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

Liberty Lake was Spokane’s most important year-round playground

By Mike Prager The Spokesman-Review

The Spokane euphemism for “going to the lake” in the summer traces back to one of the most important early destinations for recreation – Liberty Lake.

Today, the lake is lined with private homes, but for much of the 20th century, it was truly a playground.

Prior to being settled, the lake was a gathering place for local tribes and summer celebrations.

“The story goes it was a meeting place for American Indian tribes,” said Pamela Mogen, director of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library.

A French Canadian trapper who took the Anglicized name of Stephen Liberty traveled west on the Mullan Road in 1863 and visited the lake.

In 1871, he homesteaded there with other families.

By the early 1900s, it was a place for weekend recreation.

According to the city of Liberty Lake website, “Liberty Lake was once known as ‘Spokane’s Inland Seashore.’ With natural beauty and attractions like boating, entertainment, dancing, and Fourth of July celebrations; many were originally brought to the area by electric train.”

The Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad built a park entrance to the famed dance Pavillion.

Resorts and an amusement park popped up around the lake and trout fishing was outstanding. By 1959, there were four lakeside resorts in addition to an amusement park and the Pavillion, which burned in 1962.

A few years earlier, the county planning board zoned the lake for residential use, rejecting efforts to build a shopping center on the lake.

Today, the shopping is found southwest of the lake itself, and homes line the area around the lake.

There are only two public access points – a boat launch on the north shore and a county park on the northeast shore.

There was actually a ski area and restaurant on what was then called Holiday Hill, now the Legacy Ridge development.

In the 1960s, algae growths led to a community-inspired effort to clean up the lake by hooking residences to sewers. The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District formed in 1973, and the lake has since been restored.

“The early 1990s saw a boom in housing development with the creation of Homestead and Meadowwood, as well as commercial and industrial development,” the city website said.

Three golf courses provide a major attraction.

Incorporation came in 2001.

Major employers are found along Appleway Avenue and north of Mission Avenue.

Nearby Greenacres to the west started out as an important agricultural area with many fruit orchards.

Irrigation works opened the area for growing. Liberty Lake was one source of the water. D.C. Corbin, an important developer and investor in Spokane, led the way.

In 1905, one 10-acre farm netted $1,374.

Today, the fast-growing area is occupied by homes, schools, churches and a limited amount of commercial development.

Greenacres, located west of Barker Road, is part of the city of Spokane Valley.