The Spokane River Centennial Trail: A Brief History

Archaeological investigation reveals the presence of human life along the Spokane River corridor dating back some 11,400 years. The river has served as a vital source of food, transport, power, irrigation and religious significance to people representing numerous American Indian tribes and generations of settlers. In the early 1900's, the Olmstead Brothers, who were among the nation's leading park and recreation planners, advised the City of Spokane to make the Spokane River the centerpiece of their comprehensive park development plan.

	Monuments along the trail provide historical details of the area.

The role of the Spokane River has been chronicled in every historic account of the region because of its significance to those who called the Inland Northwest home. From its bountiful salmon fisheries came food, from its cataracts came power, and from its shores near State Line came infamy at Horse Slaughter Camp.

The 1920s saw the acquisition of virtually all of the river basin from Argonne Road to State Line by the Inland Empire Paper Company to facilitate the building of a railroad to support an upriver dam they never built. In the ensuing years, much of what is now Riverside State Park was acquired for preservation. The area in the middle, mostly within the Spokane City limits, was developed and abused. Much of the beauty of the river was devalued by the settlers until the planners for EXPO '74 decided the river must be returned to the people and its quality must be enhanced and preserved for all time. EXPO was the event which started the most concerted efforts to recapture and restore the river as a demonstration of our ability to protect one of our most valuable and eternal resources.

In 1979, Spokane County Parks proposed a bicycle/pedestrian pathway along the river, a pathway that would run from Argonne Road to State Line. This idea was nurtured by the Parks and Recreation Committee of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce in 1984 as they explored recreational opportunities along the river. In 1986, they proposed a 10-1/2 mile trail to be built in conjunction with the Washington Centennial in 1989. Creative thinking quickly saw this idea expand into a coordinated effort with our friends in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to build a trail from the Spokane House at the confluence of the Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers to the far side of Coeur d'Alene Lake, some 69 miles in length. Many pieces fell into place to make the Centennial Trail a reality. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission had recently declared a significant part of its Spokane County land holdings as surplus for park purposes. This land was used to trade for that owned by Inland Empire Paper Company. EXPO '74 had provided not only the mentality of river restoration but the vehicle to clean up much of the downtown river corridor. Bridges and buildings had given way to openness and access. A $7.5 million federal matching grant was appropriated in time to take advantage of such local contributions as AT&T made by laying fiber-optic cable along portions of the trail's desired path, thus providing much needed land preparation.

From the original steering committee emanated the Friends of the Centennial Trail, a non-profit Washington corporation dedicated to the needed private sector ongoing support for the development, operation, maintenance and enhancement of the Spokane River Centennial Trail. The trail is administered by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and is maintained through the provisions of a cooperative agreement among the commission and the city and county parks departments. A coordinating council comprising members of state, city, and county parks representatives, as well as a member of the Friends of the Centennial Trail, is responsible for implementation of the cooperative agreement.

We would like to thank AIM Communications for donating the space for our site.