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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,…
Edgecliff Sanitarium: The White Plague in Spokane
Tuberculosis was the most devastating disease of the 19th and 20th centuries. Isolation was the most effective public health intervention.
US Highway 10
By the early 1900s, automobiles were more affordable than ever and the middle class clamored for new roads. US Highway 10 was known at different times as the Sunset Highway, The North Pacific Highway,…
The Death of Cromwell Dixon: A Daring Aviator Meets a Tragic End
Having just completed the first-ever flight over the Northern Rockies, 19-year-old Cromwell Dixon took a victory lap at the 1911 Spokane Interstate Fair. It would be his last flight.
Trentwood Kaiser Aluminum Rolling Plant
The economy of Washington is tightly connected to the vast hydroelectric development of the state. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the federal government laid the framework for a series of…
The Apple Boom and Otis Orchards: Orchards and canals once dominated this area
Washington's commercial apple industry got its start in the Spokane Valley
Mica Peak and Prohibition
Mica Peak today is a popular hiking spot with the entrance at Liberty Lake Regional Park. The very qualities that make it perfect for recreation today made it perfect for another activity nearly a…
Saltese Cemetery
Saltese Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the valley. The name Saltese derives from the Coeur d'Alene Chief Andrew Seltice who sold this piece of land, known now as the Saltese Flats, to…
The Log Cabin Church
The Pinehurst Community Bible Church, previously named the Pine Creek Baptist Church was built in 1932. The building was supposed to have clean and simple lines and logs. The church is an outstanding…
The Northern Pacific Depot & the Compromise of Wallace
The Northern Pacific Railroad Depot stands as an elegant reminder of two stories. The first is the age of the railroads and their impact on the Silver Valley of Idaho. The second story is about…
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…
Cataldo Mission
Driving east along Idaho's Interstate 90, as you come around the bend at mile marker 38, a stunning view of the Old Mission opens up on your right. On a bright spring day, it can even look…
The Ghost Town of Burke
Nestled in a cramped canyon seven miles from historic Wallace, are the decaying remnants of the once-booming mining town that was built to house the miners of the Hecla, Hercules, Tiger-Poorman, and…
Kellogg: Center of Silver Valley: A Town Founded by a Donkey
The small town of Kellogg has a colorful history; from a mining boomtown to environmental cleanup and finally to a popular site for outdoor recreation.
The House of The "Black Robes"
A home to generations of Jesuit missionaries
Wallace District Mining Museum
Any exploration of the Silver Valley should include a stop at the Wallace District Mining Museum. The museum captures the flavor of the mining industry in Northern Idaho from the days of the early…
Spokane's Other Indians, A Baseball Story: Avoiding Stereotypes, Building Bridges
Spokane's own professional baseball team has undergone a lot of changes since 1903!
Spokane Baseball Club is a Local Passion
Baseball was America's national pastime before Spokane was even a city. As the railroads moved across the west, Midwestern baseball promoter John Sloane Barnes moved to Spokane in 1890 to help…
The Sherwood Building and its Terracotta Gargoyles
This grand building, recently renamed from the Sherwood to the Cutter Building, is one of many Spokane landmarks designed by Kirtland Cutter. Famed architect Kirtland Kelsey Cutter moved to Spokane in…
Rise and Fall of Valleyford
The tiny community of Valleyford has a story like many of the small towns of the Palouse. The area was first settled in the 1880s, and Valleyford was incorporated in 1906. The town enjoyed some…
Huntington Park
When asking about the history of Huntington Park many will ask you if you mean the park that opened just this year. Huntington Park has been at the heart of the Spokane River for over thirty years. …
The Salmon Chief
For thousands of years the Spokane River's lower falls have been a fishing spot for several Native American tribes. During annual runs, the salmon were so numerous here that it was difficult to see…
Monroe Street Bridge
The river that lent its name to Spokane has also been a barrier to the development of the city. No sooner was Spokane established than city fathers looked for places to bridge the raging currents.…
The Lincoln Statue
President Herbert Hoover sent the telegram that unveiled the Lincoln Statue in 1930. Over 40,000 people gathered in Spokane on Armistice Day to view the bronze statue that many had contributed…
Tubbs Hill
Tubbs Hill overlooks the City of Coeur d'Alene. It is situated between the lake, the resort and the rest of downtown Coeur d'Alene. It is purely a lucky mistake that the hill became a public park…
Nine Mile Falls
In Spokane as elsewhere, waterpower was the driving force behind industrial development. The dam and powerhouse at Nine Mile Falls are key pieces of Spokane history. This dam and its builder, Jay P.…
The Spokane Coliseum
"Like the pyramids of Egypt and Grand Coulee dam, Spokane's mammoth concrete and steel structure, the municipal Coliseum, has been built to last," pronounced the Spokane Daily Chronicle on December 3,…
Midnite Mine
In 1954, the long and deadly hand of the Cold War touched the Spokane Reservation. Uranium was found in the remote mountains. To exploit this fuel and bomb-making material the Midnite Mine opened…
Indian Congress
After hundreds of years of American oppression, American Indians gained the right to vote in the land they called home since time immemorial with the passing of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. …
Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House
[Note: This location is a private residence, not open to the public.]
This Spokane home has a Hollywood pedigree. It was built to promote the 1948 film, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.…