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36 stories matching light

  1. Railroad Boom Built Spokane's Brick-and-Stone Downtown

    A pioneer revisits Eastern Washington's boomtown and marvels at its rapid transformation from a frontier hamlet to a bustling metropolis powered by the falls.

    Oct 23, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane Falls, Spokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  2. Spokane’s Fifteen-Cent Fair Was a Dollar Show for the Inland Empire

    In October 1897, Spokane turned a downtown block into a clean, no-gambling agricultural exposition—and invited the whole Inland Empire to admire its fruit, grain, and future.

    Oct 14, 1897Ranche and RangeSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  3. A False Alarm Reveals Spokane Has No Fire Department

    A burst of flame over Howard and Main sends a crowd running — and the paper demands a fire department before a real blaze eats the business district.

    Oct 13, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall · Disasters

  4. The Political Rise of George Turner

    Fresh from an international arbitration victory, Ex-Senator George Turner is being courted by Democrats for a gubernatorial run in Washington.

    Oct 21, 1903The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall

  5. A Young Man’s Fall from Grace

    A Colfax native faces justice in Spokane for a jewelry sales scheme, sparking a debate on leniency versus punishment.

    Apr 27, 1900The Colfax GazetteSpokane County Jail, SpokaneTrue Crime

  6. The Politics of the Red Light

    Spokane's mayor refuses to suppress the 'social evil,' arguing that regulation in a restricted district is the only realistic approach to human nature.

    Jan 13, 1904The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

  7. Spokane Debuts its Grand Ice Palace

    An ambitious new entertainment complex opens its doors at Sinto and Cannon, promising a massive skating area for the public.

    Nov 3, 1916White Bluffs SpokesmanSpokane, Spokane County

  8. The Opium Smuggling Ring Hidden in Plain Sight

    A federal investigation reveals that opium smuggling in Spokane was a widespread enterprise involving a 'legion' of local beneficiaries, as detailed in a scathing Treasury report.

    Apr 17, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyTrue Crime

  9. The Scandal of the Stage Tights

    A Spokane socialite faced a moral crusade for daring to play a male role in a light opera.

    Jan 13, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyScandal

  10. She Preferred the Name 'Goodlow' — So She Took It, and Now the Insurance Company Won't Pay

    A Spokane woman who never married took out two life insurance policies, each under a different name. Now that she is dead, the company is refusing to honor either one.

    Jul 31, 1903The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyScandal

  11. The Store That Measured a Town's Ambition

    A visit inside Chas. Sweeny & Co.'s new Union Block emporium — 6,000 square feet, a dozen chandeliers, a basement packed to the rafters — as proof that Spokane Falls had arrived.

    Dec 8, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  12. Fatal Shootout at the Pacific Hotel

    A notorious horse thief is killed in a violent struggle after attempting to free his son-in-law from custody.

    Jul 13, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyTrue Crime

  13. Spokane’s Mayor Dictates Red Light Rents

    In a sweeping police regulation, the Spokane municipal government sets price caps on rents in the 'whitechapel' district and mandates fines for landladies and their residents.

    Aug 15, 1903The Evening StatesmanSpokane, Spokane CountyHousing & Rent · City Hall

  14. A Lamp Against the Express

    Mrs. A. McIlvain races down the Great Northern grade to warn an oncoming train of a fallen telegraph pole.

    Nov 23, 1903The Evening StatesmanMinnehaha Park, SpokaneDisasters

  15. The City That Refused to Stay Burnt

    After the Great Spokane Fire of 1889, civic leaders rejected the urge to build cheaply, choosing instead to construct a permanent, iron-and-stone metropolis fueled by the river's immense power.

    Jan 1, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  16. Spokane Falls Demands Its Fair Share of the Territory

    With Spokane County left 'out in the cold' without a representative while smaller Walla Walla holds three seats, the Review calls for splitting Washington Territory in two.

    Dec 15, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall

  17. Branding Season in the North

    A vivid, firsthand account of the dangerous and dust-filled work of a cattle drive and roundup in the Pacific Northwest.

    Dec 15, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyWork & Pay

  18. The Tragedy at Hootman Creek

    A double suicide involving railroad workers reveals a grim financial pact and the harsh reality of life on the Cascade division.

    Aug 14, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyWork & Pay · True Crime

  19. 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.'

    Aug 25, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

  20. An Arsonist's Fire in the Black Hawk Stable

    A pre-dawn blaze in a Main Street livery kills four valuable horses and nearly takes the block — and the town is sure it was set on purpose.

    Feb 9, 1884Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyTrue Crime · Disasters

  21. A Midnight Ride, a Volley of Shots, and No One to Blame

    A farmer on the Moran Prairie road hurried home under gunfire; deputies found only darkness.

    Sep 1, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyTrue Crime

  22. 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.

    Nov 17, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  23. 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.

    Oct 6, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall

  24. 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.

    Mar 22, 1884Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

  25. 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.

    Dec 22, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall

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