined $50 while others chose to fight their cases. Some had been charged with theft previously, but all were acquitted when witnesses did not show up in court.

After the May arrests police efforts to expel the women from the city slowed down. The newspapers still warned of the suspected roaming pickpockets, but there was no mention of further round ups.

This was not the first-time Black sex workers were forcibly expelled from Spokane. Two years prior twelve Black prostitutes were told to leave town immediately, and when they refused, five were caught and arrested by the police for vagrancy. Two had previous theft charges, so they left town on the advice of their lawyer N. E. Nuzum, while the others plead not guilty. Nuzum argued that of the 80 known prostitutes in Spokane, only the ten Black prostitutes remaining were facing charges. He threatened "if the rank discrimination continues against them I shall proceed in demand that the entire 'burnt district' be cleaned." The same day the five posted bail, three of the women were jailed a second time. Despite Nuzum’s best efforts, five were charged and fined, while the other five entered negotiations to leave town for Lewiston, Idaho, where the Chief of Police there said they would be arrested again.

Vagrancy was the charge brought against the sex workers in 1903 and likely would have been for the women in 1905. Vagrancy laws are designed broad intentionally, and make it illegal to be poor, suspicious, and idle in public or private spaces. Unsurprisingly, the law was used on the poor and minority groups lavishly until the 1960s when such laws were dismantled by the civil rights movement. Other charges such as disorderly conduct, loitering, and general misdemeanors were commonly used to punish "undesirables."

As 1905 pressed into late summer, Chief Waller remained the center of attention, but not likely in the way he anticipated. Waller and Deputy Assessor, Fred Leghorn, were brought before a grand jury for embezzlement. Waller and Leghorn were collecting fines from sex workers and pocketing the cash. The Judge explained that if they turned in the money, the courts would not have a case against the two men. It seemed they followed this advice as no further developments in the case were ever released. By October, Chief Waller was avoiding the subject of prostitution entirely and the previously expelled women slowly began to return to Main Avenue.

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In 1889 a great fire swept across the fledging city of Spokane destroying most of the city's downtown. Many of the buildings hastily built after the fire were not of the best quality, workmanship, or materials. Of the 150 buildings that were built in the year following the fire, only ten remain. This building is the oldest. Originally named the Bodie Block this was a Single Room Occupancy that housed workers in the railroad, lumber, agriculture and mining industries. SRO's offered affordable private rooms that were meagerly furnished, and the concept was not unique to Spokane. Indeed, examples abound in major cities all over the United States.

Bodie Block was initially a modern design with references to Romanesque Revival. The building's three symmetrical bays that are dominated by a centered arched window is a great example of this popular design. Above the second floor, "1889" is carved into a sandstone panel. In 1974, due to the popular inscription on the structure, the Bodie Block was renamed the 1889 building.

The builders, and original owners of the block, were Richard T. Daniel, Antone Traut, and Eugene Chamberlin. Their stories are a window into the lives of early Spokane movers and shakers. Richard Daniel came to Spokane in a covered wagon in 1879. At the time of his death in 1949, he still owned several downtown buildings in Spokane. Antone Traut was born in Germany. He followed the gold rush trail west, which eventually led him to Spokane in 1883. Traut made money from mining in Montana and California. Mr. and Mrs. Pounder bought Bodie Block in 1973. The old building was an enjoyable project for the owners of Pounder's Jewelry. Their mission was to bring back the original idea of the building.

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"Hundreds Homeless at Colfax - Driven to the Hillsides by Raging Floods - Houses Swept Away by the Rushing Waters"

The front-page headline of the March 3, 1910 edition of the Spokane Daily Chronicle described nearly 500 residents of Colfax as they were left without shelter as the Palouse River flooded homes, businesses and railroad depots. Although it suffered the worst devastation, Colfax was, by no means, the only town affected by the raging waters of the relatively small, yet powerful and dangerous river. Every community in the region near the Palouse River and even its tributaries, such as Pine Creek and Latah Creek, were subsequently inundated as well. Residents of the Palouse region who lived near the rivers and creeks had learned to live with floods occurring every ten years or so, but never had they witnessed anything like the 1910 floods. As settlers transformed the grasslands and forests of the Palouse to support industrialized agriculture and logging, they unleashed forces that would wreak havoc on their frontier communities.

As an unseasonably warm February in 1910 moved into March, the creeks and streams that flowed into the Palouse began turning into raging torrents. The warm weather caused a dense snow-pack to melt, which, combined with recent heavy rains and winds, forced the river beyond its banks and into nearby towns and fields. Before area residents had a chance to begin flood preparations, the river was already at flood stage. On February 28, local newspapers mentioned the river rising rapidly and wondered of the possibility of a major flood. By March 2, Hangman Bridge at Latah Creek was completely

washed-out and Colfax and Rosalia (among others) were under an average of three-feet of frigid, rushing water. On March 4, as the waters began to recede, Colfax and Moscow were left "completely cut-off from the outside world" and were without trains, or even a telegraph wire. In fact, the Spokane & Inland Empire train depot was washed from its foundation, slamming into another building over 200 yards away. Colfax suffered an estimated loss of around $300,000.00.

The extreme damage created by the flood forced a Colfax Gazette reporter to ask, "Is this the winter of our discontent?" Fortunately, there were no deaths caused by the floods and the afflicted communities immediately rebuilt. If anything, Colfax was only strengthened as a community as a result of the rebuilding efforts and the stories of individual bravery which demonstrated the power of humanity in times of struggle.

Unfortunately, this was not the last flood that Palouse-area residents would experience. Similarly devastating floods occurred again in 1933 and 1948, which eventually led to the Colfax Flood Control Project in 1962. The project's construction involved the deepening of the Palouse River channel, building concrete-lined canals and retaining walls at a cost of $ 203,000.00. Since the project was completed in 1964, the town has managed to stay dry and subsequently, has experienced no problems with the Palouse River since.

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In 1917, this building was the home of the Legal Defense Fund office of the Industrial Workers of the World--a union of unskilled workers whose vigorous tactics made them both feared and derided as the "Wobblies." Of the many Spokane offices of the IWW in the early 1900s, the only building that is still standing is right here.

The Wobblies first made a mark on Spokane in 1909, when a labor action they sponsored led to the "Free Speech Fight." As tempers flared between militant workers and area industrialists, the City of Spokane banned public speaking in 1909, hoping to stifle the various worker's movements. Within a few weeks of the new law, over 500 members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) were arrested as they protested the unpopular law until the Spokane Jail was overfilled with the protesters.

The word was sent out by IWW leader James Rowan that all available supporters should report to Spokane to, as the IWW newsletter read, "Come Fill the Jail in Spokane." A picture of a jailed member on a poster is captioned, "Jailed: We are in here for you; you are out there for us." In a symbolic gesture of solidarity and protest, hundreds of Wobblies arrived in Spokane in order to violate the ordinance for the sole purpose of getting arrested. The highly contested ordinance was overturned in March, 1910.

Over the next eight years, the Spokane IWW continued to expand its influence. In August of 1917, Rowan threatened a strike in all the state's industries, which was when the IWW discovered the breaking point of the local government. This prompted a brief military occupation of Spokane by the National Guard and a declaration of martial law by Governor Ernest Lister on August 17th. The main target of this ordinance was members of the Industrial Workers of the World and it was used as a means to prevent any further organization of mill workers and migrant harvest laborers who were striking for eight hour days and clean camp conditions. As a result of the IWW's refusal to comply, all three IWW halls in Spokane were raided, their documents seized and 94 members arrested.

When martial law was declared in 1917, the National Guard, under command of the US War Department, arrested anybody with a red card (IWW membership card) and arrested anybody engaged in "seditious activity", such as organizing workers. Although public speaking was banned, as a show of who the ordinance was geared toward, members of the patriotic organization, the Volunteers of America were still allowed to continue to speak freely.

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The 1920's heralded a gripping intrigue in aviation amongst Americans. With new, dangerous demonstrations in flight occurring each year, by 1927 aviators were becoming as popular and idealized as a star athlete in the NFL today. In that same year Charles Lindberg made his famous transatlantic flight, riveting the nation and sparking interest in aviation. With the craze in full swing, Spokane Valley's own Felt's Field was chosen as the finish line of one of the most successful and popular National Air Races in the country's history--the National Air Races.

The decision for Spokane, rather than say, a larger city like Los Angeles or San Francisco to host the races surely generated some skepticism. However, there had never been so much public enthusiasm before 1927 for aviation and Spokane "had in that day a live-wire business community that was willing to put its money where its mouth was and an active Chamber of Commerce." A key driving force behind the orchestration of the event was Major John "Jack" Fancher, who enlisted the help of local newspaper companies, investors, hoteliers, and various other organizations to gain financial support and influence for the occasion. The results would be unprecedented.

Newspaper articles from September 19-25th documented the festivities which attracted some 91, 989 attendees, with a grandstand that held 33, 421. Trains and automobile traffic flooded the roadways to Felt's Field, people even dusted off their outdated horse-drawn stagecoaches to reach the show. The main event was the $10,000 prize awarded to first to arrive of twenty four pilots who departed from New York on twenty four hour flight to Felt's Field. Spokane Valley's population increased by almost ten-fold as spectators gathered to observe not only the conclusion of the transcontinental race, but a host of other events that lasted days.

Precision air acrobatics, parachute drops, and local closed-course speed races kept audiences entertained for the week. One must not forget that this was a most perilous time in aviation, performing stunts was subject to stunting one's lifespan. Of the twenty four pilots departing New York, only sixteen would reach Spokane, the other's forced down by mechanical failures and adverse weather, a common occurrence at the time. The $10,000 grand prize went to Charles "Speed" Holman, who smashed the predicted time of twenty four hours finishing in nineteen hours and forty two minutes.

The success of the National Air Races remain unparalleled today as the largest event to ever occur in the Spokane Valley. As a result of the races, "Spokane became known as a leader in our nation for aviation activity for the first time. In years that followed they were successfully held in Cleveland and Los Angeles and the country went forward into the air age. Spokane has been a part of it."

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The week of June 19, 1994 was a dark time in the history of Fairchild Air Force Base. On June 20, 4 people were killed and 22 wounded in a murderous rampage carried out by a disturbed shooter. Just four days later, a B-52H Stratofortress, piloted by Lt Col Arthur "Bud" Holland, stalled, crashed into the ground, and erupted in a ball of flame and smoke. All four men aboard the plane were killed.

June 24, 1994, started out as any other ordinary summer day in Airway Heights, WA. It was partly sunny, with a predicted high of 75 degrees. A nice day for a flight. At 1:58 pm a B-52H, callsign Czar 52, took off at Fairchild Air Force Base with the purpose of practicing maneuvers for an airshow. Piloting the aircraft was Holland, and his copilot Lt Col Mark McGeehan. Rounding out the crew of four were radar navigator Lt Col Ken Huston and safety observer Col Robert Wolff.

Holland was a skilled pilot. However, he had a long history of pushing aircraft past their limits. It was ultimately determined that he was responsible for the crash, but his superiors were aware of his prior behavior. Lt Col McGeehan had complained about Holland’s reckless behavior and wanted him grounded, but he was unsuccessful. Holland only ever received verbal reprimands despite multiple occasions of reckless aviation. Official flight plans for bombers never included acrobatics or strenuous maneuverers, yet Holland frequently tested the aircrafts limits.

Czar 52 was flying along with a KC-135, which was also practicing maneuvers. After the KC-135 landed, Czar 52 was instructed to fly a missed approach. At an altitude of 250 feet, Holland banked left into a 360 degree turn around Fairchild’s control tower. The maneuver was too much for the aircraft and the results were devastating. Czar 52 went past 90 degrees, denying all airflow over the wings, and stalled. The low altitude made any attempt to recover impossible. Czar 52 crashed and was engulfed in a horrific fireball. It was 2:16 pm Pacific time. Four lives were lost.

An on base memorial, known as Memorial Grove, was established on August 2, 1994. Located in a park with red leaf maple and cherry trees, amongst others, the memorial is dedicated to the victims of both the shooting and the B-52 crash.

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Monday, January 17, 2011, was a cold brisk morning, but there was reason to be in downtown Spokane. The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March was about to begin and thousands of people prepared to march. As participants were lining up, around 9:26 AM, a city worker noticed a suspicious black backpack sitting on a bench at the corner of Main Avenue and Washington Street. Spokane Police officers recognized the potential danger and the Unity March was rerouted away from the area.

Inside the backpack was a homemade bomb, designed to kill and injure participants in the Unity March. Parts of the bomb were even laced with rat poison to maximize the amount of damage inflicted on the marchers. The Spokesman-Review reported that Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said of the bomb: “It’s not like some of the other types of devices I have seen in Spokane or in my career. This is one of sophistication.”

In addition to the bomb, the backpack also contained a couple of custom made t-shirts that would help investigators with their case. The investigation narrowed on a man named Kevin William Harpham of Colville. The 37-year-old ex-soldier was a member of the National Alliance, a white supremacist organization. Investigators were able to identify some of the components of the bomb. When police surveyed stores throughout the Pacific Northwest about purchases for the components they were able to link Harpham to the bomb. He was under federal surveillance for close to a month before a DNA sample that had been taken during his time in the Army was linked to the DNA found on the strap of the backpack that held the bomb. Harpham was sentenced to 32 years in prison in December of 2011.

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The main entrance to Manito Park is now at 18th and Grand, but in earlier years the entrance was at 20th and Grand. While today the area is green with grass and shaded by a few trees, in the first years of the twentieth century the "See Spokane Shine" archway made of hedge and flowers greeted visitors.

Go stand at the corner of 20th and Grand, look into the park, and imagine what it would have looked like then. There would be a graveled walk, a couple of street lights, and you would see the Balzer's house in the distance. There would be landscaping with flowers and you may even see a few people sprinkled along the sides of the path eating their picnic lunches.

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