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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 5 |
18 stories matching determin
- 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.
- A Jailbreak in the County Seat
Three prisoners escaped the county jail by cutting through a door and scaling the fence, leaving behind only one inmate who was too portly to fit through the hole.
- A False Rumor Nearly Wrecks a Spokane Firm — and the City Rallies With $166,000 in Offers
The Portland Board of Trade reports Sweeny & Co. failed with $75,000 in liabilities; within days the firm proves itself solvent and the city's reputation is on the line.
- 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 Cheney War Scare
A false alarm regarding an Indigenous uprising sends the town of Cheney into a panicked frenzy.
- No Monopoly on Gaslight: Spokane's Council Draws a Line
Council granted a gas company the right to lay pipes—but pointedly refused an exclusive franchise, warning that monopoly would 'cinch the consumers.'
- The New Council Takes On the Sewage in the River
Spokane Falls' freshly seated city council moves against the habit of dumping garbage and sewage into the river above the falls — and against boys loitering in saloons.
- The Marshal Who Wouldn't Let Go
A fugitive wanted in Cheney for robbing the sheriff's own office is caught at the Spokane depot—after a very undignified struggle.
- The Indian Scare That Wasn't
A rumor that Little Spokane Indians planned to burn out settlers sent twenty-two armed Spokane men rushing to Four Mile Prairie—where they found frightened neighbors and a land dispute, not an attack.
- A Violent Land Dispute on the Little Spokane
A settler’s attempt to harvest hay on his newly acquired land leads to an armed confrontation with local Indigenous claimants.
- Spokane Falls Finally Gets a Water Company — and a Fire-Fighting Lifeline
After a winter of promises and a franchise left to gather dust, three investors buy out the original water-works rights and vow to lay pipe before the weather turns.
- 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.
- The Train They Hoped Would Stop: Spokane's Bid for the Last-Spike Spotlight
A mass meeting at Cannon's Hall appointed a committee to welcome President Villard's Northern Pacific excursion and make sure the editorial train lingered long enough to see the falls.
- 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.
- A New Mayor Inherits a Solvent City — and a River Full of Filth
Spokane Falls' incoming council takes the oath, draws lots for term lengths, and confronts the sewage being dumped above the falls.
- A Stagecoach Ride Into the Last Paradise of Bunch Grass
A correspondent survives a headfirst plunge into an icy creek to report on the new stage route, the boomtown of Okanogan, and the railroad the Big Bend is begging for.
- Gold Fever at the Doorstep: The Coeur d'Alene Rush
Word of fabulously rich quartz strikes fifty miles east of Spokane Falls has set off a stampede — veterans of '49 are said to be packing up again, and 50,000 men are expected in the mountains next spring, with Spokane Falls positioning itself as the supply depot.
- Spokane Dressed for a Railroad King—and Waited Until Midnight
Spokane Falls spent a week building arches and hanging evergreens for Henry Villard's Northern Pacific excursion, but delayed trains turned the grand reception into a series of after-dark whistle-stops—and Ulysses S. Grant drew the crowd that the railroad had promised.