Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The Spokane Park Board announced it has purchased a 50-acre park site on North Division Street between Rowan Avenue and Nebraska Avenue.

The board said it would be known as North Hill Park.

“The new park site will be put into commission almost immediately,” said the paper. “It is a level stretch of territory, thickly grown with pine trees and is in itself a natural park of considerable beauty. There is no rough land on the property and a cleared section will be quickly available for ball grounds. Benches will be erected throughout the site immediately and water pipes will be run in temporarily.”

The park board said it pursued the site because it was in the middle of a thickly populated area of the city with “no parks heretofore.” They believed it could become “one of the prettiest natural parks in the city.”

Today, the site is part of the much larger Franklin Park and also includes the site of Madison Elementary School.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1968: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested.