100 years ago in Spokane: The ideal climate for ‘health and wealth’? A chamber of commerce ‘special reporter’ tried to woo out-of-towners with that dubious a claim

Spokane’s climate was better than almost anywhere else in the country – ideal for “health and wealth.”

At least, that was the verdict of “special reporter” Frank J. Walker, who also happened to be a well -known Spokane booster with the Chamber of Commerce.

This was pretty rich, coming on the heels of a particularly brutal 1922-23 winter.

But Walker was undeterred by the fact that Spokane had just been snowed in for days.

“Spokane has short winters and long summers,” he wrote on the front page of the Chronicle. “We have long springs and long falls. Figure that out for yourself and you’ll see that means greater energy for human activity, more joy in living and better health. We don’t have extremes of either heat or cold. Never heard of a sunstroke here or a devastating wind.”

He claimed, based on anecdotal evidence, that “we have healthier and stronger people in this climate than other climates.”

“Can you beat it?” he asked. “Just try.”

From the Priest River beat: The Rex Theater, the modern new theater in Priest River, Idaho, announced that it would hold its grand opening in a week with a showing of Nell Shipman’s movie “The Grub Stake.”

Shipman was scheduled to make an appearance. The movie was filmed in that district, so interest was high and the entire house was sold out. The movie would continue for a second night at reduced prices.

A five-piece orchestra would provide the music.