100 years ago in Spokane: Newspaper predicts Spokane will be center of the great electrified railroad system

From our archive, 100 years ago

The Spokane Daily Chronicle was dreaming of a new, powerful future for Spokane as the center of a great electrified railroad system.

Great Northern railway had just announced its intention to electrify its line from Spokane to Seattle, fed by hydro projects on the Chelan River and Lake Chelan. The Milwaukee Road had already electrified large sections of its lines over the Bitterroots.

The Chronicle’s editorial page believed that this presaged a new era in transportation, one in which Spokane was particularly well placed: “the harnessing of the power of the mountains for the purpose of speeding up the commerce of the nation.” It foresaw a time, coming soon, when steam locomotives would be abandoned in favor of electric locomotives.

“Spokane is fortunately situated in relation to these industrial advances, lying between great mountain ranges,” said the editorial.

This was a dream that was not destined to come true. The railroads would eventually abandon steam locomotives, not with electric locomotives, but with diesel locomotives.

However, the paper also made another prediction that was closer to the mark, also involving electricity. It foresaw vast new manufacturing enterprises for Spokane powered by hydroelectricity.

“Here is destined to be the center of vast power systems and allied manufacturing projects such as will dwarf past accomplishments,” said the paper.

This came true during World War II, with the building of the region’s aluminum industry.