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WWII Convalescent Hospital
Training for combat at Fort George Wright gave way to recovery and recuperation during the Second World War. In 1941, Fort Wright had changed hands and become part of the United States Army Air…
World War II Airshow Catastrophe: Horror Rode the Skies Crashing Down to Earth
For a crowd of 100,000 in the Inland Northwest a war show became a little too real when two airplanes crashed and exploded.
Working Women of the Silver Valley
Not all the wealth of Wallace came from the mines. Some came from bedrooms of the working women of the brothels like the Oasis or the Bi-Metallic. As the miners extracted the ore from the ground, the…
Workers' Memorial: "Making a Living Should Not Include Dying."
Since 1989, Spokane unions and workers have observed Workers' Memorial Day to remember those who have died on the job or as a result of work-related illness. The Workers' Memorial here at Mission…
Willie Willey: Spokane's Nature Boy: Short on clothes but long on intrigue
Short on clothes but long on intrigue, Willie Willey and his choice in dress (or lack thereof) made an impression on twentieth century Spokane. Born in 1884, Willis (Willie) Willey grew up in Iowa…
Willard Hotel
The hotel located on the 1100 block of W. 1st Avenue has changed hands many times from when it was built in 1911. In 1911 the Single Residence Occupancy hotel, or SRO, was named the Willard Hotel. …
Wildlife on the South Hill Bluffs
Like most of the landscape in Eastern Washington, the South Hill Bluffs in Spokane reveal the incredible influence of Lake Missoula’s ice dam that broke apart and surged through the area around 20,000…
Who Was Harlen Bretz?
J Harlen Bretz, whose given name was Harley J. Bretz, was born in 1882 in Michigan. The oldest of five children, Bretz had an early interest in astronomy and the natural environment that surrounded…
Whitworth Veteran Memorial: In Memory of Those who Died Protecting the U.S.: Here lies the memories of some of the soldiers that attended Whitworth
Here Whitworth honors and remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the United States. These Whitworth students were American heroes and deserve to be remembered. To honor these…
Whitworth University Fieldhouse: A House For Indoor Sports: Current home for the Pirates basketball and volleyball teams
The official announcement came in late July of 1961; Whitworth College was getting a fieldhouse. Dr. Frank F. Warren, president at the time, broke the exciting news to the college after a luncheon in…
Whitworth Aquatic Center: A legacy of great swimmers
Built in 1984, the Aquatic Center is home to Whitworth's men's and women's swimming teams. The pool consists of six lanes that are forty yards long. The pool has been the host to the 1986 NAIA…
Whitten Block
Leydford B. Whitten (commonly refered to as L.B. Whitten) moved from Virginia to Spokane County in 1880 after having initially moved west to The Dalles, Oregon. L.B. Whitten was a curious man who was…
Whistalks Way: Fort George Wright Drive Renamed Whistalks Way
After Colonel Edward Steptoe's defeat by local Native tribes, Colonel George Wright was sent to avenge the U.S. military. Wright's murderous rampage resulted in a street sign memorial in his name.…
What Happened to Saltese Lake?
Most Spokane-area residents are familiar with Liberty Lake near the Idaho-Washington border, but few are aware that there once existed an even larger lake only a few miles west of Liberty Lake.…
What Happened to Allan C. Powell: The Lost Powell Son
Alan Campbell Powell flew a dangerous mission over enemy territory in World War II--and never returned
Western Spokane Historic Transportation Corridor
Of the eighty-seven ghost signs in the greater Spokane area, ninety percent are within two blocks of Sprague Avenue (once known as U.S.10) and the Northern Pacific Railroad, in an area known as the…
Welcome to the Japanese Americans of Spokane Tour
The Japanese have a long history in Spokane. Arriving in the 1890s as railroad workers, many decided to settle Spokane in hope of new opportunities in the city. Men set up farms and small businesses.…
Welcome to Greenwood Cemetery
Welcome to Greenwood Memorial Terrace. A walk through this cemetery will be a tour through Spokane's history.
In the late nineteenth century, Spokane Falls of the Washington Territories had a…
Welcome to Fort Spokane
As Washington Territory began to grow and attract more settlers looking to make a better life, conflicts between settlers and Indian tribes escalated. Unlike the fixed settlements of pioneers, who…
Weapons of War at Fort Spokane
This powder magazine once held the latest weapons of war, along with tons of gunpowder.
Wayne Struck, Resident Since 1944
"[The effects of I-90 were] very negative. I don't know, it just seemed to take the heart out of the people."
Wayne Struck has lived in the East Central neighborhood since 1944. One the…
Washington Water Power
Washington Water Power (WWP), renamed Avista in 1999, is one of few local institutions to trace its history to when Washington was a territory. In early 1889, a group of Spokane businessmen organized…
Washington Street Bridge
In 1908, the Washington Street Bridge was constructed over the Spokane River, to provide an avenue for the rapidly growing city's population. The 242 feet bridge was constructed by the Wallace-Coates…
Washington State Archives, Digital Archives
Opening in 2004, the Washington State Archives Building was created to house both the Eastern Washington Regional Archives and both state and local government Digital Archives. It was the first…
Was it a Spokane High School Teacher who Solved the Riddle of the Ice Age Floods?
We have learned to think of J. Harlen Bretz as the genius who first realized that many of the geologic features of Eastern Washington were carved by catastrophic flooding. However, there is some…
Warren Hall: Honoring one of Whitworth's greatest presidents
The post-World War II decades were good ones for Whitworth College, which saw great expansion and growth. In particular, student enrollment vastly increased, due to the GI Bill and a greater sense of…
Walldogs: The Men Who Painted the Ghost Signs
Painting advertisements on the sides of tall buildings was dangerous work--in more ways than one.
Wallace District Mining Museum
Any exploration of the Silver Valley should include a stop at the Wallace District Mining Museum. The museum captures the flavor of the mining industry in Northern Idaho from the days of the early…
Waldo Rosebush's House
[Private Residence]
The Rosebush House is one of the best-preserved houses in Millwood. Built in 1923 by Waldo Rosebush, it is a prime example of the French Eclectic architectural style. It also…
Violet Noble, Resident Since the 1940s
"We didn't like the things they did and they didn't like the things we did."
Born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1927, Violet Noble came to the East Central neighborhood during the growth period of…