We previously read about the roles Mr. Cook and T.J. Dooley
had in establishing the Montrose Addition which is now the Manito
neighborhood. Following the first
Spokane county fair on Mr. Cook’s property, he and Mr. Dooley decided to apply
for permission to get a public transportation line started in Spokane.
On December 20, 1887, the Spokane Falls City Council granted
a franchise allowing the construction of the motor line. The franchise was given to Cook, Dooley and
two other men, Horatio Belt and E.A. Routhe, for a period of 30 years. With a $25,000 loan made by the Provident
Trust Company, construction began in the spring of 1888. On November 6, 1888, the Spokane &
Montrose Motor Railroad, powered by a wood-burning steam engine, began
operations in Spokane’s first motor trolley.
(A horse-drawn trolley owned by H.C. Marshall and A.J. Ross, preceded
Cook’s line. This passenger trolley,
pulled by two horses, made its first trip in April of 1888. It operated on tracks from the intersection
of Division Street and Riverside to the west side of Coeur d’Alene Park in
Browne’s Addition.)
Cook’s Spokane & Montrose line initially consisted of a
square-shaped engine and two passenger coaches.
The route began between Front and Riverside, traveled south on
Washington Street to Sixth Avenue, where it turned east to a rock cut on
Bernard Street between Seventh and Eighth.
From there it proceeded to a point where the Rockwood gateposts now
stand. It then continued west on Sumner
to the site of the present St. John’s Cathedral, then south on Grand to
Montrose (Manito) Park, where the original line ended at about 19th.
Next time we’ll explore an early
Spokesman Review article about this new motorized passenger line in Spokane.
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