Spokane County, Washington - Chapter 13: Srok.\ne County, 1900

Chapter 13: Srok.\ne County

The Territorial Legislature of 1858-9 passed an act creating Spokane county, lying ncirth (if Snake river. Pinkney City, the name lieing soon changed to Colville, was made the county seat. January 20, 1863. the county of Stevens was organized for "ci\'il and military purposes, to be attached to the county of Spol.-ane for judicial purposes." January 19, 1864, an act passed annexing the county of Spokane to Ste\'ens. the county officers of Spokane to be county officers of Stevens until the expiration of their term, and said Stevens county to be entitled to representati\'es and councilmen of the two counties formerly existing. Thus the original Spokane county was absorl)ed in Stevens county, which succeeded it.

The present Spokane county was orgar.ized October 30, 1879, out of part of Stevens county. The bill was drawn by Hon. J. J. Browne, of this city, who went to Olympia to urge its passage. PTon. D. V. Perci\'al. of Cheney, then a member of the Legislature from StCN-ens county, presented it. Hon. Francis H. Cook, who was a memljer of tlie Legislature or Council from Pierce county, but resided in Spokane Falls an<l pulilished the Si)okane Times, opposed the bill Ijecause of the superfluous "e" in Spokane. But it passed and the description of Spo]<ane county was thus, "Commencing at a i)oint where the section line between sections 21 and _><S iu township 14. r.inge 27, Willamette meridian, Washington territory, strikes the main body of the Columbia river on tlie west side of the island ; thence west to the midchannel of the Columl)ia river; thence up the mid-channel of the Columbia river to the Spokane river; thence up the mid-channel of the Spokane river to the Little Spokane river; thence north to tlie township line beween town- .ships 29 and 30; thence east to the Ixnmdaryline between Washington and Idaho territories; thence .south on the said boundary line to the fifth standard parallel ; thence west on said parallel to the Columljia guide meridian ; thence south on said meridian to the fourtli standard ]iarallel ; thence west on fourth standard parallel to the range line 1)etween ranges 27 and 28; tiience south on said range line to the section line lietween sections Xos. 24 and 25 in township 14 north, range 27 east, Willamette meridiian : thence west to the place of beginning." W. C. Cray, John H. W^ells and Andrew Lafevre were appointed a Iward of commissioners to call a special election for tlie election of county officers and to ajipoint the necessary judges and ins]:)ectors therefor. The officers to be elected were one auditor, one treasurer, one sheriff to act as cx-officio assessor, one probate judge, one superintendent of common schools one coroner and three county commissioners. The county seat was temporarily locate<l at the town of Spf)kane Falls, to remain until located elsewhere by a majority vote of the legal electors of said county. Originally the county included i\\^ present counties of Lincoln and Douglas. At present the county consists of forty-eight full tciwnships and two fractions. It is fifty-four miles in length, north and south, by thirty-si.x in width, and has an area of about seventeen hundred square miles and one mi.- lion, one Iiundred and thirty-five thousand, three hundred and sixty acres. It borders with the state of Idaho on the east, and is therefore the eastern doorway of the state, and is situate- 1 about midway between the north and sout'.: line. Stevens county is north, Whitman county south and Lincoln county west of it It is a county of scenic beauty and picturesque variety. Within its borders are found fertil<i prairies, delightful vales, rugged hills, a mas sive mountain, crystal streams and rivers mighty cataracts, enchanting lakes, thick forests of fur, tamarack and pine and a broad,long and superb valley. Though the lakes are not large, they are numerous. Saltese and Liberty lakes to the southeast, Newman lake, northeast, Clear, Silver, Medical, Little Medical and Granite lakes, west and about midway between the north and south line. Rock creek and Chapman are small lakes near southwest corner. Newman and Clear lakes are the largest about four miles by two miles. The southern portion of the county is a part of the Palous country with similar characteristics of rollint' hills following one another without order. This is first-class wheat land. The elc\-ation wil average two thousand feet above sea level Moving northward we enter a timber countr} known in early history as Spokane woods. Il is spotted with small but fertile j)rairics. such as Moran prairie and Fruitland, and some of the woodland has been transformed to orchards. Leaving the woods we enter the grand Spokane valley, which is on a lower elevation. Even one who has encircled the globe has seen but few s]X)ts equal in magnificence. Nature has been !a\'ish in its endowment of splendor upon this favored spot. It is nearly thirty miles in length and from five to ten miles in width. The surface is undulating just enough to afford fine drainage. There are seasons of the year when a \-iew of the valley from an elevation is indescribably resplendant; when it is ablaze with green grass and a great variety of flowers. In parts the grain can be seen waving gracefully in the breeze, and orchards with trees laden with delicious fruit. The Spokane river winds its way through, rushing as if in haste to reach the series of falls and make the last plunge under the Monroe street bridge to the chasm below, and from thence to wind its way between hills and canyons to join the great Columbia on its way to the sea. The Spgkane valley is encircled with pine-clad hills picturestiuely broken up with cliffs of rugged granite and basaltic rocks, with the towering Mt. Carleton, familiarly known as "Old Baldy." away in the distance.

The soil of Spokane valley is a mixture of loam and gravel and much of it is lieing successfully cultivated, especially along the river banks. The gravel causes it to dry out quickly when the heat of summer comes. The possibilities of the A-alley when under irrigation, which can be easily accomplished by the use of water from the ri\-er and Cceur d' Alene lake. is hardly conceivable.

North - of the Spokane valley is found a country gorgeous in beauty and sublime in scenery. On the small prairie are found farmers as prosperous probably as any in the United States. Orchard and Pleasant ])rairics are what their names indicate. They are gems of beauty, and those who have been fortunate enough to find homes in them can with propriety say, "our lines have fallen in ])leasant places." The fot)thills towards "Old Baldy." as well as the ravines and valleys, are being transfiirmed to fertile fields and fruitful orchards. In the vicinity of Newman lake are some profitable hay farms. .\t considerable expense, those who live around the south end of the lake, where the water originally overflowed, have added many acres to their hay land. Mr. Wendler's fruit farm has attracted wide attention on account of the exhibit at the Spokane Fruit Fair and Industrial Exposition. The region around Mt. Carleton can only be appreciated by those who have climbed to the top of this old sentinel of nature and viewed the scene therefrom. Peone prairie is especiallv productive in grain. When we reach the Little Spokane river there is a deep depression. This river, known in history as Pointed Heart, flows through some wild country and romantic scenes, although great changes have l)een effected during recent years as the result of the rapid development of the northeastern portion of this county. Its waters turn the wheels of many mills and will doubtless turn many more in the near future. Spots of beauty are found here and there along the stream, especially west of Dart's mill. North of the Little Spokane the country is mostly timbered with the exception of Half Moon prairie, near Wayside, and Wild Rose, which are e(|ual in fertility with anything in the country. Five Mile prairie, about that distance from the centre of the city, is unsurpassed for grain, cereals and orchards, as evidenceil by exhil)its at Spokane fair. White Bluff prairie is a vast one. It is considerably spotted with scab, nevertheless large i)ortions of it are tillable land and capable of 'high cultivation, as evidenced by the waving grain fields that can be seen. In the Medical Lake and Cheney districts are found land unsurpassed in richness and fertility. In the prairie districts the soil is deep, loose and dark of color. It contains a considerable amount of volcanic ash, which gives it its forcible character as well as its great durability. Of all the prairie land, authorities have testified "The soil is rich in all constituent elements of cereals and vegetables and produces the finest quality." Frost sometime interferes with the maturity of the tenderer vegetables and fruits.

The climate of Sixikane county is bracing and vigorous. The pinecovered hills and distant snow-capped mountains give purity to the atmosphere. As a rule residents of the Atlantic coast have a wrong conception of the climate of this region. This is quite natural when they learn that Spokane is situated between the forty-seventh and forty-eighth parallels, farther north than the highest point of Maine. This led them to decide that a Canadian climate prevailed here. But their conclusion is an erroneous one, because they fail to take into account the warm Japan current beating upon the Pacific coast and the gentle Chinook winds that sweep across the state modifying the extremes of both winter and summer. Take it all in all, it is difficult to find a climate more desirable than that of Spokane county. The Puget Sound district is famous throughout America for the mildness of its climate; but for all practical purposes and for enjoyment of life, the climate of eastern Washington is greatly to be preferred, with twice as much sunshine and conijjaratively small difference in temperature.

W'e cannot write with authority on the geology of the county. The results of government surveys and explorations have not yet been jjublished. The mica found on Mica peaks has been declare*! as sufficient to supply the whole country, and of excellent quality. The marble and granite deposits within and adjacent to the county have been pronounced by experts as rich and fine in quality. The granite has come into extensive use. The Medical Lake granite has gained quite a reputation abroad. The Little Spokane granite is regarded as excellent in quality.

Some years ago Mr. George J. Ward well, an expert of high standing, made an examination of some of the marble and granite in the Spokane cmuitry and testified thus: "I found extensive de])osits of marble exposed to view at different i)laces on the face of the bluffs and flanks of ridges. At these places the marble was badly broken up, as might be expected, due to exposure for untold ages to atmospheric actions. A thin chip knocked from the cor- ner or from tlie face of any of these detached masses, exposed a quahty of marl)le of fine texture, bright and sparkHng, with markings varying from Hght to dark bkie, mottled with clean white, with light and dark cloud, to sharp black with man}' and sinuous lines, associated with lines of white and bluish w'hite, characteristics that would produce a great variety of figures and markings when sawed into slabs, monument stock, or iov Ijuilding or decorative purposes. I have also seen specimens of this marble that were polished, sand rubbed and tooled, which were all that could be desired in a first-class marble. I believe the density and texture will warrant me in saying that this marble will resist or sustain a crushing weight equal to the best building granite. say from eighteen thousand to twenty thousand pounds per square inch. After examining the outcroppings at the various points along the line of strike for a distance of from fifteen hundred to two thousand feet, and for nearly one thousand feet in width, I found the general characteristics the same as regards markings, color, te.xture, etc. The position of the deposit, as far as it could be determined by color markings, was nearly \ertical, a \cry desirable position for quarrying. I could discover no indication of distinct veins or beds, it being massive and free from stratification and iron or other mineral stains or defects. From what observation I have been able to make the marble is as fine in texture and beautiful in coloring and figures as any of the Eastern marbles of similar character."

Population

It is naturally heterogeneous. I'ut as a whole the people are industrious, sober, lawabiding, patriotic, progressive and prosperous. In intelligence they will compare well with any portion of the country. A large proportion are American born. The Germans are estimated as six thousand strong, and the Scandinaxian nati\'es are represented probably by a larger number. .\ more cosmopolitan city than Spokane would l)e diflicult to find, and yet its thorough Americanism is undisputed.