Browse Collections (38 total)

Carl Maxey Center Digital Archives: Preserving Spokane's Black History

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The Carl Maxey Center (CMC) is a Black-led and Black-centered non-profit, 501c3 organization, based in the East Central neighborhood of Spokane,…

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Postcards

PC_Wash_Spokane_Bridges_Monroe_third006.tif

Invented in 1869, picture postcards first appeared in the United States in 1873. Postcards soon became a popular means of communication, requiring…

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Spokane Miscellany

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This is a place for Spokane photos that don't fit into the other collections.

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Northwest Forts, Battlefields and Monuments

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Photographs of various historic forts and blockhouses around the Pacific Northwest.

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Jacob Dormaier Expo '74 Collection

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Collection of 35mm color slides taken before and during Expo '74 in Spokane. Shows the transformation of the riverfront in downtown Spokane.

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Northwest Rails

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The arrival of the railroad to the Pacific Northwest meant great changes to the region. Their routes allowed the raw materials of the Northwest,…

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Northwest Miners and Mining

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Mining booms throught the West spurred much of the growth of communities and the connecting railroads. Initial mining rushes were based on the…

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Kettle Falls

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The ancient Native American fishing site and center for trade economy, Kettle Falls, was inundated by Lake Roosevelt after the construction of the…

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Idaho Towns

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The discovery of gold in Northern Idaho in 1882 was the catalyst for the establishment of the first settlements and towns in the Idaho Territory. Many…

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Grand Coulee Dam

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The Grand Coulee Dam is the largest dam on the Columbia River. The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation constructed the dam between 1934 and 1941. It is the…

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Northwest Dams

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Rivers in the Northwest are tamed by dams throughout the region, not only changing the landscape, but altering the way of life. Early settlers…

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Washington Towns

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When European explorers began their exploration of the Pacific Northwest in the 1700s, they saw a land filled with resources and opportunity. The…

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Spokane Views

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In the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, Spokane was one of the largest cities of the American West. As a…

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Spokane Bridges

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As a railroad hub situated on a major tributary of the Columbia River, Spokane is a city where bridges are prominent local and regional landmarks.…

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Spokane Homes

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Due to its rapid economic and population growth between 1890 and 1910, Spokane has a unique collection of historic homes representing popular…

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Spokane Parks

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In 1907, an Olmsted Brothers plan recommended the construction of four large and five smaller new parks and the extensive renovations of the existing…

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Spokane Public Library

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The first library in Spokane was a small room in the Old Auditorium building, housing twenty items of literature donated by the Spokane Sorosis Club…

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Outdoor Recreation

Northwest_Fishing001.tif

Seeking excitement in their own backyard, local clubs in the Northwest formed to encourage outdoor activities, and organize group hiking and climbing…

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Northwest Transportation

NW_Highways_Oregon01.tif

From early stagecoaches to modern bridges, residents of the Northwest have constantly sought to improve the transportation within the region. This…

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Northwest Agriculture

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The Palouse, also known as the bread basket of the nation, began producing wheat in the nineteenth century. By 1910, the region was producing so much…

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Spokane Valley

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Originally populated by the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene tribes, the first white settler in the Spokane Valley was Antoine Plante, a former fur trader,…

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Spokane River

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The Spokane River flows from its origin at Lake Coeur d'Alene to meet the Columbia near the former site of Fort Spokane. Over the course of its human…

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Spokane Industry

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From the earliest years of white settlement, Spokane has been an industrial center. Powered by the falls, much of this industry processed the raw…

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Spokane Fires

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The summer of 1889 was particularly dry in the Pacific Northwest. Forest fires throughout the region were joined by a massive urban fire in Seattle on…

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Spokane County Schools

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Spokane hired Henry T. Cowley as the first public school teacher in 1875. As additional schools were added, School District #81 was created in 1889.…

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Spokane Buildings

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The wooden frontier town of Spokane Falls was reborn after the fire of 1889 into a brick and iron metropolis with multistory buildings and large…

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Scenic Northwest

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The landscapes of the Pacific Northwest have been shaped by millions of years of volcanic activity, creating spectacular peaks and mountains. Enormous…

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Portraits

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This digital collection represents a sampling of our portrait collection. Some of the individuals represented are noted Spokane pioneers, such as…

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Indian Congress, Spokane

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The First National Indian Congress was held in Spokane in October 1925 and then again in July 1926. About three thousand Indians, representing…

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Northwest Indians

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The photographs in this digital collection include a range of images from the late 19th and early 20th centuries covering various tribes throughout…

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Northwest Indian Portraits

Indians_Portraits_Quiesta04.tif

The portraits in this digital collection include a variety of images from the late 19th and early 20th centuries covering various tribes throughout…

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Missions of the Northwest

NW_Missions_Idaho_Coeur D'Alene Missions of the Sacred Heart_img023.tif

Exposed to Christianity by fur trappers, Native Americans in Montana and Idaho, curious for guidance about their religion sent four representatives to…

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Expo '74

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Spokane's Expo '74 World's Fair focused on an environmental theme, an alternative to the traditional focus on technology. Spokane was the smallest…

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Ephemera

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Ephemera are sometimes defined as "the minor transient documents of everyday life." Created for a temporary purpose and meant to be discarded,…

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Capp Photo Album

Capp_NWC_05_31.tif

One photo album that contains 8x10 black and white photographs of agriculture in Eastern Washington around 1910. Includes photographs of the Chilco…

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Art Work of the Inland Empire

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Art Work of the Inland Empire: Eastern Washington – Northern Idaho was published by the Harney Photogravure Company of Racine, Wisconsin in 1906.…

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