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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 112 |
| 1884 | 44 |
156 stories
- A Town Buys Its Own Railroad: Spokane Falls Bets $30,000 on a Line to the Coeur d'Alenes
A packed hall at Cannon's Hall pledges $30,000 in minutes to build a railroad from Spokane Falls to the Coeur d'Alene mines — money not due until the track actually exists.
- The Town That Grew 'In Spite of Reason'
A Walla Walla editor visits Spokane Falls and tries to explain its explosive growth — new brick blocks, crowded lodging houses, idle men in the streets, and a land office so busy it needs two more clerks.
- Spokane's Date with Destiny: Welcoming the Northern Pacific Railroad
The completion of the transcontinental line brings Henry Villard and hundreds of guests to Spokane Falls, promising a new era of growth and connection.
- Spokane Wins the Land Office
After a desperate struggle against rival towns, Spokane Falls secures the U.S. Land Office, cementing its status as the region's rising metropolis.
- The Case for Washington Statehood
A San Francisco paper argues Washington Territory has the population, wealth and schools to join the Union — and urges Congress to admit it.
- The Ghost of Octavia
In a small cabin near Spokane, a widower finds comfort in a persistent, loving vision of his long-dead wife.
- A Tragic Railroad Accident
A young man loses both feet after falling between train cars while riding illegally.
- The Unannounced Arrival of the Bank Examiner
A federal official arrives in Spokane Falls to audit the First National Bank, finding the institution in 'flourishing condition' despite the lack of a reception committee.
- The Death of Belle Lincoln
A woman dies after being found severely beaten in a remote area, highlighting the vulnerability of marginalized people in the frontier.
- The Battle for the Land Office
Spokane Falls and Cheney trade barbs over the relocation of the federal land office, a prize that signifies the region's future growth.
- The Fireman, the Broken Leg, and the Brotherhood
When a Spokane Falls railroad fireman was badly hurt and allegedly left untended, the railroad Brotherhood organized — demanding an investigation and that the company hospital be moved to Sprague.
- The Gun in the Wagon
H. P. Fox was scouting land near Loon Lake when a loaded shotgun discharged into his arm. Surgeons in Spokane Falls amputated, but the long ride and his weakened health were too much.
- The Widow, the Mayor, and the Killing of William Three Mountains
After a Spokane chief was killed, his widow walked into Mayor Glover’s office to settle a five-year-old debt—a story the paper framed with the era’s racism.
- Crushed by Logs at a Cheney Sawmill
Benjamin Inman, 26, was killed while unloading timber at Hinchcliff Bros.' mill, a reminder of the human cost of the region's timber boom.
- The Stolen Petition That Could Have Split Spokane County
In 1883, a push to carve a new county out of Spokane turned ugly when a 350-name petition vanished from a Howard Street law office.
- A California Mining Veteran Bets Everything on the Coeur d'Alene Gold Rush
George Henderson, a hardened prospector out of Martinez, California, arrives in Spokane Falls, spends one day in the Coeur d'Alene diggings, and walks out having staked claims, built two houses, and hired a crew to winter over — telling the town the mines 'could not be exaggerated.'
- A Spokane Woman Makes the Case for the Ballot
Writing to the paper 'from a womanly standpoint,' Mrs. B. R. Gove argues that taxation without representation is tyranny — and that Washington's women deserve the vote.
- Spokane Wakes Up and Decides to Chase the Mines
A packed hall of businessmen forms a committee of fifteen to build a Board of Trade and a transportation company — because the future of Spokane Falls is a road to the Coeur d'Alene diggings.
- Spokane's Citizens Buy Themselves a Road to the Gold Fields
In fifteen minutes, local businessmen pledged a quarter of a $20,000 stock company to run stages and freight wagons between Spokane Falls and the Coeur d'Alene mines — before another town could steal the traffic.
- The Plot to Carve a New Territory Out of Eastern Washington and Idaho
As the Coeur d'Alene mines boom, Spokane Falls pushes to become the capital of a breakaway territory—and the railroad towns are fighting back.
- A Body in the Garden: The Homesteader, the Hoe, and the Borrowed Coat
Neighbors scraping in a garden find Thomas Higgins buried just below the surface, shot twice in the head — and a young man named Nott wearing his coat.
- A Diphtheria Scare at the Falls
A young woman's battle with a deadly disease prompts a public health warning for Spokane.
- Gold Fever: Spokane Falls Pushes a Wagon Road to the Coeur d'Alene Mines
With nuggets in hand and a sawmill planned, J. H. Curtis rallies Spokane Falls to build a road to the gold fields before a rival town steals the trade.
- Central Block: A New Landmark Rises on Riverside Avenue
Spokane's newest brick building, Central Block, nears completion on Riverside Avenue, showcasing modern architecture and the city's rapid growth.
- Spokane Has No Fire Department — Just a Few Ladders and a Lot of Luck
After a string of chimney fires nearly take out whole blocks, the paper demands a bucket brigade before a real blaze wipes the city off the map.