Glover Field in Peaceful Valley

For more than a century, the grassy, three-acre plot in Peaceful Valley built for high school athletics has borne the name of the man heralded as “The Father of Spokane.”

Section:Gallery

Sun., March 18, 2018

Track event at Glover Field in Peaceful Valley, circa 1915..

Northwest Museum Of Arts & Culture Eastern Washington State Historical Society
In 1925, Native Americans from the Spokane region met in a large Indian Congress. The tribes set up tents and tepees in the Peaceful Valley area of downtown Spokane. The Monroe Street bridge is in the background. On June 2, 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act gave official status to all Native Americans in the hope that it would bring Indians into the mainstream of American life. This led to a series of regional gatherings, including the 1925 Indian Congress in Spokane, Washington. Five Northwest governors signed the invitation to 34 tribes. Twenty-eight tribes sent delegates, who came by saddle horse, train, wagon and motorcar in late October. Tepees were crowded onto fields and roadsides to accommodate the visitors, who each received a name badge and tickets for meals at local restaurants. Ten thousand Spokanites watched the horse parade, with riders in their finest regalia. There were long meetings between tribal elders and government officials. Friendly competitions included traditional games, a track meet, a beauty contest, and a race to assemble a tepee. Gonzaga narrowly lost the football game to Haskell, the Indian college from Lawrence, Kansas. The Spokane Betterment Organization, a group of business boosters, sponsored the event with a $12,000 budget. The event was held again in 1926, then abandoned. It was the largest gathering of Indians since the 1855 Council of Tribes in Walla Walla.

Jack And Dolores Mader Courtesy
With the new Monroe Street bridge in the background, this Curtiss-type “Pusher” airplane roars off Glover Field. This photo was made off an oldtime glass plate Spokane draftsman Norman D. Hochhalter found in an antique shop. Several of the pusher typer Curtiss planes were demonstrated in Spokane, Sandpoing, Coeur d’Alene in 1911-1914.

Photo Archive Sr
This photo was taken between 1917 and 1920 of former mayor (1883-84) and Father of Spokane James Glover.

Photo Archive Sr
Undated historical photo of Glover play field.

Spokane Parks And Rec Dept Courtesy
In June of 1941 one of the first teams on the field at the Fraternal Order of Eagles drill team competition were the Everett ladies auxiliary No. 13. The competition was held at Glover Field. According to the 1941 newspaper caption the "costumes of the women's teams were particularly colorful and drew many bursts of applause from the crowd. Stirring tunes from the musical units kept feet tapping."

Photo Archive Sr
1949 photo of Glover Field.

Photo Archive Sr
Swans, geese and ducks share a large artificial pool at the Shriners Sportsmen's show which opened at Glover field in the 1950s.

Photo Archive Sr
The task of tearing down the tent and moving off of Glover Field near downtown Spokane began as soon as the 1950 Sportsmen's Show closed their gates. 60,545 people had attended the show during its eight day run, more than 6,000 more than the previous year. Many of the wild animals that had been brought to the show were sent to zoos.

Photo Archive Sr
1952 photo of Glover Field.

Photo Archive Sr
Now called Glover Field, this grassy plain behind the community center in Peaceful Valley, just west of the Monroe St. Bridge, was once a camping spot for Indians catching salmon at the falls of Spokane, and in 1925 was used for Indians attending the 1925 Indian Congress.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo