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A new edition of "The Spokane Indians"

The University of Oklahoma Press has issued an expanded paperback edition of a volume that should be in the library of anyone interested in Inland Northwest history: "The Spokane Indians: Children of the Sun," by Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown. ( Full post )

Butch Cassidy is still dead

No subject on this blog has garnered more controversy than the Nov. 28, 2005 posting titled "Did Butch Cassidy Retire to Spokane?" (You can find it below). It has spawned 73 responses (and still climbing), many of them from Butch aficionados and/or scholars, and many of them contentious and argumentative. ( Full post )

History of Coeur d'Alene bars and taverns

Dean Bennett, a reader from Coeur d'Alene, was shocked to discover that the historic Fort Ground Tavern (on the old fort grounds, right next to present North Idaho College) had closed last spring. He and a few other CDA natives started talking about this travesty and he started collecting information about the history of bars and taverns in Coeur d'Alene. You can find his historic map of the CDA bars and taverns at http://www.frappr.com/historyofcoeurdalenebars.
He could use some help in fleshing out this project. If you have any information about the area's classic bars and taverns, their original owner's names or any other historical information, you can send them to Bennett through the website's forums, or send them to him at canyonwren@adelphia.net. You can also post them here on this blog for others to read.
I think this is a worthy cause -- the Fort Ground was a great old tavern among many in CDA's history. One consolation: the 99-year-old building has been remodeled and will soon re-open as the Fort Ground Grill.
( Full post )

The history blog is back

The Inland Northwest History blog is back after a successful and productive hiatus. If all works out according to schedule, you can look for my biography of Spokane civil rights lawyer Carl Maxey to be published in 2007 by the University of Washington Press.
Meanwhile, a lot of blog-worthy material has been gathering over the last three months. In the next few days, I'll be diving in to these issues, including some new Butch Cassidy research, a new edition of Robert H. Ruby's and John A. Brown's history of the Spokane Indian tribe, and (in the very next post) the history of the bars and taverns of Coeur d'Alene. ( Full post )

History blog on sabbatical

This blog is on sabbatical until Aug. 7. I am taking time off from the Spokesman-Review to finish a biography of Carl Maxey, the Spokane civil rights lawyer. Please check back in August, when I will tell you more about the completed project. At least, it had better be completed ( Full post )

More Bob's Chili memories

People continue to send in reminscinces of Bob's Chili Parlor and I'll share a couple of them here. ( Full post )

The beer flowed in the streets

Here was a heady event in 1906 Spokane: The week the streets flowed with beer. ( Full post )

Bob's Chili Parlor: Reminiscence and recipe

We received a lot of response from our Feb. 12 Inland Northwest History column about Spokane's old Bob's Chili Parlor. Obviously this subject evokes nostalgia of a particularly spicy variety.
Here's what reader Doug Fisher had to say: Dear Jim. You can't imagine how excited I was to see the article on Bob's Chili Parlor in the Sunday Paper.
I am a Culinary Instructor at the Inland North West Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College.
I teach a class in Modern American Cuisine. I just on Friday was telling my students about the fabled
Bob's of yesteryear in Spokane and then on Sunday here is the article. What a nice surprise My students
were quite excited to see the article. I'm sure the circulation of your paper jumped at least by 3 or 4!
I have seen articles in the past for the recipe for Bob's Tamales.I actually eaten them there once when
I was a kid. My Mom loved that place. Thanks for the article, signed, Doug Fisher Chef Instructor Spokane Community College. ( Full post )

Calamity Jane in Spokane

I'm preparing a story for an upcoming edition of the Spokesman-Review about Calamity Jane (real name Martha Canary) and her Spokane and North Idaho connections. ( Full post )

Which way will Spokane grow?

Here's a nugget I ran across in a 1905 newspaper: An article speculating about which way downtown Spokane would grow -- east or west? ( Full post )

A 1906 plague of dope fiends

An alarming new "dope" fad was sweeping through Spokane in 1906, according to a pharmacist on Howard Street. ( Full post )

Jimmie Durkin, Spokane liquor tycoon and philosopher

"Durkin Saloon." Postcard Collection, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. ( Full post )

An early Irish bar in Spokane

A story in a 1905 Spokesman-Review suggests that Irish bars have a long and checkered history in Spokane. ( Full post )

Spokane's grand old theaters

In a recent column I mentioned Spokane's rich vaudeville history, which spurred readers to ask: Where was the old Pantages Theatre? ( Full post )

Who's buying the Colville Reservation?

The Dec. 4 history column in the Spokesman-Review titled "'Fair Offer' of $37", was about the opening of the Colville Reservation to white settlement in 1905. In the story, I mentioned that many of those lands have been re-acquired, and that the Colville Tribes have a policy of buying back lands put up for sale.
I received an e-mail from a person identified only as "a concerned tribal member" who said that the policy falls short of the reality. The writer said that if tribal members can't get a competitive offer from a tribal member, they are allowed to sell to non-tribal members -- and this is happening all over the reservation.
"This is disturbing to me as a tribal member," said the writer. "I see these small acres with huge houses going up all over my family's historic hunting/fishing/gathering sites. Sure, I am jealous, but I am also outraged because the tribes cannot compete with non-members in every instance."
So what do you think? Is this indeed cause for outrage? I'd like to hear from tribal members and non-tribal members on this subject. ( Full post )

Request for info: Muir's daughter, Fred Moore, Stadacona Park

I'm passing along requests for information submitted by three readers about various regional historical issues. ( Full post )

Do schoolmarms make good wives?

Poring over turn-of-the-century newspapers can be vastly entertaining -- not to mention appalling. ( Full post )

Did Butch Cassidy retire to Spokane?

This week, I've been reading the 1977 book "In Search of Butch Cassidy" by Larry Pointer, which attempts to prove this startling theory: That Butch Cassidy did not die in a shootout in Bolivia in 1908, but assumed a new name, William T. Phillips, and lived a quiet life in Spokane until his death in 1937. ( Full post )

The Bingville Bugle

Speaking of Bing Crosby, I thought people might want to see what gave Harry Lillis Crosby the nickname of Bing. According to the most reliable sources, including Bing himself, he was a fan of the Sunday newspaper comic feature titled, "The Bingville Bugle." One of his neighbors, a teenager, took to calling him "Bingo from Bingville." ( Full post )

Bing Crosby's first newspaper reviews

Spokane's two daily papers sent reviewers to the Gonzaga Dramatic Club's play, "It Pays to Advertise" on Nov. 8, 1923. ( Full post )