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 and in the early 1900s sought ways to simulate the "market scheme." So great an interest was provoked in Seattle that "on the morning the market was thrown open the streets were packed with people, every market basket in the city was sold and orders for more telegraphed to the factories."

In January 1905, a petition circulated among Spokane farmers, fruit growers, and gardeners asking the city council to establish a city public market where all farm products could be offered for sale. The farmers believed they would not only benefit themselves, but the establishment would also aid the public. The farmers claimed that the quality of produce would be greatly improved by the open competition a public market would afford. It was not until 1908 when the matter was taken seriously.
Unfortunately, the farmers and councilmen opposed exactly how the public market would arise. Farmers combated the mayor' business plan, where farmers would have to pay rent for their stall, and the markets would operate under departments consisting of "political jobs." In January 1908 leading socialists communicated to Mayor Moore to lend aid towards the immediate construction of a public market. Mayor Moore replied, "The public market question will solve itself in the course of time." News accounts of the time indicate "councilmen have shown the usual degree of lethargy in this matter," referring to the struggle to agree on a location, real estate purchase price, and disregard for farmers' concerns.

After realizing the price of produce in the Seattle marketplace dropped twenty-five percent, Mayor Moore predicted the same would happen in Spokane. In August of 1908, after many politically disputes, Spokane's first public market opened and was a huge success to the delight of many Spokanites.
Early proponents of public markets were motivated by cost savings, where today, Spokane has seen a reemergence of public markets in reaction to food industrialization, nutrition, knowing food origins, and promoting local business. Venues located in Greenbluff, South Perry, Liberty Lake, 5th and Browne, and Main Market are all contemporary examples illustrating the explosion of public markets within the region.

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The summer of 1910 was hot and dry in the northwestern United States. And on August 20-21 the nation would feel the fury and reach of nature's wrath.
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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Though not the only heroic ranger to lead their crews through imminent danger, perhaps no other story captures the bravery of the 1910 firefighters than that of forty year old Ranger Edward C. Pulaski and his crew of approximately forty men.

While fighting a fire at Placer Creek, about ten miles southwest of Wallace, Idaho, Ranger Pulaski and his men were quickly surrounded by flames from all directions. Without hesitation, Pulaski ordered his crew to take cover in an abandoned mine shaft. Barely outrunning the inferno, flames licked at the feet of the last men entering the mine. Having his men lay face first on the muddy tunnel floor, he draped blankets over the entrance, threatening to shoot any man who tried to flee back into the flames: "The first man who tries to leave this tunnel, I will shoot."

All the men passed out from smoke inhalation, and as Pulaski continually threw water onto the blankets, he himself succumbed to asphyxiation. The flames passed the tunnel and as the first men began to wake, one quickly noticed their fearless leader's lifeless body outside the tunnel entrance. He shouted back into the tunnel, "Come outside boys, the boss is dead." Without a second's delay, Pulaski muttered back, "Like hell he is." Five men died in the tunnel that day from suffocation due to the thick smoke, or drowning in the mud. Pulaski was temporarily blinded, his hands scorched, and had lungs damaged from breathing the smoke. The men's boots were burnt off their feet and the clothes that remained on their bodies were parched and tattered.

Covered with ash and mud, the men worked their way down the mountain side through Placer Creek. Though offered hot coffee and whiskey from a women's volunteer aid team, the men were, understandably, only interested in cold water.

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Among the many famous and infamous residents of this section of the cemetery is Kate Barrett, better known to history as "Irish Kate."

Soon after August 4, 1889, countless sensationalized stories surfaced explaining the raging inferno that leveled Spokane Falls. One such story involved "Irish Kate" and her Wild West honor. That tale typically went something like this:

Twenty-three year old Kate Barrett, known as "Irish Kate," was a saloon girl working on Railroad Avenue. On that hot summer evening, Kate was alone at the saloon bar, enjoying her favorite drink, whiskey with a splash of water, and toying with her fiery red hair.

A man, rough in appearance and demeanor, approached Kate from beside her. Sliding up to Kate, he abrasively questioned, "Can I buy you a drink, doll?"

Put off, Kate rejected his rather crass and unoriginal offer. "Nope, I've had too many drinks from your kind already today." She turned away, and continued playing with her hair. The man stood silent, embarrassed from Kate's rejection. Realizing her hair had flattened from her busy day, Kate brushed past the stranger to go upstairs and fix her hair.

Kate closed her room door behind her. She carefully placed a curling iron on the glass chimney of her kerosene lamp, waiting for the rod to heat up. Just then, the door burst open and the spurned laborer strode into her room.

Kate confronted him, "And who said you could just come stomping into my room without knocking? Get out of here this instant!" The stranger staggered towards Kate, slurring his banter, "When a man offers a lady a drink, she accepts. But maybe you're no lady. You were rude to me down there, sister. Now I'm gonna' teach you a lesson." Without hesitation, Kate heaved a glass pitcher at her assailant, crying, "Get away from me, you maniac!"

The pitcher missed, and the man grabbed Kate by her arms, shaking her violently. Irish Kate kicked at the man and fell backwards against the table. The lamp and curling iron crashed to the floor next to Kate. The kerosene splattered on the wooden floor planks, bursting into flames. The drunk man ran from the room.

As flames filled the small room, Kate panicked. She grabbed the few belongings she owned. Frightened with being blamed for the fire, she hid in the building across the street.
As the strong winds began to pick up that warm evening, a breeze entered the flame-ridden room. The fueled flames consumed the rough-hewn lumber and white lace curtains quickly. It was not long before the building was engulfed in flames, with the flames eventually consuming thirty-two blocks.
Whatever the truth of the Irish Kate story, Kate Barrett was a real person, a prostitute in early Spokane who had a short and apparently unhappy life. Just a few years after the fire, in 1892, she committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid outside the Panhandle Block. Her body was never claimed. She is buried in Spokane's Greenwood Cemetery potter's field.

The story of Kate, though colorful, is thinly sourced, and rarely cited. The myth of Irish Kate is prevalent around Spokane even in 2014, with local brews named in her honor. Advocates of the Irish Kate story believe that it was whiskey and pride that brought Spokane Falls to its knees in 1889.

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Station No. 18 is the newest member to the Spokane Fire Department stations. It was opened in 1970 and located at 37 E. Cozza Drive. Unfortunately, in 1977, the property lines for the station were contested, though nothing ever materialized.

The owner of the neighboring property claimed that the station was partially on his private property, encroaching approximately ten feet to the west. A letter sent to the city asked the city to remove the fire station. After city crews surveyed the property to determine the validity of the claim, for whatever reason, the property owner commented, "I don't know anything about it...That's news to me." He even protested that he did not own property adjacent to the fire station, however was quickly called out on his change in story.

Though it is unknown why the property owner did not want to take credit for his claims, the city explored legal options, including condemnation, and adverse possession.

No. 18 moved to 120 E. Lincoln Rd. in 2007, serving the North Spokane community. Funding for building the new station was provided by a 1999 property tax bond measure approved by voters for new fire stations, a combined training and dispatch center, new fire trucks, and new breathing apparatus. In order to circumvent similar property issues as that in 1977, the department used the 60-foot-wide vacated right-of-way plus a 20-foot wide slice of adjoining parcel to the east to create the station property.

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Though the United States was not yet officially involved in the Second World War until December of 1941, the Spokane Fire Department established Station No. 17, located at Felts Field, for military training use beforehand.

No. 17 originally opened up at Felts Field in April of 1941. Constructed from canvas, and lacking brass poles, sliding doors, and smooth driveways, the station was only intended to be temporary and in service as long as the municipal airport was being used for training by the U.S. Army Air Corps. Manned by six men, the company was on 24-hour duty as a safety check for the added fire hazards caused by military use of the field. Though they went without an electric alarm system, a big gong and an "adequate alarm apparatus" was installed to ensure immediate response in the event of a fire.

No. 17 closed only six months after it opened. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, No. 17 reopened.

The fire department helped the war effort in a variety of ways, Spokane fire stations served as selective service registration spots, though firefighters were exempt or deferred from draft on grounds of critical civilian work. Many firefighters volunteered producing war munitions. Nearly every Spokane firefighter was also a mechanic, and vacant space in Spokane's fire stations was utilized to produce military machinery. Automobile trucks and tractors, and gun carriages and parts were made for use on the Pacific Front by Spokane firefighters. In addition, some firefighters sewed uniforms and assembled Red Cross supplies.

Unfortunately, due to a shortage of firefighters during the war, No. 17 closed its doors for the final time in January of 1943. The Army relieved the city of all responsibility. It was not until summer of 1963 when Station No. 17 reopened in its new location, 2523 W. Francis, as a regular station for the Spokane Fire Department.

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Opening its doors in 1926, No. 16 was one of the two stations to open that year. It was a single story, brick bungalow located at Milton and Northwest Boulevard. An open house was arranged welcoming residents from the growing Audubon Park neighborhood. One of the special performances was by the fire department's own band, one of many extracurricular activities of Spokane firefighters.

In the 1920s, the Spokane Fire Department Band was renowned throughout the city. When No. 16 opened its doors in Audubon Park, the band played for the 200 plus people who came to celebrate the dedication of the building and listen to the concert. The band also traveled as far as Portland to perform at the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The Spokane Falls Comets and Tigers, who regularly competed in physical competitions in the early volunteer days of the Spokane Falls Volunteer Fire Department, was not the only means of physical activity for Spokane firefighters. The Spokane Fire Department also had the SFD Hook and Ladder Drill Team, Plansifter Baseball Champion Team in 1895 (often rivaling the Spokesman-Review team), and were the SFD City Pennant winners.

Today, the Spokane County Firefighters Pipes and Drums regularly perform for local events. They are a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, presenting Highland Bagpipe and Drum music and deportment for funerals, weddings, graduations, ceremonies, parades, and fire service related events, for the purpose of honoring the fallen in Public Safety and Military . As described by members, "Such presentations will contribute to the spirit of goodwill and tradition between firefighters, and between firefighters and our local community."

In 1989 a bond for the rebuilding of nine of the city's fourteen fire stations, and the remodeling of the remaining five, led to No. 16 relocation to 5225 N. Assembly Street, at Dwight Merkel Field.

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Station No. 15 was originally located at 3009 E. Olympic, serving the small railroad community of Hillyard. The modest structure first served as Hillyard City Hall and the city jail. In 1924, Hillyard was annexed into the City of Spokane, and subsequently the building was re-purposed as a single fire station, Station No. 15.

Hillyard was built around the Great Northern Railroad hub. The town was the manufacturing center for Great Northern, and produced the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives in the world. Working with heavy equipment and machinery did not go without risk. Fires of varying sizes were common, and professionally trained fire personnel were the means of preventing disaster. Because the yards transported goods all across the Pacific Northwest, any catastrophe would have a ripple effect on the region.

One such example demonstrated the need for a well-trained fire department in Hillyard. Just after midnight on May 26, 1901, a fire with unknown origins broke out in the Great Northern coal chutes. Within thirty minutes, the entire 400 foot building was enveloped in smoke and flames. An effort to save surrounding buildings was now the focus of the firefighters. After two hours and "constant work," firefighters had the blaze under control and prevented it from spreading. After the fire was suppressed, additional overhaul was needed. The coal stored in the pockets of the chute fell down on both the S.F. & N. and Great Northern tracks in a "seething furnace" of burning coal, burying the tracks to a depth of 10-15 feet. It took firefighters a full day to clear the tracks so that traffic could resume.

Under a 1958 fire bond approved by voters, No. 15 closed their Olympic location, and reopened their station in 1962, located at Wellesley and Crestline. Under the same bond, two additional fire stations replaced older ones, including one located at Eighth and Sherman, and First and Magnolia.

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The location of fire stations always involves political struggle and compromise. As Spokane grew so did the need for expanded fire protection, and neighborhoods competed for new stations in a city-wide tug of war.

Station No. 14 is a case study in the same struggles. Commissioned in June of 1914, it was located at 2514 S. Ray Street. Citizens in the Altamont neighborhood were not keen on the station being located in Liberty Heights, as they feared it would yield longer response times for their neighborhood and Liberty Park. The biggest proponent to the Lincoln Heights location was P.J. Calligan, a real estate investor with interests in division.

After a series of fires in the southeast section of the city in 1911, citizens who formed the Altamont Heights Improvement club persistently requested fire protection to city commissioners. In spring of 1913, the City Council approved a site for the newest station. To the dismay of Altamont residents, Lincoln Heights was chosen after all. But the station only served the neighborhood for a short time. Station No. 14 closed in 1933, reopened in 1946, and was relocated in 1949 a few blocks south to 2718 Ray Street.

The muddled consistency of the station continued in 1952, when No. 14 served a new type of protection to the neighborhood. The old station housed Spokane's civil defense center to aid military strategy. The center was planned to provide an elaborate telephone system. However, funds to purchase the equipment never materialized. The Federal Civil Service Administration designated Seattle as the only "critical" area in Washington, and allocated $36,000 for their use. Seattle was the only city in Washington State to receive funds. The City Director of Civil Defense in Spokane, Leighton L. Duggar, contested the allocation of the federal funds, suggesting Seattle share the funds with Spokane, allowing Spokane to purchase the needed alert alarm equipment. However, Seattle felt differently, and not much came of Duggar's petitions.

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Station No. 13 was the first station in Spokane to be built specifically for fire trucks, and not horse-drawn equipment. The single-story brick bungalow opened on June 22, 1913 at Wabash and Jefferson with Captain Marshall Jones in command. No. 13 was abandoned in September 1933, and relocated in June 1947 to Wellesley and Jefferson.

The "autotruck," or motorized engine, was utilized by the crew at No. 13. A technological marvel at the time, Spokane firefighters were thrilled to make the shift from horses to motors. The change began in 1910, when Chief Harry A. Myers purchased the first vehicle for the Spokane Fire Department. A 4-cylinder Cadillac Flyer replaced his black horse and buggy. Since then, Spokane slowly shifted to an all motorized department. In 1901, a 900-gallon "First-Class size" Metropolitan engine was purchased for $8500, and drawn by two steeds. In May of 1911, the apparatus was equipped with a Seagrave four-cylinder, 90-horse power tractor chassis at a cost of $6500. It was possible to get up enough steam to run the pump in four minutes flat. In order to do so, shavings were laid in the fire box, with coal laid on top of the shavings. A special vial of nitric acid was suspended above, and a contraption was kicked when the alarm sounded and this broke the bottle of acid. The acid caused the ignited shavings to flare, and another chemical solution containing potassium produced a "roaring blaze." The firefighters carried enough coal on the engine to last three hours, if it was not enough a supply wagon was then sent to feed the engine. After an arduous fire, it would take the crew a full day to clean so that it would pass inspection, and it was used in virtually every large downtown fire for thirty years.

Another major event for Spokane fire engines was the 1974 announcement that the first "fire engine yellow" truck would appear in Spokane. In efforts to increase visibility, Fire Chief Alfred L. O'Connor explained the repainting of the engine because "visibility is especially vital these days, because cars are being built to keep out noise, thus neutralizing sirens." The special yellow with a greenish tint proved to be the most visible of all colors, where the same optical tests proved red to be one of the least visible colors at night. The plan was to gradually extend the color change to all fire apparatus.

For whatever reason, tradition prevailed. Spokane Fire Department's fleet of fire engines all illuminate their namesake color, "fire engine red" in 2014.

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Slated to last 100 years, Station No. 12 was erected of brick and mortar in 1912, located at 2307 E. Glass Avenue. No. 12 was the last station built to house horses, and every station since has been designed as a horizontal cement structure. Currently, the building is privately owned, but has been well-maintained to preserve its original decorative features.

Though Station No. 12 was one of many Spokane stations not present during the Great Fire of 1889, many of the firefighters at the station could recount stories passed on to them about what it was like to be a volunteer firefighter immediately after the fire. Blame was widespread, and many of the firefighters defended their involvement with battling the blazes.

Robert F. Dyer, a twenty year old hose company No.2 volunteer vividly remembered the circumstances of the Great Fire. "Hoses at first dripped water. Water Superintendent Rolla Jones was 'trying out his new clipper on Lake Coeur d'Alene,' and the assistant didn't 'just understand the system.'" He continued, "By the time the water streamed out with force, the fire was out of control."

After the fire, citizens wanted answers as to who, or what, was to blame for the out of control fire. Commentaries in The Spokesman-Review illustrate the contention between Spokane citizens, City Officials, and Spokane volunteer firefighters after the fire.

Three days after the fire, an anonymously signed editorial determined that "the real fault lay with the hook and ladder department. The entire work done by the department showed an extraordinary lack of intelligent direction and an inability to grasp the situation and compete with it."

In a rebuttal, one of the Tigers, or volunteer firefighters, responded to the accusations the next day, claiming that the accuser "lacks the nerve to sign his last name, to the most uncalled for and willful lie the undersigned ever heard of. The hook and ladder truck was entirely dismantled at the start of the fire and did more than their duty as firemen and citizens." On the third day another letter, signed only as "A Friend of the Fire Department," appeared. The writer went on to describe the fire, and after seeing fires such as the one experienced on August 4, 1889 in other cities, knew the fire department would not be able to handle it. "My worst fears were but too soon realized." The respondent continued, "There was a lacking of hose. There were but three streams when there should have been at least twice as many...Of course the firemen are not to be charged with the responsibility of inefficiency." The writer concludes his article with suggestions to the city of providing more equipment so that there would be more firefighters better able to fight such disastrous conflagrations.

Regardless of who was to be blamed for the fire, the City Council took action. And later that year, the fire department became a paid department, with improved equipment, and the support of the community to combat future blazes.

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Station No. 11 was another stick cottage-style station for the fire department. It was built in 1910 and located at 2711 S. Grand Avenue. The original station was razed in 1936, with the new station opening up in 1939. The rebuilt station was one of the first horizontal stations emphasizing a larger central bay, and represents the shift from stick cottage-style, and brick and stone architecture, to single-story cement stations more concerned with larger motorized apparatus and equipment than ornate details.

As the fire department shifted in architectural styles, so did their organizational strategies. By 1917, many men were working to organize a union, but a city ordinance forbade firemen organizing. The men all signed a petition and handed it to the city fathers, but to their astonishment, the City Council picked the first name on the list and fired him. One of the firefighters made an attempt to approach his captain about organizing a union, "he was a strict guy to work under. He became chief the same day Hitler took over Germany." And when he approached his chief he was turned down. However, the firefighter went to a judge who was also a friend of the chief. The judge eventually talked the chief into letting the men form a union.

Spokane firefighters had good reason to unionize. Their workweek in 1917 was 144 hours. On April 17, 1917, Spokane firefighters organized their union, with their delegates seated on the Central Labor Council. On February 28, 1918, "City Fireman's Union" was chartered into the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), and later became known as "Local 29."One of SFD's original union members, Captain William Brown, even helped form the IAFF in Washington D.C.

In the beginning there were only seven members, however, as time passed the firefighters recognized the benefits unions offered. In 1927, the 144 hour work week ended for Spokane firefighters, decreasing to 84 hours a week. In 1946 their work week was decreased to 72 hours; in 1947 it was decreased to 63 hours per week, and in 1980, the work week for Spokane firefighters leveled off at 52 hours per week.

Local 29 officers continue to represent Spokane firefighters locally, in the state legislature, and nationally, and continue to advance the firefighting profession. The union regularly supports the Spokane community. Local 29 sponsors free swim days at community pools, organizes Fill the Boot for children with muscular dystrophy, supports the Isaac Foundation for autism, Meals on Wheels, Coats for Kids, Habitat for Humanity, Bone Marrow registries, operates support stations throughout the Bloomsday course, and the Twin Towers Commemorative 5K which raises money for the Spokane Firefighters Benevolent Fund, Camp Eyabsut, and the Washington National Guard's Minuteman Emergency Assistance Fund.

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Replaced after 48 years of service, No. 10 was a stick cottage-style building constructed in 1904 and located at the northeast corner of Gordon and Division. In widespread attempts to modernize the fire department, the new station was constructed of brick and stone in a modern single story fashion.

The men who worked at this station in the early days led hard, dangerous lives. "We had to work violently in those days," recalled one early fireman. "We had a lot of studying to do. We had to know a lot about first-aid, about the law, what you should put water on and what you shouldn't put water on, and where all the fire hydrants in the district were."

Life as a Spokane firefighter in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was similar to the lives of other firefighters nationwide. The men lived at the station, and were on duty twenty-four hours a day, six days a week. Families lived close by so they would be able to visit. The men purchased their own equipment, uniforms, and building and maintenance supplies.

Before the advent of motorized fire apparatus, firefighters rushed to conflagrations via horse-drawn carts and buggies. Teams of 2-4 horses would pull some of the largest firefighting apparatus, and the horses needed to be trained, fed, watered, and exercised. When the horses would become ill or injured, they would be treated by the firefighters in the stations.

When motorized apparatus came about in the first quarter of the twentieth century, Spokane firefighters built and maintained many of the original trucks themselves, and even built trucks for the Spokane Police Department and Water Works Department. The firefighters were known to design their own apparatus, and build them from spare parts. Firefighters not only built the trucks and engines, they also built many of the original fire stations.

Henry C. Smith was a firefighter first hired in 1918. He was a driver for a truck called the Robeson. "It had to be cranked by hand. It had a long handle and you had to turn the handle three times to make the motor turn over once. Many men had their arms broken when the motor would kick back. This rig had hard rubber tires and a chain drive with no windshield." In the summer bugs would batter his face as he drove to a conflagration.

In 1910 two fire engines collided in front of the Davenport Hotel. A horse was killed, and one of the drivers was thrown under a wagon where his arm was severed, and the equipment destroyed.

Firefighting has advanced considerably since those days, but remains a dangerous profession. In 2012 in the United States, 81 firefighters died in the line of duty; in 2013, 107 fatalities; and by 17 June 2014, 45 firefighter fatalities were reported for the year.

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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 again until 1957 in an effort to spread out stations across Spokane and reduce response times. Like every other station, No. 8 was dedicated to training fire personnel. The "drill tower" was located next to No. 8, and provided reoccurring training for Spokane firefighters.

Training has always been an important part of any fireman's life, and the men often turned training into competitions, particularly between fire companies. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, firefighting competitions were popular entertainments in Spokane.

Spokane Hose Company No. 2, called the "Tigers," competed in numerous state tournaments. The Spokane Falls Comet hose team, also competed in the same competitions. In 1887, the Firemen's Tournament was held in Spokane Falls, W.T. The 700 foot straightaway hose race was the most anticipated contest, and drew in 3,500 spectators. The 1st place prize was $250, and $75 for 2nd place. Competing against Walla Walla, Tacoma, and Seattle, the Spokane Comets were expected to win. However, in a dramatic finale, tied with Walla Walla, and had to split the cash prizes. Speed and precision were everything in winning these races, and illustrative of a well-trained and successful fire department.

These companies were run more like lodges. Members voted in new participants and ousted those that did not pay their dues. They incorporated a system of fines for intoxication and disobedience of orders and neglect of duty at fires. A company constitution and bylaws were drafted and adopted, declaring their purpose as: "The extinguishment of fires and protection to life and property."

Station No. 8 continued the rigorous training necessary to place the Spokane Fire Department at the forefront of a well-trained and well-managed fire department. After all, any firefighter who could not wake up from the sound of the alarm and get to the engine bay in less than twenty-five seconds "was made miserable for the rest of the week."

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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 put on, successfully raising $150.

This was the glory era of horse-drawn firefighting. Every station had its stable of horses, chosen for their strength and trained to respond instantly to the firefighters' commands. The horses were attractions in their own rights, and many displayed remarkable personalities.

Nig was the horse of Chief Meyers at the old city hall station in the early 1900s. If old Nig was hitched to his buggy and somebody forgot to tie him, he'd immediately wander out of the station looking for the chief. He'd show up at the Coeur d'Alene Hotel looking for him, and if he didn't find him there, he'd move on to the Club Café, and wait there. Nig also found himself in a lot of trouble. Because Chief Myers forgot to tie him up at a fire, Nig wandered down the bank to the river and swam to the other side, dragging the buggy behind him. But Nig didn't know how to get out of the bank, so once the firefighters found him, they put considerable effort in directing Nig up the bank.

Two other horses, Babe and Clyde, belonged to Captain George Caughey out of Station No. 6. The team could not be driven by anyone other than the captain. Babe and Clyde would do anything for their captain, including eating onion as their eyes watered, something they would do for no other firefighter. When out in the yard eating grass, Babe and Clyde would immediately run to their places on the fire truck once they heard the sounding of the fire gong. "Babe, a horse that was so high strung and nervous that men were afraid of her, was crazy about my baby. Every time the baby was brought into the station, she would spring the lock on her stall and come out and nose it," explained Captain Caughey. And every time Captain Caughey would remove Babe's bridle, she would pick it up from the floor and give it to him to put back on.

Chief J.T. Blamey reflected on the fact that his station's seven horses would sleep through the short ring alarms, which were non-emergency calls, but would be ready to start at the sound of a long ring, indicative of an emergency alarm. Blamey also recalled Station No. 5's hook and ladder team. After every fire they would end up in front of a brewery. "That team knew every brewery in town," he remembered. If the fire was in Browne's Addition, they went straight to Bohemian Brewery, a fire in the east end of town would direct the horses to Schade Brewery, and if on the northwest end they would take the firefighters to another brewery, all without the direction of the fire engineer. In showing their appreciation to the horses, a few firefighters felt it good manners to purchase a bucket of beer for the horses.

Horses were often injured and killed in the line of duty. Wet pavement, mud, and ice were hard on the horses, and street cars often collided with the horses. Horses wore spiked shoes in the winter, and even had their own hospitals within the stations.
As horses faded out of the fire department, so too did the architectural beauty of the early twentieth century. Stations became shorter and wider and were surrounded by parking lots instead of lawns, in order to accommodate bigger and more efficient apparatus. Station No. 7 was razed in 1960 and rebuilt into a modern cement block structure. But the memories of the horses of the Spokane Fire Department are still present even 100 years after their removal.

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Black Spokanites served as firefighters from the frontier periods. However, integrating women into the force would take much longer.

Originally constructed in 1900, Station No. 6 was first located at 504 E. 8th. This station was built entirely by the firefighters themselves, and although they did not get extra pay, they did get Sundays off, making volunteers easy to come by. In 1959, a fire protection improvement bond paved the way for the station to be completely rebuilt. During its grand opening in October, the 1st Annual Fire Prevention Week was also celebrated.

Contrary to popular belief, early Spokane Falls settlers were not all white. The 1890 census shows almost 200 Black pioneers in the fledgling city. One of these men was Joe Hagen, who joined the Spokane Falls Fire Department the year before. Other prominent Black settlers included John B. Parker, a barber, and Pullman Porter and civic leader Emmett Hercules Holmes. Other individuals of black ancestry who contributed to the development of Spokane were involved in railroad construction, served as deputy county treasurers, appointed state positions, federal positions, Spokane Club employees, business owners, newspaper creators (The Spokane Citizen), school district officials, attorneys, architects, and established churches, all before 1900.

(An earlier version of this article listed D.K. Oliver, who was listed as "mulatto" in the 1880 census as the earliest Black pioneer in the city. However, Oliver identified as white and his descendants dispute the 1880 classification.)

By 1975, SFD still had yet to hire its first female firefighter. In mid-1975, the SFD rushed to meet federal standards for hiring women in order to obtain federal funding. Many opponents were the wives of the firefighters. The Firefighters' Wives Service Club actively sought to prevent females from being hired by the department. One argument was that women lacked the physical strength to haul bodies and knock down doors. One councilman referred to the idea as "ridiculous," and a councilwoman suggested women would increase disability claims from "the heavy work."

However, the main argument was the idea of the "moral decay" that would ensue if men lived with women in the stations. One wife commented that she would "move her bed down to the fire station" if need be. However, Chief Alfred L. O'Connor saw to it that the standards of the physical agility test were not compromised, and individuals would pass the tests based on their merit. Finally, in 1989, Sherryl Dodge, Tammy Tibbles, and Andrea Walters made fire department history by becoming the first female fighters in Spokane. They successfully passed the physical test and their probationary year.

The cottage-style Station No. 6 is now occupied by the Martin Luther King Memorial Center, a suitable occupant of the historic fire station.

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Built in 1893, Station No. 5 was originally located in the City Hall Annex, on the northeast corner of Howard and Front. Sometime between 1911-1912, it was relocated to the new City Hall at the southwest corner of Wall and Trent.

Because of its central location in downtown Spokane, Station No. 5 was known to entertain many of the local school children. Before public playgrounds, park swimming pools, or supervised recreational centers, children were left to their own devices when it came to personal entertainment. In those days, fire stations always offered a commanding attraction, and the children who spent their Saturdays watching firefighters were "envied by his school mates," and "looked up to as a privileged individual."

In the early days, twice a day, at 8am and 8pm the station bells would chime throughout the town, signaling it was time for the stations to drill their firefighters and their horses. The stall doors would burst open and each of the half dozen or so horses would charge from the stable to take its place under the suspended harnesses in thirty seconds or less. The schoolchildren were star struck as the firefighters descended from the shiny brass poles through the circular opening, only to land effortlessly on the padded mat.

City officials enacted regulations prohibited catering to the "known desires" of the visiting children, yet station personnel found ways to circumvent those regulations. Children felt privileged to help with stable duties, or "police up" the stalls. More daring youngsters were recruited to stand at the back of the horse stalls, and whip a horse in training who did not respond to the clang of the bell. One remembered: "We accepted the responsibility as if the world depended upon our choice of not hitting too hard or too light." Soon, the fire department turned to motorized fire apparatus and the days of the horse-drawn equipment vanished, "so too, for us kids, was the glamour."

Though the days of training horses and mucking out stalls passed, children were still entertained by more formal firefighting displays. In the 1920s, Station No. 5 entertained at Boy Scouts Day, and had been known to put on shows specifically for children in the 1950s. Modern day firefighters routinely show up to grade schools to educate and entertain children. And although the days of schoolchildren spending their Saturdays at local fire stations have passed, boys and girls, men and women, still show interest and support when their local firefighters are out running drills or attending special events.

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Constructed in 1899, ten years after the Great Fire of 1889, Station No. 4 was originally located at 1304 West First Avenue. No. 4 has been relocated numerous times, due to efforts to expand the departments' emergency response area. In its early years, No. 4 housed both a horse-drawn steamer and horse-drawn Tiger Hook & Ladder truck, often pulled by the affectionately named "Tom & Jerry" horse team.

Firefighting is dangerous work, and those who are killed on the job are known as "Line of Duty Deaths." Seventeen Spokane firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty between 1884 and 2013. Station No. 4 lost four of those men, twice as many as the next department.

It was 1924 when No. 4 lost its first man. On May 3, 1924, the McGoldrick Lumber Yard, located on East Broadway, went up in the biggest fire since 1889. Twenty-six-year-old William A. Hutcheson and his crew were headed to Station No. 1 to pick up an old steam pumper in an effort to increase the streams of water needed to extinguish the flames. The steamer was being towed behind the fire engine, and was steered by Firefighter Hutcheson. As the engine turned towards the Schade Brewery, the steamer hit the curb. Hutcheson was thrown ten feet, hitting his head on the hard pavement. He never regained consciousness.

Station No. 4 saw its next line of duty death in 1956, Captain Leonard W. Doyle, followed by Firefighter Leroy A. Mackey in 1966. The most recent firefighter to give his life in the name of serving the Spokane community was John F. Knighten, also out of Station No. 4. In 2013, Fire Equipment Operator Knighten, a 19-year veteran of the Spokane Fire Department, lost his three-year-battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer attributed to the firefighting profession.

These men have not been forgotten. In 2013, Fire Lieutenant Greg Borg spearheaded a movement to commemorate the seventeen firefighters and their commitment to the community. In 2014-2015, on the anniversary of each sacrifice, a memorial plaque will be permanently fixed to the location each firefighter died, baring the helmet shield of each fallen firefighter, his company and rank, and a narrative of the incident that took each man's life.

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Spokane's Fire Department began with Station No. 1 and Station No. 2. After forming the Spokane Falls Volunteer Fire Department in 1884, Rescue Hose No. 1, made up of "white-collar men," and Spokane Hose Company No. 2, made up of "working boys," shared the same original meeting place in Glover Hall, later the first wood-frame fire station-located on Howard Street-, and fire equipment.

Finally, in the summer of 1885, the cramped quarters became too much for the two companies. On August 1, volunteers physically moved an old lumber-yard office building from the corner of Howard and First, and positioned it one block away on Howard and Railroad. This relocated building was soon occupied by Spokane Hose Company No. 2. A 1500-pound bell had been purchased by the City Council in June of the same year and was placed in a custom thirty-foot tower situated behind the new Hose House No. 2, and chimed for the department for the very first time on September 11, 1885.

Stations No. 1 and No. 2 succumbed to the Great Fire of 1889, only the bell from Station No. 2 was salvaged. Both companies operated out of tents on Howard and Railroad Avenue after the fire. Their equipment began to rust and fall apart as they were exposed to one of the most severe winters in Spokane history. City officials planned new fire stations. In five months, two new fire stations were designed to house the firefighters and their horses, with plenty of room for their equipment to be protected from the harsh elements.

Station No. 2 has been relocated multiple times, sited variously at Sprague and Bernard, Main and Division, and the N.E. corner of Standard and Indiana. No. 2 housed the hospital for injured and ill horses, and was the only station to have firehouse dogs (according to photo archives). One early twentieth century firefighter distinctly recounted his days as a Station No. 2 firefighter.

In 1978, 93 year old Henry C. Smith, was the oldest living firefighter in Spokane. Hired on in 1918, Smith was first assigned to Station No. 7, however within two weeks was transferred to No. 2, then located on Standard and Indiana. In his twenty-three years of service, he remained there until his retirement.
Endearingly termed "the old people's home," Smith playfully described No. 2 as the station firefighters went when they were old, and ready for retirement; Smith was 33 years old at the time of his transfer. Smith would probably have thought differently if he knew the lengths the first volunteer firefighters went in order to establish professional stations, including moving a building by hand.

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The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was a prominent organization in Spokane in the late nineteenth century. Their membership rose significantly from only 45 charter members on February 13th, 1892-the date the Spokane lodge of Elks was constituted-to nearly 8000 charter members in the early decades of the 20th century and thus furnished the need for a larger place of assembly. At the time of construction, the Spokane Elks Club had the second highest membership rate, right behind the Elks Club in Los Angeles, CA.

The Elks Club or Temple was constructed from 1919 to 1921 by the famous architects Kirtland Cutter and Edward J. Baume, with Italian Renaissance Revival architectural influence purposely resembling the façade of the Villa Medici in Florence, Italy. The contract to construct the building was $200,000 with plans to have the corner stone laid by Frank L. Rain, Grand Exalted Ruler of the lodge, during his visit to Spokane. The construction of the lodge was delayed numerous times on counts of the First World War and rising material costs.

The national Elks organization began as a social club known as the "Jolly Corks" in 1868 in New York City and later assumed the elk as their mascot. Their aim was to contribute to their communities through charitable work and public service.

Spokane Elk's Lodge #228 was unable to keep up with its membership numbers and soon lost the resources to afford the luxurious building. The Elks in Spokane moved to Spokane Valley while North Coast Insurance purchased the building in 1981. The building was restored in 1983 to many of its original details. The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation gave the renovators an Award of Outstanding merit for their careful work in restoring this Spokane gem.

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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 Silsby engine, one hose wagon, cotton hose, fifteen men, and eight horses to pull the steamer and hook and ladder truck.

No. 9 served downtown as well as the South Hill. Before the introduction of motorized equipment, "Nine" answered all the calls downtown. In 1912, "Nine" held the Fifth Avenue side of the old Lewis and Clark High School when it went ablaze.

In 1930, it was determined that Station No. 9 was in need of renovation and modernization. The firefighters at the time were excited to get new facilities, but were simultaneously disheartened to see the old station demolished after just twenty-two years of service. One completed, Station No. 9 would be the last station built to intentionally resemble the architectural craftsmanship of the surrounding neighborhood.

According to a Chronicle news article reported on August 20, 1930, while the wreckers worked on demolishing the old station, the firefighters moved all of their belongings into the rear garage for temporary quarters. They watched the wreckage as dust overcame the once spotlessly shined equipment, the pinochle table, and the signal equipment arranged along the wall. The old brass pole they once slid down to answer calls was saved to go into the new station, "they knew it would take a long time to get a new pole shined up to just the right degree of slickness."

The old pole was something more than just brass and polish; it was endearing and symbolic to the firefighters and their service at Station No. 9 and continues to be emblematic to every Spokane firefighter in its presence, as it still occupies old "Nine."

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Spokane boomed in the 1890s. Mining, timber, agriculture, and transportation fueled the growth of the city, from less than twenty thousand in 1890 to thirty-seven thousand ten years later. A growing city needed enhanced fire protection, and so Fire Station No. 3 was built in 1899.

The building was controversial. The city had just constructed an older No. 3 in 1887-a building that was razed to make way for the county courthouse. Locating the new station became a tug of war between the fire department, city commissioners, and "real estate sharks." At one point the fire commissioners remarked that the chairman of the relocation committee "is no practical firefighter" for wanting to put the station on a busy carline.

While the new station was being constructed, Chief Frank Winebrenner was not in favor of abandoning the north side altogether. "If they can't move the old building, I am in favor of building a tent for a temporary station. Anything would be better than nothing at all. The fire department lived in tents in this city once to my recollection."

The station was able to fit a hose wagon, steamer engine, and five horses with their hay and other apparatus. It was also used to build and maintain fire department equipment, along with police department, and water works equipment. Many of the firefighters designed and built the equipment from scrap and spare parts.
The firemen slept in the loft while the horses were stabled downstairs in the rear; their harnesses suspended from the ceiling ready to be dropped down on their backs and latched in mere seconds.

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Although the professionalization of the Spokane Falls Volunteer Fire Department was emerging years before the Great Fire of 1889, it wasn't until a few months after when the City passed an ordinance officially professionalizing the Spokane Falls Fire Department. On January 1, 1890, the new No.1 was sworn in by the City's first paid fire chief, E.P. Gillette.

Once described as "virtually a barn," the building was relocated from its volunteer location to its 418 W. First Avenue location and modernized from a rough-hewn wooden structure to a brick and mortar construction. The building housed eight firefighters and three horses.

In its prime, the station was a thing of splendor, so much that it was scrutinized for being more lavish than functional. With beautiful red brick, ornate decorations, molded tin ceilings, and a polished brass pole descending from the 2nd floor dormitories to the 1st floor, the firefighters stationed at No. 1 protested they could not find anything practical about it.

This building quickly proved to be too small for the growing needs of Spokane's firefighters. The fire department soon started operating motorized fire engines in 1911, and measuring 32x76 feet, the bay doors were not wide enough to accommodate the new apparatus.

Across the street from No. 1 was Chinatown, with Acting Mayor Tai Gee. Whenever No. 1's company went out on a call, Gee would send someone to watch the station and equipment. If it were cold out, the watchmen would close the bay doors and have a warm fire ready for the firefighters when they returned.

Exactly forty-three years to the day, on January 1, 1933, Station No.1 was closed down with three other stations to make one newer and larger station. The Spokane Fire Department headquarters and newest Station No. 1 are located blocks away on Riverside Avenue.

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