Centennial Trail markers missing

Somebody has been messing with Spokane’s pride – or at least pieces of it. The Centennial Trail is sans several of its bronze medallions.

Forty of the treasured fixtures, often memorializing a lost loved one or displaying a family name, were discovered missing in May.

“We were shocked,” said Kaye Turner, a spokeswoman for the Friends of the Centennial Trail. Normally, one or two of the fixtures are found missing during checks each fall and spring.

Turner said after the Friends group discovered that 40 medallions were missing, they began checking all of them and found that more than 400 were loose.

“Our concern was that these would also be stolen,” Turner said regarding the delay in announcing the theft. “With the help of volunteers from the Principal Financial Group, we went out on the trail and pulled” all the loose medallions.

The 4-inch round bronze medallions were offered for sale beginning in 1988 to help pay for the development of the trail along the Spokane River. More than 3,000 have been placed along “The Miracle Mile,” which begins at the Opera House and ends at Gonzaga University. The original one-time donation for a medallion was $100. They now sell for $125. No more spots are available along “The Miracle Mile,” but spots are available in the Valley and Mirabeau Meadows.

Spokane resident Loren Dudley, 57, purchased one of the medallions in 1989 with his family members’ names on it. It’s located on the trail in front of the Spokane Convention Center, No. 513. He was relieved to find that it wasn’t stolen.

“We bought one to support the concept of the trail,” Dudley said. “Alternative transportation is one big aspect of that, to save oil, so we don’t have to go to war for it.

“I continue to think the Centennial Trail is one of Spokane’s greatest assets.”

Dudley and his family moved away from Spokane for four years, in 1992. When they moved back, one of the first items on the agenda was to see the family’s medallion.

“Usually when we have visitors, we show it to them,” said Dudley, who is now a board member for the Friends of the Centennial Trail. He also takes visitors to see George H.W. and Barbara Bush’s medallions, which are No. 1 and 2 on the trail.

Turner said the missing medallions will be replaced and the removed ones will be repaired. Weather and the worn-out glue used to affix the bronze discs contributed to them coming loose.

The 40 stolen bronze fixtures were located between the Opera House and Shenanigan’s Seafood and Chophouse, and maybe a couple of them were stolen beyond that, officials said.

Police were not contacted because officials figured there was nothing that could be done about it, Turner said. The theory is that the bronze discs were taken to be sold as scrap metal or they were just thrown in the river.

“It’s our decision to replace and repair them, which will cost between $3,000 and $5,000,” Turner said. “It’s a huge chunk and a hardship for the organization,” which receives no tax money.

“We are very disappointed that this happened,” Turner said, adding that the loss was more than just a dollar amount. “The value, of course, is in what it means to the people who bought them.”