Pioneer’s home, school once occupied park site

There is a lovely little green space on Spokane’s lower South Hill tucked in between Sacred Heart Medical Center and Interstate 90. Cowley Park is more than just a pleasant oasis for people to walk their dogs, enjoy lunch outdoors or watch their children climb around on the playground equipment in this congested part of town otherwise defined by closely spaced structures.

It is a space steeped in history, so much so that it has been on the National Register of Historic Places for more than 35 years. This hilly and treed two-acre park was where the Rev. Henry T. Cowley, the early Spokane pioneer and missionary, built his home and small school in 1874 and ’75.

The first school in Spokane was established by Spokane Garry in 1870 near what is now Drumheller Springs on the North Side, but Cowley’s school is credited with marking the beginning of public education when, in 1875, it became part of the first school district in the area. Incidentally, the school district was overseen by James Monaghan, later to become a businessman in the area and father of John Monaghan, the war hero whose statue stands in downtown Spokane.

Cowley, a graduate of the Theological Seminary in Auburn, N.Y., and his wife, Abigail, first went to Lapwai, Idaho, where he organized what is the oldest Presbyterian church in the state. They arrived in Spokane with their three children in 1874, having been requested by tribal members to establish a school and church. They were among the first four white families to settle in Spokan Falls.

The site at what is Sixth Avenue and Division Street was selected and a cabin erected, completed in exchange for a horse and 300 bushels of grain, historic accounts show. Enough lumber was provided as well to add on a kitchen and to construct a schoolhouse.

At first, there were but six students in Cowley’s school, mostly Indian, but including whites as well. As more and more whites came to the area and Indians were forced onto reservations, the population of the school changed, and rather rapidly, accounts state. Still, Cowley served Indians for many years as teacher, friend and agent for the tribe. He was later associated with the Spokane Chronicle and development of the town that grew into the Spokane of today.

The first church in Spokane, a Congregational church, was begun in Cowley’s home in 1879, with sub-Chief Selquawia among the charter members.

The land where his home once stood, which is now part of the Spokane parks system, is notably marked by a spring-fed stream that flows vigorously throughout the year. Taylor Bressler, division manager in charge of parks planning and development for the city of Spokane, said that this perpetual source of water was undoubtedly one of the reasons that location was so desirable for the Cowley’s home site.

Today, the stream is trapped toward the lower end of the park and fed through culverts and underground piping, eventually reaching the Spokane River, Bressler said.

None of the original buildings remain at Cowley Park. The only structure on site is a restroom constructed with a basalt exterior. A plaque commemorates the Cowleys and the historic designation of the park. Other additions include playground equipment, benches and water fountains.

Among the trees in Cowley Park are three grand ones – a maple, a sycamore and an ash – planted by the Cowleys. These trees, Bressler said, may well be eligible for designation as heritage trees under Spokane’s new heritage tree program.

Cowley Park, like so many other parks in Spokane, provides at least two valuable assets for the community: an open space for outdoor enjoyment right in the city and a tangible link to our past.