SPOKANE; sph-knn'. The county-seat of Spokane County, Wash., 450 miles east of Puget Sound, on the Spokane River and on the North ern Pacific Railway, the Great Northern Rail way, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Com pany, and several local branch lines (Map: Washington, II 2). The city was formerly known as Spokane Falls. Elevation, 1900 feet above sea level. The Spokane River lows through the heart of the city from east to west in a series of waterfalls, having a total descent of I.12 feet, from which, at the lowest stage of water, 30,000 horse-power is available. Elec trical power generated here is transmitted to the famous Cmur d'Altme silver and lead mines of Idaho, 100 miles away. Spokane has the Gonzaga College (Roman Catholic), opened in 1SS7, Bru not. Hall, an Episcopal school for girls, and Saint Stephen's School for Boys. The city is well pro vided with hospitals and charitable institutions, and expends about $S000 annually for a public library (Carnegie). The notable buildings are the court house, city hall, post office, and Audi torium Theatre. Twenty-three bridges span the river within the city limits. Fort Wright, a large United States army post, is situated on the river just outside the city. Spokane is the min img centre of the Pacific Northwest, the tributary mines producing over $21,000,000 annually in gold, silver, copper, and lead. The city is sur rounded on the north, east, and south by large pine timber forests. it is also the metropolis of a highly productive cereal belt. In the census year 1900 there was $2,678,823 capital invested in the various industries, whose output was valued at $15,427,540. Lumber, foundry and machine shop
prod nets, cars, flour, malt liquors, brick, brooms, furniture, pottery, marble and granite, and orna mental iron constitute the principal manufac tures. The government is vested in a mayor, every two years, and a unicameral coun cil, and in administrative officials, the majority of whom are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council. The city spends annually for maintenance and operation about $547,000, the principal items of expense being: Schools, $157,000; interest on debt, $145,000; the fire department, $67,000; police department, $36.000: and streets, $21,000. The water-works, which represent an expenditure of $1,326,761, are owned and operated by the municipality. Population, in 1890, 19,922; in 1900, 36,848. In the early part of the nineteenth century an Indian trading post was established at Spokane, but there was a population of only 350 in 1880. The growth of the present city dates from 1884, when the Northern Pacific Railway was completed to this point. The city soon became an important dis tributing centre, and by 1892 was entered by eight railways. In 1889 it was almost completely destroyed by fire, but was quickly rebuilt. Con sult a chapter by Harold 'Dolce, in Powell, His toric Towns of the 'Western States (New York, 1901) ; Edwards, An Illustrated History of Spo kane County (n. p., 1900).