This day in history: Boy who dug up 208 pounds of dandelions named ‘champion dandelion digger of Spokane’; city needed emergency spending to patch potholes

From 1975: The exceptionally heavy 1974-75 winter snowfall had two serious repercussions in the region.

First, Spokane’s street fund was in trouble. The heavy snowpack had caused serious “pavement damage” – i.e., potholes. The city’s maintenance budget was already stretched thin because of excessive plowing, and now not enough money remained to fix all of the potholes and crumbling asphalt.

The city council was being asked to approve a $435,000 emergency appropriation.

Second, the region was bracing for flooding, because a chilly spring had delayed snowmelt in the high country. Now a rapid warming trend was liable to overload many of the region’s rivers.

The Spokane, the St. Joe and the Coeur d’Alene rivers were all predicted to approach flood stage. Rivers in central Washington, including the Yakima, the Methow and the Okanogan, were in even more danger.

From 1925: Lester Chapman, 12, was crowned as the “champion dandelion digger of Spokane.”

Dandelion digger?

Yes, the Spokane Advertising Club had initiated a dandelion-digging contest as part of its “City Beautiful” campaign.

Lester lugged in 12 sacks of dandelions, totaling more than 208 pounds. He easily won the first prize, $5 in gold.

Dozens of kids competed. The grand total exceeded 1,625 pounds of dandelions. Albert Murch won the “longest dandelion root division,” with one root that was more than 25 inches long.