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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 5 |
18 stories matching close
- Caught in the Shaft: A Miller's Close Call at Post's Mill
George Hilbert, assistant miller at Frederick Post's flour mill, was nearly torn apart when his foot was snagged by a spinning iron shaft. Quick action by a coworker saved his life.
- Spokane Falls Builds Through the Winter
Despite the cold, construction in Spokane Falls never stopped, and the coming spring promises a building boom that will double the city's size.
- A Welcome Storm Saves the Harvest
After weeks of drought threatening the region's crops, a heavy storm brings relief to local farmers.
- A 100-Acre Bet on North Spokane
An Eastern investor buys a tract north of the river for $12,500 and plans to plat it into lots and build houses—classic Spokane booster speculation.
- The Cheney War Scare
A false alarm regarding an Indigenous uprising sends the town of Cheney into a panicked frenzy.
- 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.
- A Gun-Toting Guard at the Liquor Store
A store owner hires a guard to protect his liquor supply, leading to a dangerous and accidental discharge of a firearm.
- Two Drunk Diners Dug Their Way Out of the Spokane Calaboose
After refusing to pay at Carson's restaurant, two prisoners cut a tiny hole through the jail floor and slipped away in broad daylight.
- He Walked to the Doctor With His Arm Hanging by a Thread
A Pend d'Oreille man struck by a Northern Pacific train near Sand Point was brought to Spokane Falls, where surgeons amputated at the shoulder. He died two days later.
- A Kangaroo Court on the Big Bend Road
A Spokane Falls correspondent sketches a makeshift courtroom in a back-room card den, where a nervous judge, two accused whiskey-sellers and a bewildered Indian witness try to settle the law over a can of 'wh—.'
- Paint the Town for the Last Spike
With the Northern Pacific about to close the continent, Spokane Falls is told to clean its streets, whitewash its houses, and prepare for a wealth-laden excursion.
- Forget the Mines — Grab the Land, the Paper Urges
As thousands stampede toward the Coeur d'Alene diggings, the Review argues the real fortune is in the free government land around Spokane Falls, and that the window is closing fast.
- The Correspondent Called Spokane Poor and Dull. The Local Paper Fired Back.
In 1883, a traveling writer dismissed Spokane Falls as a speculative boomtown with no real hinterland. The local press answered point by point, defending the mills, the grain trade and the city's future.
- Browne's Block: A New Brick Landmark Rises at Post and Riverside
A detailed tour of Spokane Falls' most ambitious new commercial building, nearly complete and set to open December 1.
- The Gold Rush That Wouldn't Wait for Spring
A Spokane Falls merchant is summoned back to the snowbound Coeur d'Alene mines as fortune hunters pour in a month early — and the Falls positions itself as the gateway to the new El Dorado.
- 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.
- A Portland Editor Reports from the Gold Fields
E. G. Jones of Portland visits Spokane Falls and files a dispatch: the town is the 'principal city of Eastern Washington,' the mines are real, and the smart money is already building stage lines.
- The Boomer Who Lied About the Gold Fields
Spokane Falls' paper takes a Minnesota editor to task for a wildly inaccurate account of the Coeur d'Alene mines — and in doing so lays bare the whole machinery of Western town-site hype.