Then and Now: The resort retreat of Newman Lake

Newman Lake, 17 miles east of downtown Spokane, was named after early white settler William Newman. He came west with the U.S. Army and homesteaded with his wife, who was half Colville Indian. He died in 1880. Others followed, creating farms and cabins, but also building hotels and resorts. Fish were planted by residents in the 1880s. Merrymakers headed to the lake in the early 20th century and rode a train to a stop called Moab, and then took a bus up Starr Road to resorts like the Gillett Hotel. Other pioneers like Sam Sutton, Martin O’Brien and G.L. O’Neil developed resorts, farmed the fields and opened general stores near the lake. Today, most of the resorts are gone and the lakeshore is mostly private. The sole public boat launch, according to www.newmanlakewa.com, is the legacy of Don and Mary Kay Wahlin, who once ran a private summer camp on the lake. When they sold their property in the 1960s, they gave the waterfront area for the boat launch to Spokane County to preserve public access. Spokesman.com user “GoldenCoug” wrote on the Then and Now blog about visits as a youngster in the 1950s: “It was ideal for a young boy. Great swimming and boating. Regular trips to the store to bother the owner and occasionally get a cold soda. It was actually close enough to town so my parents would take us out there some evenings when it was really hot in Spokane.” - Jesse Tinsley