100 years ago in Spokane: Roosters cause ruckus, and what could have been Downriver’s fate

Roosters were apparently one of the biggest problems facing Spokane sleepers.

That’s why a California man made an offer to city officials to “fix” Spokane’s roosters so they would no longer crow at dawn.

This issue came up after a Spokane man complained to the city that he “could not get a good night’s sleep because of crowing roosters.”

The story was picked up by other newspapers around the country. A Vallejo man subsequently contacted Spokane officials and claimed that he could “take the crow out of the roosters without removing them from their pens and without destroying their beauty or health in any respect.”

The man offered no explanation about how he could do this, and city officials were in no hurry to take him up on his offer.

From the recreation beat: Hopes for an enlarged Downriver Golf Course “went glimmering” when the city council refused to buy the necessary land to expand it to 18 holes.

Council members said the price was too high.

“There is no reason why we should overpay to get the land,” one council member said.

Eventually, the city would buy the necessary land and the course would be expanded to 18 holes. Today, it is one of Spokane’s top municipal 18-hole courses.