100 years ago in Spokane: Group that became the Spokane Mountaineers organizes Labor Day hike

From our archives, 100 years ago

The Spokane Walking Club had ambitious plans for Labor Day weekend. The members planned to hike 16 miles to the top of Mount Spokane and spend the night there.

Then, they planned to walk down the other side to Spirit Lake on the Idaho side of the border, another 14 miles. The club was inviting non-members to join them.

Miss Ora Maxwell, a Spokane librarian, was the club’s president and John Anderson was organizing this excursion. The Spokane Walking Club eventually would evolve into the Spokane Mountaineers, which remains one of the region’s key outdoors and environmental organizations.

From the missing property beat: Mrs. Mary Benson appealed to Spokane police to help her find a vital item of personal property: her teeth.

She said that her daughter Isabelle went to the dentist to pick up her newly repaired set of false teeth. Isabelle then went to City Hall to register to vote and had the teeth with her in an envelope.

When Isabelle arrived home, the envelope was empty. Isabell was convinced the teeth must have fallen out somewhere in City Hall. All members of the police force were scouring the building.

Mrs. Benson said she could neither talk nor eat until they were found.