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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…
Airway Heights, Washington’s Unknown Sundown Town: One of Eastern Washington's newer communities was founded with racial restrictions
“Airway Heights celebrated its 50-year history June 14, 2005 and has Carl M. and Flora K. Lundstrom to thank for early city-building. The Lundstrom’s were the first to plat the land, donate parcels…
The Segregated South Hill: William H. Cowles, Jr.'s push for an all-white neighborhood
How one prominent Spokanite used racial discrimination to promote his real estate empire.
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 Origins of Segregated Neighborhoods in Spokane: It Started in the Cemeteries
By the mid-20th century, racially segregated neighborhoods became common in Spokane. Some were segregated by the force of law.
Spokane's Debate for Fair Housing: The 1968 Debates between Carl Maxey and James S. Black
In 1968, two powerful men squared off in a series of debates that would help to shape Spokane
Historical African American Neighborhoods in Spokane: In Spokane's earliest decades, neighborhoods were segregated by wealth, not by race.
Before 1920, Spokane neighborhoods had no formal policies segregating housing by race. Successful Black Spokanites erected fine residents all over town, many of which still stand today.
Redlinging's Lingering Shadows: Housing discrimination shaped Spokane in ways that are still visible today
The East Central is a primary example of the ways that raciallly restricted housing policies altered a neighborhood.
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…
Spokane’s New Era In Transportation: In the early 1900's, this city had one of the largest concentrations of automobiles West of the Mississippi
Horse-drawn carriages became less desirable, streetcars and railroads were well established around the county and in the city, and a new contraption called the automobile became the dominant mode of…
The 4th of July Regatta on Lake Coeur d’Alene: A true celebration is incomplete without things that are loud and go fast, that is how the Coeur d'Alene 4th of July festivities began.
Forty horsepower engines and twelve year olds racing! Newspaper records show the first competitive rooster tails spouted over lake Coeur d’Alene on July 3rd, 1913, for the early 20th century, Coeur…
J.C. White House - New Museum of North Idaho: J.C. White was a strong supporter of “keeping it local”, he helped build the city we know today.
J.C. White was an engineer who liked to party, but he was also a strong proponent of community and development. It is tough to strike the right balance, but as the history of Coeur d’Alene shows, it…
A Gathering Place, The Historical Fort Sherman: A place of beauty, used for centuries as a gathering place, became the foundation of the city we know today as Coeur d’Alene.
The first rule of business is to be careful who you partner with. The beauty of Coeur d’Alene drew attention that changed the course of history for both the Coeur d’Alene people and the inland pacific…
The Sunken Ore of Lake Coeur d’Alene: Every body of water holds history and buried secrets, some may be dark or tantalizingly lucrative, others just let the trash and junk tell their stories. Lake Coeur d’Alene is no exception.
When you hear of shipwrecks and sunken treasure, the mind automatically drifts to thoughts of pirates and the deep sea. But there is a rumor of a different kind of treasure sitting at the bottom of…
Lookout Pass: The ski area discovered by freight-hoppers, which grew into a real winter sport destination.
Today we have heli-skiing for the true adventurers who want to tackle untamed powder, but in the early 1900s it took real ingenuity to access downhill ski areas off the beaten path. Located in the…
A jackass, a big hill, and the community that loves them: This is the story of the lucrative jackass that started it all (up on a hill), the memory and embodiment of that jackass (and that hill), and the story of survival of a beloved ski area that was far from lucrative.
All ski areas have many ups and downs in their history, not just in relation to lift operations up and down the mountain. But the Jackass Ski Resort has had more downs than ups in its lifetime. It is…
Romance and Murder in Prohibition-Era Colville: A 1930 murder in Colville and a He-Said, She-Said Trial
A family argument led to a mother's death and a daughter's arrest--but who really killed Susie Moses?
“Uncle Dan” Drumheller, Spokane’s beloved Murderer?: How a Spokane icon got away with murder--perhaps?
Charged with the Murder of an Indian man in 1883, Dan Drumheller was never found guilty—but there's more to the story than meets the eye.
Self-defense or murder?: A scandalous murder trial in turn-of-the-century Medical Lake
Josephine Barth claimed that she shot her husband when he advanced on her with a poker. Her twelve-year-old daughter told a different story.
Spokane Army Air Depot: The Birth of Fairchild
What is now Fairchild Airforce Base originated as an Army Air Supply and Repair Depot to service the other airfields around Spokane and in the Pacific Northwest.
Baxter Hospital: Mercy on a Grand Scale
Called the City of Mercy and containing more than 2000 beds this hospital was its own self-contained community.
Brown Industries: From Sheet Metal to Airplanes
Brown Metal Works started as a sheet metal production business but during World War 2 the Brown Brothers' passion for aviation led to shifting the companies focus.
USO Clubs in Spokane: A Soldiers Home Away From Home
As the Second World War raged on soldiers returning home on leave or based in the states needed recreational centers to destress. Black soldiers did not always feel welcome in USO clubs so separate…
Spokane's Whites-Only Sperm Bank: [Tasteless Masturbation Pun Here]
In the 1990s Spokane gained national attention for a whites-only sperm bank. Things did not go as planned, and the spank bank soon tanked.
The Evolution of Sunset Field: How the United States Military Repurposed Spokane’s Airfield
When the United States was pulled into World War Two thousands of American businesses were repurposed to better support the war effort. It was this direct response to an overseas threat that…
The Magnesite of Chewelah: The backbone of two world wars
The Northwestern Magnesite Company, with its main processing plant just south of Chewelah, Washington and various mines and quarries in Northeastern Washington, helped supply a majority of the…
The Velox Naval Depot: Spokane’s Naval Supplier--Three Hundred Miles From The Shore.
Washington was an important location for the Navy during World War Two, with both its Pacific ports and its expensive rail network. The Velox Naval Supply Depot was a massive complex, designed to both…
James Wesley Crow: One Mans War
James Wesley Crow was born in Gooding, Idaho enlisted in the Army AirCorps during World War II. After his tour, James retired from the military and became an inventor of a seed separating device and…
What Happened to Allan C. Powell: The Lost Powell Son
Alan Campbell Powell flew a dangerous mission over enemy territory in World War II--and never returned
Spokane’s Red Tail: Spit Fire, Jack D. Holsclaw
Born and raised in Spokane, Jack D. Holsclaw spent World War II flying as a Tuskegee airman.