Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Francis H. Cook, the Father of Manito Park – Part 9 – the story continues …

According to the book, “Manito Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past”:

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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