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

Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Spokane golf enthusiasts were gathering for a public meeting to discuss a proposed nine-hole golf course at Downriver Park.

A committee had studied the proposal and had already discussed it with the city’s park commissioners, who appeared inclined to accept the proposal. 

A “Seattle golf expert” and a representative of the Spokane Country Club had already inspected the site and drawn up plans for the new course. One of the selling points of the proposed course was that it was not far from downtown and it was on a regular streetcar line.

The park commissioners called the public meeting to see how much support there was from the city golfers. There was already a municipal course at Upriver Park, near today’s Felts Field.

From the jitney beat: The Spokesman-Review continued to run a story nearly every day about jitney buses, which were essentially private vehicles being operated as buses.

The paper reported that jitney drivers were working 12- to 18-hour shifts every day. One jitney owner said he worked 19 hours in one day, and that he needed to work that much in order to pay his expenses.

The jitney rage showed no signs of abating. The paper reported that the city had issued 12 new jitney licenses in two days. The city estimated that there were now 60 jitneys operating in the city.