All Stories

The National Hotel was built in 1905 and is a typical example of the "single room occupancy" type of building, which was a popular style in Spokane at the time. The building is indicative of the SRO…

Holy Names Academy

This impressive building is The Holy Names Academy. Originally built in 1891 by Architect, Patrick Donohoe, the building was later remodeled by the Spokane Architect firm, Preusse & Zittel, who…

Dybdall Gristmill

Note: This building is located on Private property. This antiquated building is the Dybdall Gristmill. Named after its owner and architect, O.C. Dybdall. The Norwegian immigrant built the mill in…

University Pharmacy

By Logan Camporeale and Ryanna Thurman

The building today known as University Pharmacy in the Gonzaga district of Spokane has served the community since its construction in 1909 by the Pioneer Educational Society (PES) and the Spokane…

Riverside Park Wastewater Treatment Plant

By Logan M. Camporeale

Early spokanites used the Spokane River as a sewer and even a garbage dump - rendering the water undrinkable. After decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars, the rivers health is improving.

Nick Mamer Memorial Clock: Honoring an Aviation Pioneer in Spokane

By Logan Karl

A remarkable figure in aviation history, Nick Mamer soared to new heights as an accomplished pilot whose achievements captured the world's attention.

The Quartermaster Stable: Supplying the Fort

Feeding All Those Men Was No Easy Task

The Hotel Aberdeen: and Carrie Harris

In a time before women had the right to vote, Carrie Harris was financially independent and a successful businesswoman.

The Steamboat Forty-Nine: Gold Mining on the Upper Columbia

Captain Leonard White piloted the first steamboat to cross the 49th parallel bringing miners and supplies to the goldfields of British Columbia.

The Boundary Commission: Drawing the International Border While Calling Marcus Home

How is an international border drawn and who does the drawing?

Buried and Forgotten: St. Paul's Mission Cemetery

Beneath the pine needles that cover this historic cemetery lie generations of native and fur trade families.

Sanitarium Incinerator: Killing Germs and Destroying Culture

In 1915 tuberculosis struck the Spokane Indians hard. Four natives died and fifty more were suspected of having the disease. In response to the outbreak, the Indian Service used the site of the former…

The City of Kettle Falls: Moving on Up

How do you move an entire town to a new location? Very carefully.

Cyrus O'Leary's Restaurant: A Lost Spokane Icon

A generation of Spokanites has fond memories of Cyrus O'Leary's--until the restaurant was demolished.

Dynamite Blast Wrecks Lyric Theatre

A midnight dynamite explosion shook the movie theater, sending slabs of marble, boards and debris flying into the street.

The Rookery Building: A lost architectural gem

The destruction of the Rookery Building was a turning point in historic preservation in Spokane.

Traces of the Past: Mohawk "Block": Historic Buildings in Unexpected Places

Tucked away in a corner of this odd-shaped parking lot, behind the historic Frank's Diner, is a sliver of Spokane history. Actually, a large granite block of history. At the west end of the parking…

Spokane's "Mayor for a Day" (Who Never Was)

The little-known (and utterly fictional) tale of Spokane's "mayor for a day," Josiah Forsyth.

Carving a Legend: What remains of the 1977 Leonard totem pole

There were once two totem poles on this island in the river. This is the story of the one that is gone.

Trouble All Along The Line: Hillyard's Forgotten Anti-Japanese Riot

(This article contain descriptions of anti-Japanese violence. Contemporary images and references may contain slurs.) Prologue Before it was annexed by Spokane in 1924, Hillyard was a town in its own…

James Liston: The man who made the city water flow