USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 48
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A. M. Cannon also established this year the first bank, the Bank of Spokane
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Falls, the first north of Snake river. The first two churches, the Methodist and the Congregational, were respectively organized in April and May of this season by Rev. J. H. Leard and Rev. G. 11. Atkinson. The legislature of 1879 passed a bill author- izing the organization of Spokane county, located the temporary county seat at Spo. kane Falls, and provided for a confirmatory ballot on permanent location the follow- ing year.
The season of 1880 witnessed the approach of the construction force of the North- ern Pacific railroad from Ainsworth, on Snake river. There was a temporary lull in building extension, awaiting the arrival of the road. The year. however. was famous for the rather lively discussion of the question of permanent location of the county seat. A syndicate of railroad men and capitalists from Colfax saw their opportunity. laid out the townsite of Cheney. and with some local assistance in what was then called the Four Lake county (around Medical Lake) they succeeded in capturing the county seat by a small majority. Spokane now had a rival, backed by railroad officials and adverse interests, and although the advent of the railroad in June of 1881 brought a temporary activity, the new county seat took the cream of the boom, and for two years Spokane rather langnished.
The Spokane Chronicle was established in July, 1881, by C. B. Carlisle, and Congregational and Episcopal church edifices were erected. The first brick building was erected this year by W. M. Wolverton. corner of Riverside and Mill. Although a modest two-story structure, some thirty by fifty, it was regarded as "a new era in building in Spokane," and a finer stroke of enterprise. even, than the recent cree- tion of the Old National bank building. Movements were placed on foot by the Methodists and Catholies to lay the foundations of large educational institutions, and through the encouragement given them by our citizens, these two religious bodies decided on locating here the Spokane and Gonzaga colleges. To Elders Havermale. Anderson, Strong and Turner is due the eredit. seconded by Messrs. Cannon, Browne, Forrest and others. for the measure of success reached in the establishment of the for- mer ; and Rev. J. M. Cataldo and his confreres for the latter. Besides contributions in money by the citizens named. Colonel D. P. Jenkins donated to the Methodist col- lege a traet of land beautifully located for the purpose, north of the river and west of Monroe street. With sagacious foresight. Father Cataldo applied the contribm- tions received to the purchase of 320 acres of railroad land at $2.60 per acre, which is now worth several thousand dollars per acre, and which long ago was platted as a part of the city. The year was also signalized by the incorporation of the town, and a municipal government was organized, with R. W. Forrest as mayor, and A. M. Cannon. L. H. Whitehouse. L. W. Rima. F. R. Moore, George A. Davis and W. C. Gray as councilmen, and J. Kennedy Stout as city attorney. The population of the previous year is given by official figures as 670, and the city began its career with a population of about 1.000.
It was an occasion of enthusiastic rejoicing when the rails were laid through town late in June, and a rousing Fourth of July celebration. with a free rail ex- cursion to Cheney, duly celebrated the occasion of connection by rail with the rest of the world. The city was visited during the summer by Henry Villard, the new president of the road, and a coterie of capitalists, who were given a reception and duly posted as to the promising future of the young city ; but either the great future
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was too dimly perceptible, or there was too little spare cash, for the investments were insignificant.
During the previous years, the sawmill under the management of Messrs. Glover & Matheny. and Glover & Havermale, had passed to the control of Messrs. Cannon, Warner & P'ease, and finally emerged into the Spokane Mill company in the fall of 1886, with E. J. Brickell as the administrative genius. Owing to frequent loss of logs by breaking of the boom in the river, and the difficulty of securing a supply of logs, on account of the timber laws, the mill was not a profitable investment for the owners, but it was a very important adjunct in the building of the city.
Early in 1882 Messrs. Havermale and Davis began the construction of the Mam- moth Echo Roller Mills, which for daring enterprise and successful results had not been surpassed in eastern Washington. Mr. Cannon constructed a fine wooden block, on the corner of Riverside and Mill, which at that time was so far from the "center of business" that it was regarded as an exceedingly doubtful venture. Mr. Cannon. who had bought ont Mr. Warner's interest in the store, removed his mer- cantile and banking business to the new quarters in December, his customers promptly followed, and a new "business center" was established. The Sprague house was also built and opened this year by Wm. Keyser, and added materially to the reputa- tion of the city.
Mr. Carlisle was succeeded in the publication of the Chronicle by H. E. Allen and C. B. Hopkins, who in turn sold out in the fall to A. K. Woodbury. Louis Ziegler built and moved into a fine building on the corner of Riverside and Howard. The First National bank was organized this year. There were other substantial im- provements. but as before mentioned. the impetus given to Cheney by the removal of the county seat tended to divide the business of the region, and Cheney had the real boom that year. Mr. Forrest was reelected mayor, and although with but a meager revenue. the city government was reduced to better working order. Among those who contributed to the good order and safety of the city in its earlier days of meagerest salaries, none was more instrumental than cx-Marshal and ex-Council- man E. B. Hyde. To the public spirit, self-denial and patience of the early mem- bers of the city government is der ~ ~ ~ mise for the good order and prosperity of the city. This feature of our early growth was quickly noticed by tourists, and Spokane became noted as a safe and attractive place for residence and investments.
The first considerable fire which left its mark in Spokane startled the city on the night of January 19, 1883. The conflagration broke out the coldest night of the winter, in the store of F. R. Moore & Co .. and as there was no fire department, the space between Front street and the alley south, comprising F. R. Moore & Co.'s store. Charlie Carson's restaurant, Forrest's grocery. Porter's drugstore and the postoffice, was completely leveled, and Rima's jewelry store across the alley was torn down to arrest the flames. It was a heavy loss and could illy afford to be borne, but the losers had resolved almost before the ashes had cooled down, to rebuild with brick. The year 1883 was thus signalized by a new impetus in building. There was a loud call for brick, and during the season there were built and occupied in rapid succession. the Glover. Burch, Moore & Co .. Forrest. Hyde, Gandy, Rima. French. Porter. Wolverton, Jamieson, Wilson and Browne buildings. The Echo Roller Mills were so far completed that they began the output of flour. The prospect would have been most hopeful, but for the drawback of the long drouth of that season, which
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lasted about four months and pinched the agricultural products to about half a crop. It was an experience, however, which had the effect of establishing a basis of confidence in the remarkable character of the soil of eastern Washington for pro- ducing crops without rain or irrigation.
A new factor in the growth of the city appeared in May of this year, the estab- lishment of the Spokane Review by F. M. Dallam, who had the winter before dis- cerned the bright future for the place, and launching out with a new plant, labored unceasingly to push his confidence to a brilliant issue. The Chronicle changed hands, passing into the control of H. T. Cowley, who had been disabled the previous year in the Indian service by a broken leg. The Chronicle repeated the experiment of running a daily, which had been essayed two years before by the Times, but the short crop depressed business. and the daily Chronicle withdrew to await better times.
During the fall of this year, mineral discoveries in the Coeur d'Alene mountains began to excite attention, and it was soon discerned that Spokane was to participate in an unlooked for impetus. The existence of placer gold had been discovered by Prichard and others, on what is now known as Prichard creek, and an attempt made by the discoverer to mine the auriferous gravel proved a failure owning to the great depth of the snow, and the disappointed prospectors came near hanging the unhappy leader. Later in the season it was thoroughly established that gold was there, and before winter the news spread.
The connection this year of the two ends of the Northern Pacific road, from the east and from the west, at Gold Creek, Montana, which occasion was elaborately magnified along the line, inspired new vigor and contributed to draw mining men and adventurers by the hundred to rendezvous at Spokane that winter, to be ready for the first dawn of spring to open the way to the new treasure fields. But the impatient crowd of adventurers which had thronged Spokane, Rathdrum. Missoula and Butte, and the hundreds who poured in from other mining camps. found them- selves months in advance of the proper season to operate in a mountainons region. and the camp being covered with heavy timber. it was soon discerned that the fuller development of the placers would be the work of years. Discouragement and dis- gust took carly possession of the camps. the hopes of speedy fortunes melted away with the mountain torrents, and there was an almost wholesale scattering of "dead broke" prospectors.
Of course this was a sore disappointment to the expectant city. but there was sufficient confidence left that the mines would yet "turn out all right." and all the spare energy that could be mustered still shaped plans to utilize the mining interests as one of Spokane's most hopeful resources. To verify the conviction that profitable mineral deposits existed within reach of the city, discoveries were made during the season in the Colville valley which resulted in a considerable diversion from the Coeur d'Alene placers and the townsites of Chewelah and Embrey were laid out in anticipation of a boom in that direction. Later still the Pend d'Oreille region showed metalliferons indications, and Spokane began to be noted as a mining center.
The Spokane College, which had been instituted by the trustees early in the winter of 1882. and placed in charge of Prof. I. C. Libby as president, and had been conducting classes in the Methodist chapel, this year erected a substantial edifice on the tract over the river donated by Colonel D. P. Jenkins, and the insti-
FIRST MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION IN SPOKANE
Frank Johnson, marshal of the day. Procession on Second avenue en route to the old cemetery on Cannon Hill
SPOKANE
WELCOME
--
RIVERSIDE AND HOWARD STREETS, ISSS
THE WF A TURK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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tution had an auspicious start in its new home. A commodious public school build- ing was also constructed, and the basement of the Catholic college was laid, and brick prepared for raising the walls the next season. The Post street bridge was built by private subscription, and a movement started which resulted in the starting of the Spokane Library Association. -
Notwithstanding its drawbacks, 1883 was a season of great activity, and on the whole very satisfactory in results for Spokane, revealing the enterprising charac- teristies of her citizens, and showing the stability of her resources as compared with the ephemeral boom of Cheney, which now began to show signs of collapse.
Although the previous year had been so prolific in brick building, there was still demand for more such structures, and the Moore & Mason block, Squier & Ben- ham block and the Jamieson block were added in 1881 to the city's substantial busi- ness places. A fire in August swept off the row of buildings on the southeast cor- ner of Main and Howard, while the Moore & Mason block was under construction, and late in the season a one-story uncompleted brick building on the same corner partially replaced the burnt space.
The Review took its turn in June of this year to do the daily act, beginning as an evening paper, and although it had to face the dull music of a reaction, it never missed an issue, although its former proprietors could tell of some hard pinches.
The Holley water system, which was started by a local company under a city charter, was brought to a standstill in August, owing to the growing financial strin- gency, and was taken under control by a citizens' association of thirty, who each assumed $1,000 responsibility, with the pledge that at the ensuing spring election the city should vote to reimburse them and accept proprietary control. The spirit manifested in meeting this critical emergency, and of turning over the valuable fran- ehise to the city, was a gratifying revelation of the loyalty of our citizens to the city's best interests.
Two volunteer hose companies were organized during the year and did some valuable service at the three fires which threatened to devastate the city. Besides the briek buildings put up this season, Wolverton & Conlan built a frame between the Central block and Jamieson's: Charles Webster a frame where the Hyde block now stands; W. W. Wolverton, a frame next his brick ; Moore & Cutter, a two-story frame ; J. Lange, one on the corner of Howard and Sprague ; Witherspoon & Kinney built two on the opposite corner of Sprague. the first one having been burned in the September fire. Loewenberg Brothers bought out the mercantile business of Charles Sweeny & Co., and the Great Eastern Co. established its business.
The winter of 1881-85 began to look blue to many of our business men, and a few of the smaller enterprises let go their grip, but there was no such panic as reigned in many of the older cities.
Paul F. Mohr, who had begun late in the fall of 1884. to study the value of the water power. undertook to organize a syndicate of eastern capitalists to furnish $100,000 to purchase the water power, and the prospect of the success of this under- taking helped to buoy up the situation. The financial stringeney was, however, too apparent. and the project lapsed. Early in February II. M. MeCartney succeeded in getting a contract to furnish supplies, by way of the Colville valley and Colum- bia river for the construction force on the Canadian Pacific road. and the building of a steamboat at the Little Dalles, together with the collection of supplies, afforded
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a timely relief, and kept the wheels of improvement in motion. This, with the stim- ulation of prospecting in the Colville valley (notably the discovery of the Old Dominion claim) and the brighter outlook in the Coeur d'Alenes, which now began to develop from a placer to a quartz camp, renewed the fires of enthusiasm, and Spokane faced the hard times with a more determined mien.
The city voted at the April election, with hardly a dissenting vote. to assume control of the waterworks. The Catholic church was erected and the college build- ing advanced toward completion. Mr. Van Valkenberg put up an extension to the Jamieson block : the Spokane Lumber & Manufacturing Co. was organized and be- gan laying the foundations for extensive works: Clark & Curtis erected the C. & C. Mills; an electric light plant was put into operation by George Fitch ; the Spokane Manufacturing company started with modest beginnings on Post street, developing the next year into a large plant south of the railroad station; and surveys were made under Paul F. Mohr for the Spokane & Palouse railroad. A strong move was made at the session of the legislature to secure the passage of an act to enable the county to vote on relocation of the county seat, which was passed. The organi- zation of the Traders' National bank in November was a bright harbinger, and the year closed with unusually bright prospects.
The spring of 1886 opened up lively, and transferred its vigorous gait on to summer and fall. The first branch railway, the Spokane & Palouse, was to be an undeniable fact. Its establishment, with Spokane as terminals, had been secured by the unremitting efforts of A. M. Cannon and Paul F. Mohr, who were respectively chosen as president and chief engineer, and began grading with the carliest dawn of spring. The vast silver and lead deposits of the Coeur d'Alene river region were brought more prominently to light, and the fuller significance for Spokane of these great mineral discoveries began to be more generally appreciated. Capitalists in- spected the situation, and decided that there must be an outlet for the ore, and early in the season a company was formed to construct a railway to Coeur d'Alene lake, which was later in the season transferred. with the Coeur d'Alene Navigation company, to a company which built and operated it under the title of the Spokane & Idaho Railroad company, in the interest of the Northern Pacific. Montana capi- talists extended the highway to the mines, by building farther on from Mission, the head of navigation on the Coeur d'Alene river, to Wardner,
The first street railway company set on foot by H. C. Marshall and A. J. Ross, was granted a charter. The Spokane Electric Light & Power company was or- ganized and increased the electric light plant. Mother Joseph of Vancouver plan- ned and superintended the building of the hospital of the Sacred Heart. The Washington & Idaho Fair association was formed. and held the first agricultural fair in Spokane.
Prospecting in the Okanogan region had been prosecuted during the spring and summer, and before the close of the season the Salmon river mining region developed with a reputation hardly less promising than the Coeur d'Alenes and Colville.
The Daily Review, which had been changed the previous season to a morning daily, brought this year to its aid H. T. Brown and II. W. Greenberg, who increased its news facilities to full press reports. The Chronicle launched out as an evening daily, with Major E. A. Routhe as editor, and now divided the honors with the
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Review. The Northwest . Tribune removed from Cheney to Spokane, and the Daily News was run for several weeks as a campaign paper.
Mason, Smith & Co. bought out the Schulein Brothers stock, and W. D. Plants & Co. established a wholesale grocery business. Three-story bricks were required this year to meet the demand, and stately blocks were put up by A. E. Keats, E. B. Hyde, W. M. Wolverton and F. R. Moore for business and office purposes ; the Arlington hotel, four stories, by Arthur & Lasher, and a fine two-story block by E. J. Brickell for the postoffice and the warehouse of the Spokane Mill company. The latter firm was this year reorganized from the former Spokane Lumber & Manufacturing company, its capital and scope greatly enlarged, and spacious ac- commodations provided for its varied line of manufactures.
The Presbyterian church society built a fine house of worship.
The November clection settled the county seat question emphatically in favor of Spokane. The year closed with buoyant and accelerated prospects, and left to 1887 the heritage of more brilliant achievements than Spokane had yet seen.
CHAPTER XXXIX
DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF COEUR D'ALENES
EXISTENCE OF GOLD KNOWN IN '50S-MULLAN SAW NUGGETS THERE IN VERY EARLY DAV-A. J. PRICHARD FIRST SYSTEMATIC PROSPECTOR-HONORS DIVIDED WITH TOM IRWIN-PRICHARD'S STORY-SCHEME TO COLONIZE COUNTY WITH "LIBERALS' - DISCOVERY NEAR MURRAY-WILD STAMPEDE OF 83-KEEN RIVALRY BETWEEN SPOKANE AND AMBITIOUS RIVALS- FAMOUS OLD TOWN OF EAGLE-M. M. COWLEY'S RECOLLECTIONS-MUSHROOM PLACER CAMPS-DISCOVERY OF BUNKER HILL-THAT FAMOUS DONKEY- DUTCH JAKE'S STORY-SALE OF THE GREAT MINE-OTHER FAMOUS GALENA STRIKES-ROMANCE OF THE HERCULES-CHARLES SWEENY'S OPERATIONS-MARVELOUS RECORD OF PRODUCTION AND DIVIDENDS-STRANGE STORY OF "DREAM" DAVIS.
Above the pines the moon was slowly drifting; The river sang below; The dim Sierras, far beyond, uplifting Their minarets of snow.
The roaring eamp-fire, with rude humor painted The ruddy hues of health On haggard face and form that drooped and fainted In the fieree raee for wealthi. -Bret Harte.
A SK an old-timer in the Coeur d'Alene country "Who discovered gold in this district?" and without a moment's hesitation he will answer, "A. J. Priehard was the man." That Prichard was first in that field as systematic searcher for placer gold, and that his discoveries brought about the spectacular rush of 1883-1. no longer admits of doubt. That question was threshed over more than a quarter of a century ago, and Adam Aufbach, veteran editor of the North Fork country. who challenged for awhile Priehard's claim to the distinction, was eon- vineed after a painstaking study of all the facts, and in a letter published in 1896 testified that "gold was discovered in the Coeur d'Alenes in 1882 by A. J. Priehard on what is now known as Prichard creek, one of the tributaries of the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene river."
The existence of gold was known, however, many years before Priehard went through the country with his gold pan and prospeetor's pack. Lieutenant John
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Mullan, who built the historic Mullan road, took note in 1858-9 of the appearance of great ledges of mineral-bearing quartz. "Nay, more. I now recall quite vividly," wrote Mullan in 1881 to the Coeur d'Alene Eagle, "that one of my hunters and herders, a man by the name of Moise, a French-Canadian, came into camp one day with a handful of coarse gold which he said he had found on the headwaters of the north fork of the Coeur d'alene while out hunting for our expedition. This gold was so pure, so heavy, and so free from quartz or matrix rock, and weigh- ing several ounces, that it attracted not only a great deal of attention but some degree of surprise at the time."
"The members of my expedition," adds Mullan, "were very largely old miners from California, and their universal verdict was that the entire country from Coeur d'Alene lake on toward and including the east slope of the Rocky mountains was one vast gold-bearing country, and I was always nervous as to the possible dis- covery of gold along the line of my road : and I am now frank to say I did nothing to encourage its discovery at that time, for I feared that any general discovery would lead to a stampede of my men from my own expedition and thus destroy the probable consummation of my work during the time within which I desired to complete the same. I then regarded it as of the first importance to myself and the publie to open a base line from the plains of the Spokane on the west to the plains of the Missouri on the east, from which other lines could be subsequently opened and by means of which the correct geography of the country could be delineated."
Prichard's own statements seem straightforward and bear an impress of verae- ity. He came to the Coeur d'Alene country in the fall of 1878. from New Mexico by way of Colorado and Montana. "I found the quartz lead known as the Evolu- tion lead, on my way in in November, 1878. It being late in the fall, I went to Post Coeur d'Alene (Fort Sherman), thence over to Heyden's lake where I did some work for Heyden, and remained until January. While there, hearing that Cannon, Warner & Co. wanted some logs. I went to Spokane Falls to see them and took a contract."
In after years Tom Irwin was given eredit by some for pioneering in the Coeur d'Alenes. "My first acquaintance with Irwin," says Prichard. "was in January, '79, while at the falls. Finding him gentlemanly and an old prospector, we talked over the prospects of the country, in which I spoke of my finding what is now known as the Evolution lead. In the spring while I was at work Mr. Irwin came up on a prospecting trip on the South Coeur d'Alene. Being short of provisions Irwin had to return, doing very little prospecting. On his return he found the lead near Miners' camp, to which he afterwards returned and put up his cabin in the summer of '79."
Prichard says he returned to his Evolution claim in the fall of 1879, and worked his lead through the winter, but "doing very little execution, having no tools to work with and no money to buy, having only a silver dollar left on arriv- ing. In February I commenced prospecting on a small gulch ealled Prospect gulch, putting in sluice boxes in March, and. to my knowledge, taking out the first placer gold on the Coeur d'Alene. It being a small gulch. the water did not last long. but I got some very nice specimens of coarse gold."
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