When was spokane settled

Fur traders and missionaries were the first people of European descent to traverse the broader area of which Spokane would eventually become the hub. In , David Thompson , fur trader and cartographer with the Canadian North West Company, crossed the Continental Divide and began exploring the watershed of the upper Columbia, including the Spokane River region.

Missionaries Elkanah Walker and Cushing Eells were in the region from From then on, whites visiting the area were struck not only with the grandeur of the falls but with their potential economic importance. In , James J. Downing and Seth R. Scranton built a sawmill at the falls on the south bank of the river. In James N. Glover and a partner, Jasper N. Matheney, arrived from Oregon seeking land, possibly to establish a town, and were impressed with the potential of the falls site.

Without revealing their ultimate intentions, they succeeded in purchasing Downing's mill and the acres that he held as a squatter under terms of the Preemtion Act. Glover, who became known as the "Father of Spokane," next acquired Scranton's claim. In he bought out his partner Matheney and persuaded a German-born miller, Frederick Post, to build a gristmill at the falls. Glover soon expanded the existing sawmill and built a general store. With the benefits of a store, lumber, and flour, more families began to settle on the south side of the river.

Churches, schools, banks, hotels, saloons and newspapers soon followed. Before long, Post pursued his original intention of establishing a mill farther up the river at what later became Post Falls, Idaho. The Rev. Havermale, who had arrived in , replaced Post as the miller at Spokan Falls.

During the early years, spelling of the city varied between Spokan and Spokane, and "Falls" was dropped in Among the enterprising settlers of the s were Anthony M. Cannon and John J. Browne , who bought half interest in Glover's property, including his store. Cannon became the first banker in Spokane Falls, and Browne set up a law practice. Along with Glover, they were active in real estate development of the newly platted area and became wealthy civic leaders.

As more settlers arrived, the need for hotels became clear, and in the Western House was built, followed the next year by the larger California House. In , Francis H. Cook established the first newspaper, the Spokan Times. The year also saw the creation of Spokane County, carved out of Stevens County, with Spokane named temporary county seat. A subsequent rivalry with nearby Cheney, including theft of Spokane County records, was eventually resolved in Spokane's favor.

Architect Willis Ritchie completed a French chateau-style county courthouse in The s brought growth and prosperity. In , with a population of about 1,, Spokane was incorporated.

The virgin forests in the Northwest were an incentive to railroad development, and in the Northern Pacific was completed, assuring the city's future. Mineral discoveries in the Coeur d'Alene area of northern Idaho and the northeast corner of Washington started a boom, first in gold, then in silver, lead, and zinc.

For decades, these mines funneled wealth into Spokane. In addition, the fertile wheat-producing Palouse hills to the south, irrigated farms in the Spokane Valley, railroads, and the timber industry made Spokane the undisputed economic center of the Inland Empire.

A street railway system was established, bridges built, and platting of the north shore of the river was begun. By , Spokane was ahead of San Francisco and Portland in acquiring streetlights. By the s, Spokane was becoming a major center for agricultural and industrial fairs and conventions. The Washington-Idaho Fair, begun in , continued as the Spokane Interstate Fair, discontinued during the Depression, but revived in The National Apple Show was held annually at Spokane from to Well into the twentieth century, conventions of national irrigation and agriculture organizations, as well as congresses for the mining and timber industries, regularly convened in Spokane.

The s ended with a devastating fire that started on August 4, , destroying much of the city center. A tent city temporarily housed downtown businesses, which carried on as usual. Fortunately, many of the buildings were insured and were quickly replaced with handsome, durable structures of brick or stone.

Post-fire Spokane bore the stamp of Kirtland K. Cutter and other distinguished architects and was soon regarded as the finest city between Minneapolis and Seattle. Perhaps as a show of confidence, in the fall of , Spokane held the Northwest Industrial Exposition, the first industrial fair in the state.

The newly operational Washington Water Power Company provided electricity for the imposing new exposition building. The building burned down shortly thereafter, but the influence of the exposition endured.

Then the Panic of brought unemployment for many and loss of fortunes of such early leaders as Glover, Browne, and Cannon. A Dutch mortgage company, the Northwestern and Pacific Hypotheekbank, which had financed construction of many of the post-fire buildings, foreclosed and, for a considerable time, much valuable Spokane real estate was owned by the Dutch.

In the post-Panic recovery, a new generation of wealthy leaders emerged, mostly mining or railroad men. Among them were Amasa B. Daniel Chase Corbin , Jay P. Graves , John H. Finch, Robert E. Strahorn, and F. Lewis Clark.

The structure was located along the shore to provide easy access to the water supply necessary to meet their daily needs. Nearly 70 years after the trading post was erected, spanning a couple of generations of fur trading, settlers began a migration to the area in The one feature that made the area a major attraction to the newcomers was the waterfalls that they could use to generate electricity.

The falls provided the way to easily implement the new technology, and their abundance made harnessing the natural energy simple. The development of new technology gained the interest of people from all over. The increase of newcomers induced city officials to provide an official name for their Washington settlement, hence naming it Spokane Falls. In that same year, the area became known as Spokan Falls.

A general store was established by Downing in and with easier access to supplies, Spokan Falls became attractive to additional settlers. By , Spokane county had been established and Francis Cook started the first newspaper named the Spokan Times. Things were really taking off in the area as more and more people moved in. One of the biggest shifts came when the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in Spokane in With it came easier shipping and access to the greater area. Just two years after its arrival, the railroad was linked trans continentally making Spokane a connection hub to both the east and west coasts.

In fact, many minerals were discovered that year including silver and zinc. Spokane was now the gateway to the Pacific Northwest and had firmly established the inland northwest as an area in its own right. Passengers and minerals alike were transported in and out daily. In addition to lumber, grain and gold, Spokane was an early producer of electricity, thanks to the power of the falls. In fact, Spokane had electric streetlights by , beating both Portland and San Francisco to the technology.

With so much rallying around Spokane, buildings were cropping up quickly and the population reached roughly 9, citizens. The Great Fire of occurred on August 4th, fueled by an exceptionally hot and dry summer. It tragically destroyed 32 blocks of downtown, which was more or less the entire downtown area. Many business owners lost everything they had, and the city itself was leveled, sparing outlying neighborhoods.

In order to continue business operations, numerous tents were set up across downtown and this temporary tent-city lasted for about one year. From the ashes of the Great Fire rose a greater downtown, with solid buildings made of brick and terra cotta. The growth of the railroad system in Spokane eventually necessitated an area dedicated to manufacturing and repairing trains. Hillyard was established in by James J. Hill, built around the Great Northern Railroad.

The yard itself was established as a separate town but never incorporated. This was in order to avoid municipal taxes. The area housed railroad workers and their families. After the death of Hill in , there was less pressure to remain isolated from Spokane. In Spokane Annexed Hillyard. The neighborhood was struck a major blow when the Great Northern Railroad ceased operations there.

In some ways, has never recovered. The Panic of struck many cities across the nation and Spokane was no exception. A Dutch Mortgage company had financed the building boom that occurred after the Great Fire, and they declared bankruptcy.

A significant portion of the buildings downtown were Dutch owned for a time as a result.