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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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This day in history: In Forks, firefighters turned hoses on logger-biker fracas. Man claimed he found traces of Vikings near Spokane

Oluf Opsjon, of Dishman, claimed that some of the painted rocks near Five Mile were not Indian paintings, but Viking runes which told the story of “a band of Norsemen and a terrific battle which took place there with the Indians” in 1010 A.D. The newspaper also reported that Justice S.A. Mann was planning to make a presentation to the Spokane County Commission to argue that it was time to create a separate lockup for minors so they wouldn’t be jailed with adults. (Spokesman-Review archives)
By Jim Kershner The Spokesman-Review

From 1976: Spokane’s Bicentennial Fourth of July celebration at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist “was delayed slightly “because the brass ensemble which played from a balcony on the cathedral tower had difficulty getting to its perch.”

The rest of the event played out without a hitch.

Smaller celebrations were scattered around the area. At Fairchild Air Force Base, personnel gathered for a picnic and fireworks.

About 200 loggers and bikers brawled in Forks, Washington, causing firefighters to turn hoses on the “angry crowd,” the Associated Press reported in an article that ran in the Spokane Daily Chronicle on July 5, 1976. (Spokesman-Review archives)
About 200 loggers and bikers brawled in Forks, Washington, causing firefighters to turn hoses on the “angry crowd,” the Associated Press reported in an article that ran in the Spokane Daily Chronicle on July 5, 1976. (Spokesman-Review archives)

Spokane’s Black community sponsored an old-fashioned picnic at Liberty Park, which included soul food and softball games.

Some celebrations throughout the state turned out to be hazardous. About 30 people plunged into Tacoma’s Commencement Bay when a deck collapsed.

In Forks, Washington, a clash between local loggers and a motorcycle club turned into a 200-person brawl. Firefighters turned hoses on “the angry group.” Four were arrested, two more were sought and the town canceled the annual Fourth of July dance.

From 1926: Fireworks caused the usual mayhem in the region. A window display of firecrackers went off by “spontaneous combustion” in the window of the Banner Drug Store, 1724 E. Sprague. The fire caused extensive damage before firefighters extinguished it.

Fireworks also caused numerous brush and grass fires. One house was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin

With temperatures in the upper 90s, drownings marred the Fourth of July celebrations in the region. A 19-year-old woman drowned in Diamond Lake when she stepped into a deep hole while wading.

In Rose Lake in North Idaho, the 11-year-old daughter of a Bunker Hill Mine superintendent drowned while swimming.

And a 19-year-old Spokane man drowned in the Toppenish River near Yakima.

Meanwhile, the Spokane Chronicle led with a shocking headline: “FIND VIKING GRAVE NEAR CITY.”

“Professor” Oluf Opsjon claimed that some of the painted rocks near Five Mile were not Native American paintings, but Viking runes which told the story of “a band of Norsemen and a terrific battle which took place there with the Indians” in 1010 A.D.

He also said there was a Viking “grave or burial mound” nearby.

None of this, to say the least, has been verified.

Opsjon, who was born in Norway, told the Spokane Daily Chronicle in an interview later in the month that he studied in Europe and traveled to New Zealand and Hawaii where he found links between Native languages and Norse. He claimed to have spent time with Native Americans in the Sierra Nevadas and believed their language was a mixture of Nordic and their Native languages. Opsjon, however, acknowledged that he wasn’t truly a professor.