Fort Spokane
Fort Spokane feature layers of fascinating and often heart-breaking history. The site, now administered by the National Park Service and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, began life as the last Army Fort built on the American frontier. It later became an Boarding School for the forced assimilation of Native American children. After that is served as a tuberculosis sanatorium for native men and women with that often deadly disease.
This virtual tour shares some of the stories embedded in the very bricks of this historic site. And if you would like to plan a visit, Fort Spokane is about an hour north west of downtown Spokane, and would make an excellent day trip.
The Lake Roosevelt Partnership is a collaboration between Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and the History Department at Eastern Washington University. Since 2012 these partners have worked together to tell the stories of the park to a wider audience while training the next generation of park interpreters in digital storytelling.
Stories 20
Welcome to Fort Spokane
As Washington Territory began to grow and attract more settlers looking to make a better life, conflicts between settlers and Indian tribes escalated. Unlike the fixed settlements of pioneers, who…
The Army Years at Fort Spokane: The Army years at Fort Spokane
Soldiers of Fort Spokane acted as a buffer between the Indian reservations and white settlers
Officers' Row: Fort Spokane Tour
You are now standing in front of the foundation of what once was an officer's house. The officers and enlisted men of Fort Spokane were divided by a wide social gulf, as evident with the difference in…
Risky Fun: Deadly Waters
While there was "never a shot fired in anger" at Fort Spokane, life on the fort was not without danger.
Indian Scouts at Fort Spokane: A Failed Experiment or Cultural Resistance?
Native American scouts were widely used by the US Army beginning with the Revolutionary War. Indian scouts helped the military navigate through unfamiliar terrain and cultures. These native men, however, served for reasons of their own, and often resisted both military discipline and attempts to change their culture.
The Workshop Building
The workshop building was originally built in 1885 and cost the government $1,013.78. The 136 foot by 24 foot structure housed the blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, paint shop, tanner and wheelwright…
Weapons of War at Fort Spokane
This powder magazine once held the latest weapons of war, along with tons of gunpowder.
The Quartermaster Stable: Supplying the Fort
Feeding All Those Men Was No Easy Task
The Fort Spokane Brewery: Beer for the Soldiers
Before the Spanish-American War, soldiers stationed at Fort Spokane relied on one man to lift their spirits; a German brewer who made the Fort his home.
Desertion at Fort Spokane
"Get Me Outta Here"
The Box: Sweat Box or Sewer?
What do you do with a drunken soldier? Park historians are unsure what this metal-lidded hole in the ground was used for, but some say “the box” was a punishment for soldiers who broke the rules.
Baseball at Fort Spokane
"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
Boarding School Days: Fort Spokane Tour
What you see in front of you is where the barracks would have stood. While the ground floor was used to contain the kitchen, mess hall, wash room, library and non-commissioned officer's rooms, the…
Chief Skolaskin: Dreamer, Prophet and Political Prisoner
The famous Indian Chief and prophet was once jailed here at Fort Spokane for years without trial.
The Orchard at Ft. Spokane
Today, most of Fort Spokane is bare foundations. But in the shade of the ponderosas on the western edge of the site, a few of the orchard’s original apple trees have held their ground for more than a century. These ancient trees have a story to tell.
A Snapshot in the Life of John McAdams Webster: A Coast to Coast Adventure from West Point to Fort Spokane
Plagued by poor health, John McAdams Webster served in the U.S Army at a time when military conflict was unlikely. But no matter where his career took him, he served with distinction. As a school superintendent and Indian Agent at Ft. Spokane, he earned a rare reputation for service to the local tribes.
Bertha Finley Brisbois: Bertha Finley Brisbois Brings Schools to the Reservation
From Boarding School to a University Scholarship
Tuberculosis at Fort Spokane
In the early 1900s, tuberculosis was known as the “great white plague,” and at the turn of the century it killed around 450 Americans every day. An infectious disease of the lungs, tuberculosis…
Sanitarium Incinerator: Killing Germs and Destroying Culture
In 1915 tuberculosis struck the Spokane Indians hard. Four natives died and fifty more were suspected of having the disease. In response to the outbreak, the Indian Service used the site of the former…
Crooked Agent: Agent fired for "irregularities."
For Indian Agent Albert M. Anderson, kickbacks and embezzlement were all in a day's work.Tour curated by: The Lake Roosevelt Partnership | This tour was edited and polished by Logan Camporeale.