Spokane County, Washington - Chapter 12: Spokane Country - How to Spell Spokane with or Without the Final "e, 1900

Chapter 12: Spokane Country - How to Spell Spokane with or Without the Final "e

In his "Report of an examination of the Upper CoUinibia river, and the territory in its vicinity." September and October, 1881, Lieut. Thomas \V. Symons, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, chief engineer of the Department of the Columbia, has treated the subject ciuite fully.

"Whether to put the final 'e' on this word has been a much-discussed (|uesti()n, and has divided the people of the Spukane region into two parties. A majority, however, seem to desire the 'e.' and so it will fmally be adopted, in all probability, and go down to futurity. There seems to be about as much authority for spelling it one way as another. The only clew that I have been able to obtain to the meaning of the word is in the book of Ross Cox, where he speaks of the chief of the Indians of the region as Tllim-Spokanee,' which means the 'Son of the Sun.' From this, and from the nature of the country in w hich they lived, it is fair to infer that their tribal name meant something like "Children of the Sun.' They lived princi|)ally on the great sunny plains of the Spokane, while many of the neighboring tribes lived in the woody, mountainous regions of Cceur d' Alene, Pend d' Oreille, Koolenay, and Colville rivers.

"1 have been told by men long resident in the country that the original word was pronounced with a slight vowel syllable 'e' at the end - Spokan-e. This vowel syllable, indistinct at best, was soon droppetl by the busy whites, who love not long names.

'"In an official Congre.ssional report submitted January 19, 18.22, and in one submitted May 15, 1826, the post at Spokane is called Lantou and Lanton. This is probably the same word as Lah-too, mentioned by Mullan as the Indian name for Hangman's creek.

"In speaking of the Astorian trading establishments these reports say : One of these subordinate establishments appears to have been at the mouth of the Lewis river (Fort Ncz I'erce or Walla W^alla, wdiere Wallula now stands); one at Lantou (.Spokane House, near the junction of the Sjxikane and Little Spokane ri\ers) ; a third on the Columbia, si.\ hundred miles from the ocean, at the confluence of the Wautaua river ( b'ort Okinakane); a fourth on the Ivast Fork of Lewis ri\er (1 beliex'c this was on the Clearwater at the mouth of Lapwai creek, where the Indian agency now is, but I am not certain) ; and the fifth on the Multnoma (Willamette).

the country in 183(5, says: " The name of this nation is generally written Spokan, sometimes Spokane. I called them Spokans, but they corrected my pronunciation and said ' Sjiokein," and this they repeated several times, until I was convinced that to give their name a correct pronunciation, it should be written .Spokein.

The Spokane Section

"This section is more varied than any of the others. In its southeastern part is Coeur d'Alene lake and the fine timber-covered country surrounding it. In its northeastern and eastern part are the gravelly SiX)kane i)lains and the fertile prairies embedded in the northern woods. Its western portion comprises some of the finest farming lands in the Territory, among which are those known as the Deep Creek, Four Lakes, Upper Crab Creek, Hawk Creek and Cottonwood Spring countries, Gordon Prairie, etc. The Spokane river runs through this section, giving water transportation for the timber from the great forests about its headwaters, and furnishing one of the finest water-powers in the world. The main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad runs diagonally through the section. Along the Spokane river, below the falls and upon its small trilnitarics, tliere is a great tleal of timber, which will furnish the inhabitants and settlers with wocid and lumber for a number of years, initil more railroads are built and the commerce in grain, fuel and lumber becomes established.

"Due west from Spokane Falls and extending in a westerly direction is the divide, between the streams which flow north into the Spokane and south into Crab creek. This divide is no higher in appearance than the country to the north and south ; it abounds in springs and swales, where the waters collect and then flow away as rivulets and brooks through the gentle-rolling hills at first, finally becoming more deeply encanoned as they near their destination at the greater river or creek. Of course those flowing north into the Spokane cut more deeply than those flowing south. This divide is of importance in the economy of the country, as it furnishes an e.xcellent route for a railroad, which will pass through an extremely fertile and desirable country, and be easily accessible from both sides throughout its entire length. This railroad is one which in the near future must certainly be built. Its startingpoint must be at the falls of the Spokane, from where it will stretch away westward to the Okinakane and vicinity of the Wenatchee, bearing in one direction its loads of grain to be groiuid into flour for shipment to the great world, and in the other direction the fuel, lumber and merchandise recjuired by the inhabitants of the country through which it passes.

"Among the singular features of this country are the Spokane plains. Lying along the banks of the Upper Six)kane and extending ofi' towards Pend d'Oreille lake there is a system of nearly level plains rising one alx)ve the other into terraces towards the north. These plains are composed chiefly of gravel and bowlders, and the vegetation on them is slight, and they are not well adapted to farming purposes. The higher terraces seem to be much better than the lower ones as there is more good rich soil intermixed with the gravel on them.

"It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that these plains are valueless. They are well adapted to grazing purposes, and throughout there are large patches and strips where the rich soil has collected in suffiicient quantity - and depth to give most e.xcellent farming lands. Some of the garden farms on these fertile patches are already famous for the quality and quantity of their products."

The Spokane River

"The Spokane river at its mouth is about two hundred feet wide, and flows through a canon very similar to that of the Cohiml)ia, and alxHit two thousand feet l)elow tlie general level of the plains to the sciuth. It is broken by many rapids and falls and is entirely unnavigable. From its nmuth up to Si)nkane Falls, about seventy miles, this canon is very deep and difficult to cross or traverse. This river, with that portion of the Columljia from its mouth to the Okinakane, forms the boundary line between the rich and treeless great Columbian Plain on the south, and the more rocky, timbered and mountainous country to the north.

"The Spokane river, by its situation and characteristics, is bound to play an imp(irtant part in the settlement and ultimate well-being of the whole country within a great distance of it.

"At Spokane Falls is a magniliccnt waterpower, one of the hnesl in the woi'ld, and situated as it is in the miilst of a si)lcndid agricultural country, most of which, however, is treeless, there seems no room to d<iubt that it will become a great manufacturing and commercial center.

"By means of the river and C(eur d"Alcne lake, and the tributary streams of the latter, a magnificent and widely-extended area of timl^erland living along the Cccur d'Alene and Bitter Root mountains can be made to yield its forest covering for transportation by water to Sjiokane Falls, there to be manufactured into lumber and distributed throughout the agricultural lands, to the .south and west. In return for this lumber and fuel, these lands will send their wheat to the falls to be manufactured into flour, and sent from there to the seaboard to be shipped to the markets of the world.

at these falls will be erected great woolen manufactories, to \\(irk up the raw produce of the country into cloths and blankets required by the inhabitants thereof.

"Large f|uantities of brown hematite iron ore ha\'e been l"ound near the .Sjiokane river below the falls, and it is known that other iron deposits lie to the north.

"Quantities of flax have been grown in the past few years in the country to the south of Spokane Falls, and it must also l)e brought to this great water-jiower to be manufactured into threail. cloth, etc., and the seed into oil.

"The number of manufacturing enterprises fijr which this place seems adapted seems very great. I may enumerate, besides those mentioned a1)o\'e. the manufacture of all kinds of wooden ware, of agricultural and farming implements, wagons, carriages, furniture, leather, harness, boots and shoes. ])ork. beer, and iron and metal works in great variety. Large luinibers of emigrants ha\'e 1)een and are coming into tliis .S])okane country, lured hither 1)\- the line agricultural prospects, by the al)und;ince of reinunerati\e laljor. the prospects of large manufacturing establishments, and the bright mining outlook. This influx of emigrants will be largely increased as soon as the railroads reach the country and render it cheaper and easier for them to come.

"The Si)okane in the upper part of its course presents the estimable peculiarity - especially valuable in view of its use as a waterpower - of ne\-er freezing.

"It seems to be fed by many springs between the falls and the Cienr d'Alene Lake, which ha\e the elTect, in the coldest weather, of keeping the teinpev.-itnre above the treeznig

"Immediateb- aliout the falls the .soil is not ad.-ipled to farnnng on a large scale, as it is more or less rocky and gravelly. It is, however, on this account, particularly well litted for building purpo.ses.

(Ired and thirty feet, divided into several plunges and rapids, and broken by islands and rocks, and so situated that its entire force can be controlled and brought into use.

"It would seem as if nature could not have done more to make this a great manufacturing and ominiercial center, and a beautiful, healthy and attractive place."