By Tracy L. Rebstock
Before the Lilac Garden, this area was part of the Manito Zoo from 1905-1932, where buffalo roamed. One of the larger and more famous of the buffalo was King Ranger. When he died, his body was…

By Ian Reeves
The Spokane Steam Plant began as simple cost saving measure. In the early 1900's the Trustee Company owned five buildings in Spokane's downtown, and hit upon the idea of producing their steam heat…

By Ryanna Thurman
The workshop building was originally built in 1885 and cost the government $1,013.78. The 136 foot by 24 foot structure housed the blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, paint shop, tanner and wheelwright…

By Billie Slick
The Clemmer Theatre, now known as the Bing Crosby Theater, was built in 1915 by Edwin W. Houghton. The building was first used as an 800-seat movie theater. The theater was very luxurious with…

By Billie Slick
During the 1950's, Gonzaga recognized the need of a good library, and Bing Crosby became a major supporter for their cause. Crosby organized a television show called the Edsel Show in 1957, and…

By Billie Slick
Deborah Copenhaver sculpted this bronze statue of Bing Crosby which was dedicated on Bing's birthday, May 3, 1981. Crosby had died in 1977. Kathryn Crosby, his widow, was in attendance. Bob Hope…

By Billie Slick
In 1916, Bing became an an altar boy for St. Aloysius Church. Every third week, he attended and served mass at 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. One of Bing's friends asked him if he would like…

By Ian Reeves
In 1889, Frank Rockwood Moore and his wife Sarah Franicis Sherlock Moore began work on their residence in Spokane. Moore had made quite a name for himself in the local community. He was the first…

By Anne Coogan-Gehr
By the late 1870s, Spokane was becoming a town, a real town. And every town needs its women to stitch the fine threads of social and community structure. Early Spokane women followed their men to…

By Ian Reeves
The imposing stature of the Review Tower at the corner Riverside and Monroe stands as a reminder of different times. The late 1800's were the time when newspapers were king. Long before radio and…

By Nikolai Cherny
Houses like the one you are facing now, are known as Shotgun style houses. They were labeled as such because it is said that one could stand at the front door and fire a shotgun exiting through the…

By Nikolai Cherny
Known for decades as "Poverty Flats," Peaceful Valley has been home to many unique individuals over the years. Some of the more interesting characters are bonded by their humble residence, the shacks…

By Nikolai Cherny
On July 1, 1958 a crowd of four to five thousand people gathered for the dedication and opening ceremony of the Maple Street Bridge. The $6,000,000 bridge was open for motorists' use, for a toll at…

By Clayton Hanson
Extending upstream from where you stand is Inspiration Point and the monuments to the so-called Christian Pioneers. Funded and dedicated by an ecumenical collection of local churches, the monument…

By Tracy L. Rebstock
The natural history of this park goes back to geological events that shaped this area including lava flows, glacial activity, and the Missoula Floods. All of these events helped form the basalt rock,…