100 years ago in Spokane: Local tourism booms; arrival of ‘convertible’ plane anticipated

Tourism was booming in Spokane. The “Down River Tourist Camp” – a campground operated by the city – reported an 85% increase in traffic for the month of June over the previous year. A total of 534 parties registered at the site.

Based on this number, authorities with the Inland Automobile Association were predicting a total of 4,500 parties for the summer season, nearly double the old record.

Auto travel was on the upswing as autos became cheaper and roads became better.

However, an auto trip still had an element of adventure about it.

The Spokane Daily Chronicle ran a photo of five young Pullman women getting ready to embark on a three-week trip to Yellowstone National Park in a Chevrolet touring car.

They were dressed in full expedition gear. A caption said that “an ax and butcher knife” would be “their only weapons of defense.”

From the aviation beat: A new Symons “Bluebird” airplane would be headquartered on Liberty Lake as a resort attraction.

The Bluebird is “the only convertible airplane in the Northwest,” said the Spokane Daily Chronicle. It could be flown from either land or water.