100 years ago in Eastern Washington: The ‘abbreviated’ swimsuits popular in Medical Lake were seen as scandalous by one group

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union issued a strong protest against the “abbreviated” bathing suits worn by the girls at the Medical Lake swimming resorts.

Not only did the women condemn the bathing suits, but they also reported “questionable” conditions at the dances held at the resorts.

From the crime beat: A band of “malicious automobile thieves” was stealing cars, using them for a few hours, then setting fire to them.

The most recent incident came the previous night, when a Buick was stolen from a downtown parking space. Two hours later, the fire department was called to a fire in Peaceful Valley. They found the Buick in flames.

A few days earlier, a car had been stolen from a home on Fourth Avenue. It was found later “completely destroyed by fire in a secluded place on the Indian Canyon Road.”

Police had no suspects.

From the bridge beat: A front page photo in the Spokane Daily Chronicle showed the ferry docks at Newport over the Pend Oreille River.

“The scene is familiar to thousands of motorists,” the caption said. However, this familiar scene would soon be gone. The ferry would be replaced by a proposed new “steel and concrete toll bridge.”

The U.S. Senate had passed a bill granting the right to “build the bridge along plans specified by Army engineers.”