According to the book, “Manito
Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past”:
In his book “News for
an Empire”, Ralph Dyar described the arrival of Francis Cook in the
following way, “Seventy-four years after the discovery of the Inland Empire,
its trading-center-to-be got a newspaper by the grace of God and a tramp
printer…The itinerant printer was Francis H. Cook, a native of Ohio, who had
set type on newspapers in many other states.”
This “Tramp Printer” would become one of Spokane’s most
notable, but unsung historical figures.
He was a former elected member of the Territorial Legislative Council,
and although the youngest member of both houses, he was chosen as the chairman. According to published accounts of Cook, he
was a colorful, hard working and honest man.
His enthusiasm and faith in early Spokane was the driving force behind
his many worthy enterprises. Although
none brought him lasting monetary gain, he gave Spokane some of its most
notable legacies. He was truly a visionary whose ideas and actions were ahead
of their time.
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A lot more about Francis Cook
later. Stay tuned and check in with
ManitoPark.Org every week for the next chapter.
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