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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’s first parking law – banning autos from parking on Riverside Avenue for more than 15 minutes – went into effect. Auto drivers quickly adapted, to the consternation of business owners on Stevens Street.

The Spokesman-Review ran a photo of Stevens Street lined with parked cars on both sides without a gap. The caption noted that Spokane’s “business and professional men” had simply moved their habitual parking spots over to Stevens.

By the way, the paper referred to the parked cars as “standing machines.” The word “parking” was not yet in common use, nor was the word “car,” except in reference to rail cars or streetcars. 

From the vaudeville beat: The vaudeville performers at the Orpheum Theater trounced the Dressing Room All-Stars, made up of performers from the city’s other theaters, by a score of 29 to 5 in a baseball game at Natatorium Park.

The Orpheum players bragged that they could whip “any small-time aggregation between here and Muscatine, Iowa.”

However, the Dressing Room All-Stars lodged a tongue-in-cheek protest, declaring that the story in The Spokesman-Review got it all wrong.

“Your account got me all twisted up,” declared E. Dills, pitcher and contortionist.