100 years ago in the Inland Northwest

A small item in The Spokesman-Review illustrated the enormity of Spokane’s population boom.

The city directory (the equivalent of today’s phone book) showed a city population of 84,660 in 1906.

This was a bit higher than the official census estimate since it included people in Hillyard and other places outside the city limits.

Yet the real eye-opener was the speed of the growth. In 1900, the city directory showed 43,770.

In 1904, it had jumped to 66,267. In 1906, 84,660.

That’s a 93 percent growth rate in six years.

Jim Kershner