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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

State Board To Tackle Question: Is It Latah Or Hangman Creek?

From Staff And Wire Reports

The debate continues: Will the muddy stream that flows through southern Spokane County be called Latah or Hangman Creek?

Members of the state Board of Geographic Names will discuss the issue today during a meeting in Olympia.

The meeting will be televised live at 10 a.m. on Cable Channel 5 in Spokane. The creek issue is the last item on the board’s agenda, but the other items are expected to be disposed of quickly.

The creek was known as Latah until 1858 when Col. George Wright’s men hanged Yakama chief Qualchan and several Palouse Indians. Since then, some people have referred to it as Hangman Creek.

At its last meeting, some members of the Board of Geographic Names opposed dropping the Hangman name. Others have suggested discarding both names in favor of Ned Wauld, the name used by the Spokane Indians.

Spokane County commissioners weighed in on the issue in April, passing a resolution ordering that the creek be referred to as Latah in all county documents.

, DataTimes