In 1903, Spokane reported to have 7 millionaires!

Early in Spokane’s history as a city, an area then called “The Hill” developed simultaneously with Browne’s Addition (named for the early Spokane settler, John J. Browne).  “The Hill” was on the south side of the city below the Manito plateau, roughly between Stevens and Monroe.  As the people and the wealth from the mines poured into Spokane, mansions began appearing in this area.  In 1896, F. Lewis Clark, owner of the C&C Flour Mill in downtown Spokane, built a mansion at 701 West Seventh Avenue, and the following year, Daniel C. Corbin and his son, Austin Corbin II, began construction of two colonial homes on Seventh Avenue.  Austin’s home at the end of Post Street, the more palatial of the two, cost $33,000.  Daniel Corbin’s home at the end of Stevens Street originally cost $17,000.  The cost figures all appeared in “The Chronicle” on January 6, 1899.  Other mansions followed as Spokane basked in its “Age of Elegance”, and by the year 1900, the city of Spokane was bursting with expansion.  Hundreds of city lots were surveyed, platted and awaited buyers.  In 1903, the Spokesman-Review boasted, “Spokane has 7 millionaires.”  A new upscale neighborhood was taking shape and expanding in a residential area around what is now Manito Park.

Bibliography:  “Manito Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past” by Tony and Suzanne Bamonte, 1998.

 

 

Wyatt Earp in the Spokane area?

According to the book, “Manito Park, A Reflection of Spokane’s Past”, the original Wyatt of Tombstone Arizona fame speculated in several businesses in the Coeur D’Alene mining district, and in 1884 became a deputy sheriff for Kootenai County.   He was involved in at least two local gunfights in Eagle City, Idaho, about 85 miles East of Spokane as the crow flies.  These events were recorded on April 5, 1884 and June 28, 1884 issues of the “Spokane Falls Review”.

All Of Our Facts Come From This Little Book

The book, “Manito Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past” was written by Tony and Suzanne Schaeffer Bamonte.  It was published in 1998 by Tornado Creek Publications of Spokane.  The book is now out of print, but still available from collectors or at the library in your neighborhood.  Give it a read – it is 128 pages of very interesting facts about one of Spokane’s most beautiful and favorite parks.

Tornado Creek Publications has published many books about the Northwest areas and you can see all of their releases at the link below.  Click on the “Tornado Publications” link just below.

Tornado Publications

POLAR BEAR TAKES AN ARM AT THE MANITO ZOO!

On July 11, 1923, 9 year old Elizabeth Harris was visiting the Manito Zoo with her Nanny.  She put her hand, full of bread, into the Polar Bear enclosure and one of the bears pulled her arm into the enclosure while the other, smelling blood, attacked it.  Attendants immediately came running at the little girl’s screams, but as they pulled her away from the cage, her arm remained inside.

 

Little Elizabeth so loved all the Manito Zoo animals that she insisted on harm come to the bears over this.  Although her father was a prominent Spokane attorney, no lawsuits were ever filed.  Shortly after the accident, the family moved to Seattle where Elizabeth grew up, graduated from the University of Washington and later married George Spence, also a graduate of U of W.  They had one son, Richard Spence who is still living in Bellevue, Washington.

 

According to Richard, his mother’s life was full and rewarding and filled with acts of charity and kindness toward others.  She knew of no handicaps in spite of her accident many years earlier.  Elizabeth passed away in 1981 and was buried next to her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

Our Series On Manito Park is Being Started Soon!

Keep watching here on www.ManitoPark.org News Reports for a new and continuing series of interesting and little-known facts about Manito Park, its history and growth throughout the years since its inception.

The first article will appear within the next few days and will be updated with a new chapter weekly.

Amaze your friends and neighbors! Read these little stories and know more than they do about Spokane History, and particularly about Manito Park's development throughout the years. You'll be the hit of the next neighborhood barbecue!

We will be publishing a little teaser on our Facebook page, but the articles will be appearing on www.ManitoPark.org. Be sure to pop in to our website and take a look.

Picnics at Manito Park

Manito Park in Spokane Washington is a great place to have a family picnic, especially this time of year. Manito Park is coming into full bloom and as the weather warms, one of the many picnic spots are a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

Here are some picnic ideas next time you go to Manito Park.


1. Picnic On The Green
There are countless stretches of grass under the shade of trees or out in the sun where families can enjoy a picnic at Manito Park. Bring a picnic lunch, blanket and a frisbee or glove and ball and enjoy one of Manito Park's grassy green spots for an afternoon picnic.



2. Picnic Tables
There are several picnic tables around Manito Park, particularly near the main entrance. I've seen many a folks having a birthday party, family get-together or just an afternoon of sun and fun at one of the many picnic tables at Manito Park. Picnic tables at Manito are first come first served so keep that in mind, especially on holidays and get there early if you want a good picnic table. Please clean up after yourself, leaving the park better than when you found it. There is nearly always a trash bin close by, so take advantage and keep Manito Park clean for so the whole community can enjoy picnics at the park. Many of the tables are also close to the children playgrounds, so families of all sizes and ages are sure to have a good time.




3. Picnic Structure
The main picnic shelter near the Main Entrance to Manito Park is available by reservation only. There is a sign posted near the front of the structure with a phone number on it, so make sure you make reservations for the structure before setting up your picnic.

That said, the Manito Park picnic shelter is a great place for receptions, family reunions, outdoor corporate picnics, birthdays or anniversaries. The shelter does have a bbq grill inside it, but it likely isn't enough to service several people. The main shelter at Manito Park is a great place to picnic, just make sure you reserve it before you setup shop. They get real grumpy if you don't contact them about using it before you picnic.

There are many places at Manito Park that are good for enjoying a picnic in the park. So grab your kids, a sack lunch and some outdoor toys and head over to Manito Park for an outdoor picnic. As always, respect the park, clean up after yourselves, no loud music or alcohol. So what are you waiting for? Get over to Manito Park for a picnic today!

Manito Park Japanese Garden Rules

Here are the rules posted for visitors to the Japanese Gardens at Manito Park in Spokane Washington.

1. No Dogs allowed. They would like it if you did not bring your dog into the Japanese Garden at Manito Park.

2. No Food Allowed. Do not feed the koi fish, and do not bring food into the garden. If you have a coffee with you when you enter, please be considerate and do not litter.

3. Stay on the paved pathways. There is a gravel path through the Japanese garden.

4. Keep off the grass. This one is a bit redundant - because if you stay on the paths, then by default you will stay off the grass. But they must have believed it was necessary to say it twice. You know, the department of redundancy department.

5. No bicycles or skateboards. Not sure how one would skateboard inside the garden on gravel paths, but we suppose it had to be said for some reason. Navigating the gravel paths in the Japanese Garden at Manito Park would be tricky anyway, so avoid the trouble and leave your bike outside.

6. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. This makes sense, although assumes the adult accompanying the child under 12 is more mature than the child.

7. Use fish viewing areas to access the water. Not sure how else the water would be accessed, but okay. I think this is related to #3 and #4 - stay on the paths.

8. Do not touch fish or wildlife. Yuck the koi pond looked filthy last weekend, only touch the fish if you want a disease.

9. No commercial photography is allowed except for reserved weddings. Apparently they want to control photography of the garden and only grant the privilege to those who pay the fee. Those of us amateurs with point-and-shoot cameras are okay.

10. This is not a playground (duh), it is made for enjoying the beauty and for meditation. Okay, except, how ignorant do they think I am exactly, wait - I don't want to know.

11. Please show respect for the garden and other guests. Yes, please don't be annoying, loud, rude and be nice. Seems simple enough.

These are the 11 rules posted outside the Japanese Garden at Manito Park in Spokane Washington. For more information about Manito Park, visit http://www.manitopark.org/.