100 years ago in Spokane: Climate, lack of wind praised, perhaps a little highly

Spokane was one of the least windy cities in the U.S., according to a boosterish article on the front page of the Spokane Daily Chronicle.

It ranked second only to Lynchburg, Va. in the list of least-windy cities, the paper said, citing the U.S. Weather Bureau.

This might come as a surprise to current residents, who have lived through events called Windstorm 2015 and Firestorm 1991.

However, even today Spokane holds a spot on the list of the least-windy cities in the U.S., although not at No. 2. By one measure, it was listed at No. 30 on the least-windy list, based on average wind speeds.

The Chronicle story also claimed that Spokane has an “ideally mild climate.”

From the hospital beat: The Payne Sanitarium, at 717 E. Rowan Ave., was ordered to move because it was too close to the Marcus Whitman School. The sanitarium “treats sufferers from insanity and nervous diseases.”

The Spokane school superintendent applauded the move, saying, “We want children’s minds to be normal at all times.” He said the sanitarium should be moved outside the city limits.

Doctors testified in favor of the sanitarium, but local residents were vocal opponents.