54 results for author: Joan

Places: Bassett Cabin

In 1871 Wilbur Bassett, his wife Adelia and son Herman traveled to Spokan Falls where Wilbur immediately found work building a sawmill on the river for Scranton and Downing Company. The family of three shared living space in Scranton's 12 x 24 foot cabin which was near the sawmill. Today there is a small monument marking the spot near the old Washington Water Power building by the falls. While they were living in that cabin, their daughter, Minnie Maria Bassett was born on January 2, 1872. She is reckoned to be the first white child born in the area. That same year, Wilbur Bassett, took out a claim on land in the Four Lakes district near a lake ...

Cheney’s County Courthouse

Named for a Native American word, Spokane, which means “Child of the Sun," the original Spokane County was merged into Stevens County in 1864. Cheney’s Daniel Percival and Spokan Falls’ John Glover didn’t realize the drama they were setting in motion when they championed a bill in the territorial legislature that recreated Spokane County in October of 1879. Spokan Falls was designated the temporary county seat until there could be a vote of the people in November 1880. A committee of men representing the precincts of the new county met to discuss options. Cheney was seen as a good choice as it was easy to access by trails and the coming ...

Winter Camp of Spokane Indians

In 1959, Sam Webb recalled that back in the 1880s a family of Spokane Indians camped on the site of the new Gibson's Grocery (1011 1st Street) every winter. He said the camp was made up of about 10 to 15 teepees. This site is on high ground near the spring of water that gave Cheney its original name of Willow Springs.  Sam came to Cheney as a boy with his family on the first passenger train on the Northern Pacific Railroad line. The Cheney area is part of the Spokane Tribe of Indians territory.   

Crunk’s Hill & Cheney’s First School

Located on the west side of North 6th Street near the corner of Mike McKeehan Way, Crunk's Hill was leveled to create sport fields. There is a plaque at the restrooms. George W. Crunk came west from Tennessee. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a Private with the 20th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Company C. We don’t know when he came west, but by June 1878, he was farming this land with his wife, Annah, and their three children. The Crunk family did not stay long in the area, they moved to Oregon in 1883, but hill is remembered as part of Cheney lore because of an incident in the fall of 1878. In 1915, Mary Cook Spangle spoke ...

1920 – Senior Hall

Senior Hall was dedicated as the second Normal School women's dormitory on July 9, 1920. While today there is a walkway, in the early days, D Street and automobile traffic passed in front of the building. The hall was used as a dormitory until 1971. While the hall opened in 1920, work on the third floor wasn't finished until 1925 due to financial problems.

1940 – Hargreaves Hall

From the time he became President of the Normal School in 1926, Richard T. Hargreaves wanted to build a modern library for the school. His death on March 4, 1939, midway through construction of the new building, meant that his most ambitious project bears his name as a memorial to his efforts.

1929 – President’s House

This Georgian Colonial style house was completed in 1929 for President, Richard T. Hargreaves and his wife, Edna "Rose" Morrow Hargreaves. The home was occupied by succeeding school presidents until 1987. It then became a faculty club, as well as a special events venue for the college and community. Weddings, receptions, and other special occasions were held in the renamed University House until 1998. That summer, President Stephen Jordan and his wife, Ruth, moved into the President's House, returning it to its original use.

1958 – Garry Hall

Garry Hall was created out of the eastern half of Hudson Hall to house married students and a few single women students. Garry Hall opened in September 1958. It is believed that it was named in honor of Chief Garry of the Spokane Indians. It was created out of the eastern side of Hudson Hall which was acquired as government surplus after WWII to house the large influx of veteran students attending college on the GI Bill. According to Allen Ogden, who was the manager of the hall, there were seven apartments for married couples, in addition to rooms for unmarried female students. Hudson Hall at the west end of the complex continued as a men's ...

1916 – Monroe Hall

Monroe Hall was the first dormitory built at the Normal school. It was dedicated February 4, 1916, and housed about 90 women. At this time, the majority of students were women, as teaching was one of the few professions open to single women.

Normal School Gardens

From the very early days of Cheney's academy and Normal school, there was a garden tended by the students. The garden provided vegetables for the school kitchen, as well as hands-on learning and civic participation lessons for the students. The garden was located behind, and slightly to the west of the main school building. Today, that would be between Showalter and Huston Hall. A full row of red and white sweet cherries extends across the ground between the school garden and play grounds. The school garden has been very much improved and beautified this year with the additional shrubbery that has been planted, and the new beautiful flowers that ...