Jim Kershner’s This Day in History

From our archives, 100 years ago

A party of Spokane men planned to drive what they called the National Parks Highway from Spokane to Chicago, in an effort to publicize the route. The route had that name because it went near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. Frank Guilbert and Lawrence H. Brown of the Inland Automobile Association were heading the party, which would also include an Eastern newspaper man who “will write the official story of the tour.” The plan was to convince Eastern tourists that it was a viable auto route.

“Mr. Guilbert plans to take his own stereopticon camera and it is probable that arrangements will be made for a Pathe picture machine (movie camera) to be taken along,” said the paper. “A complete log book of the journey will be kept.”

Guilbert said his preliminary research showed that 61 percent of the route was classified as “good road,” meaning that drivers could go as fast as they wanted. About 34 percent was “fair road,” sufficient for speeds up to 25 mph. About 5 percent was “bad road,” although “easily passable.”

From the baby beat: William Sass Jr., two-time winner of Spokane’s Better Babies Contest – and recipient of a rare perfect score – was headed to San Francisco to compete in the international contest. The Spokane Daily Chronicle ran a picture of young William, wearing nothing but a diaper and his gold medal.