Turning Gravel into Gold
Local skeptics are proven wrong as experiments with flax and wheat on Spokane's rocky soil show surprising success.
A great deal of timorousness has been wasted upon the gravelly land in and about Spokane by outsiders in past years, and it is now our turn to laugh and feel funny. The truth is no attempt was ever made before this year to cultivate this land, as owners of it felt half afraid to experiment. However, it is now demonstrated to the satisfaction of those concerned that the gravel land about the Falls can be made to produce just as good crops as land of more promising appearance. Mr. Fred Post has a large piece of it in wheat that shows every sign of an abundant yield. But the best showing is that on a ten-acre tract belonging to Dr. J. M. Morgan. That gentleman planted his ground to flax this spring and now he has as pretty and vigorous a stand of prime flax as can be found in the best flax-producing farms in the Northwest. There is serious talk of the establishment of an oil mill at this point this fall.
“When taken hold of and put in use the sterile gravel lands are going to make someone rich.”
This story reflects the early boosterism of Spokane, where residents were eager to prove that the local geography could support a permanent, agricultural economy. It mirrors the ongoing regional interest in sustainable land use and the historical transition from 'wasteland' to productive property.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.