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St. Boniface Church in Uniontown
You are looking at St. Boniface Church, named after the German apostle. It is the first consecrated Catholic Church in the State of Washington. The church not only represents the spiritual…
St. Aloysius Church/Bing Crosby
In 1916, Bing became an an altar boy for St. Aloysius Church. Every third week, he attended and served mass at 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
One of Bing's friends asked him if he would like…
Spokanites and the Civil Rights Movement, 1964-1965: Solidarity between North and South
On June 21st, 1964, one black and two white student activists were killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Only three weeks later, three lawyers from Spokane, Washington, two white and one black departed…
Spokanes Automobile Hub: When Cars Were Needed, Doran Was Your Location
Sitting on 707 W. 2nd Avenue the Doran Building was constructed in 1920 by Spokane architect Arthur Cowley. The building served as a car dealership during the peak of Spokane's automobile purchases…
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.
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…
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.
Spokane's Trolley Cars
The steel rails that still peek through the pavement here and there in Spokane remind us of the days of trolley cars. At one time, the tracks that lay before you carried Spokanites to work, shops,…
Spokane's Tiger in the Ring: The story of legendary boxer Tiger Jack Fox and his manager, Al Morse.
Tiger Jack Fox "stalked his foes like a panther and he swung like lightning from half way to his knees." When he agreed to be managed by rookie promoter Al Morse, a partnership was formed that would…
Spokane's Public Market Place
After the Panic of 1893, Americans sought new ways to save on unnecessary spending. As families continued to grow, so did grocery bills. Spokane realized the success of Seattle's public marketplace…
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's Haircut Fight: Black Spokane's Fight For Civil Rights
In October 1963, in downtown Spokane an exchange student at Gonzaga University from Liberia went into a barbershop to ask for a haircut. In a few minutes, Jangba Johnson experienced what it meant to…
Spokane's Gold Star Mothers: Some Spokane mothers gave their all to the war effort, and not every son returned
Wilmer Evers died in a Prisoner Of War camp in the Philippines during World War Two. His mother was given a gold star pin to honor the sacrifice her son made for his country.
Spokane's First Legal Hanging, Greenwood Cemetery: Spokane's First Legal Hanging, Greenwood Cemetery
Where lays Charles Brooks? Who was he? Why is he in an unmarked grave? Mr. Brooks has the unfortunate fame of being the first legally hanged man in Spokane.
The 1891 Brooks case was quite the…
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
Spokane's Deadliest Disaster, Greenwood Cemetery
There are 15 unmarked graves at Greenwood Memorial Terrace that belong to railroad workers who were blown to smithereens on 06 September 1890.
A crew, of at least 24 men, was working that day to…
Spokane's Chinatown
In the late 1800s, the fast-growing city of Spokane attracted immigrants from all over the world, including China and Japan. As in other American cities, a combination of anti-Asian prejudice and…
Spokane's Amusement Park: Natatorium Park
In 1968, Natatorium closed. For some it would be the close of an era, for others, it was a long time coming. Though Natatorium was never owned by the Spokane Parks Department, it was a park many…
Spokane's "Mayor for a Day" (Who Never Was)
The little-known (and utterly fictional) tale of Spokane's "mayor for a day," Josiah Forsyth.
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,…
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,…
Spokane Stockyards: A reminder of Spokane's agricultural past
From the 1880s to 1999, Spokane was a town of slaughterhouses. The Old Union Stockyards were the last of their kind.
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.
Spokane Public Bath House
The Spokane Public Bath House was part of the Spokane Parks' master plan, a result of the vision of the Olmstead brothers of the famous family of landscape architects responsible for New York's…
Spokane Parental School
[Private Residence]
Built not to imprison or punish, but to educate, the Spokane Parental School was an innovation in education and corrections. In 1907, the city board of education authorized the…
Spokane Japanese Farms
In the first half of the twentieth century small Japanese farms peppered the outskirts of the city. The produce from their farms in Bigelow Gulch, Nine Mile Falls, Spokane Valley, and Latah Creek…
Spokane in the Great War: Spokane was deeply involved in the First World War, but few visible reminders remain
The Marne bridge across Latah Creek is the only World War one monument in Spokane
Spokane Fire Station No. 9: Old Nine
In 1908 the first Station No. 9 was constructed on this site to serve Spokane's newest neighborhood, the growing South Hill. No. 9 housed one combination truck and chemical engine, one 3rd class…
Spokane Fire Station No. 8: Firemen Tournaments
Built almost identical to Station No. 7 around 1911, Station No. 8 was located on the northeast corner of Sinto and Cochran. It closed in September of 1933, and was razed by 1936, not to be rebuilt…
Spokane Fire Station No. 7: Unsung Equine Heroes
Erected in 1904 and opened in January 1905, the first Station No. 7 was located at the northeast corner of First and Magnolia. In efforts to purchase a flag and landscaping trees, a benefit dance was…