Jim Kershner’s This Day in History

From our archives, 100 years ago

A campaign was underway to persuade tourists from the east to drive through Spokane over two highly publicized highway routes: The Northwest Trail and the Yellowstone Trail.

The Northwest Trail was an auto route from Chicago to Seattle, via Butte, Missoula and Spokane. The Yellowstone Trail was a route from St. Paul to Seattle, using many of the same roads, and it, too, went through Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.

These “trails” were intended to make auto travel easier by using good signage and maps to mark out long-distance routes. The associations backing the routes also attempted to improve the roads and bring them up to a certain standard.

The Spokane Chamber of Commerce and the local Good Roads Association were working as part of an “organized campaign” to get the roads in shape by the summer tourist season. They also were assisting in the publicity campaign, which was necessary to persuade eastern drivers to even attempt what probably seemed like a daunting trek in the rickety autos of the day.

The local associations were “working on the assumption that a great many visitors to the Panama Pacific Exposition (in San Francisco) will come from the east in touring auto parties.” They hoped many would use these two northern routes to get to the coast.

A road near the north shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene still retains the name Yellowstone Trail.