This day in history: Opening date for Pavilion Circus slated for July 1977; Salmon run aplenty on Colville reservation

Tue., May 19, 2026

By Jim Kershner The Spokesman-Review

From 1976: The $3 million Pavilion Circus entertainment center at the Riverfront Park was given an opening date target of July 1977.

This new entertainment center would include “the basic structure” for the “Spokane Story” – a multimedia show about Spokane history – along with a theater and an ice rink.

“The date is attainable, but it requires an accelerated schedule,” said the architect who was converting the Expo ’74 U.S. Pavilion into the Pavilion Circus.

The architect had suggested an October 1977 completion date, but that was rejected since it would mean the center would not be available for the 1977 summer tourist season.

As it turned out, the “Spokane Story” and IMAX theater would not be finished until spring of 1978. The “Spokane Story” would prove to be expensive to operate and would be discontinued in 1981.

From 1926: The town of Keller, on the Colville Indian Reservation, was “buzzing with excitement,” a correspondent said.

“The salmon run is on now, and the Indians of the reservation are gathered in large numbers along the San Poil,” the Spokane Chronicle reported.

The Salmon Day Festival was set for May 22 and 23. One of the planners, Mary Lloyd, of Spokane, had recently returned from Keller with a party of Spokane people. “The guests enjoyed the excitement of seeing the Indians land the big salmon,” she said.

This scene would soon pass into history after dams blocked the salmon runs up the Columbia and the San Poil rivers.

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