The Auto Age Arrives: Spokane’s First Bid for Public Motor Transport
Promoter Fred T. Merrill eyes a site to launch the city's first public automobile line, signaling a shift from horse-drawn carriages to the roaring 20th century.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
TO ESTABLISH AN AUTO LINE HERE Movement on Foot to Give the Spokane People Public Automobiles.
It is proposed to establish in this city a line of public automobiles. Fred T. Merrill is one of the promoters of the project. He is expected to arrive in the city in a few days for the purpose of locating a site whereon to erect a new building for the accommodation of the machines. In connection with the undertaking C. W. Smith will attend the coming international convention of the Motor Car association to be held in Cincinnati next month. Mr. Smith during his absence will examine automobile machinery of every description with the object of selecting the most suitable style of carriage to this country.
In 1902, Spokane was on the cusp of a transportation revolution that would eventually render horse-drawn streetcars obsolete. This article captures the initial excitement and logistical planning behind introducing motorized public transit—a struggle for infrastructure and zoning that mirrors modern debates over ride-share hubs and electric bus depots in growing cities.
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