This June 1914 photo from the King Collection in the Spokesman-Review archives shows the industrial skyline of early 20th-century Spokane, where buildings clustered around the falls and the Washington Water Power generating plant. From the Monroe St. bridge, one can see the lower falls of the Spokane River coming over a level, manmade spillway that symbolizes man's ever-present need to harness the waters of the region to produce power. Early settlers were focused on powering lumber and flour mills, but from the early 1880s, entrepreneurs were experimenting with Thomas Edison's invention, the generator, driven by water power. Because of the flowing water, Spokane was one of the first cities in the northwest with electric streetlights. In 1890, a year after a fire destroyed much of downtown Spokane, a new company called Washington Water Power completed the Monroe Street Project, which formed the level spillway and a generation plant along the river. Soon, the waters of the river were powering mines in the Silver Valley, streetcars to outlying neighborhoods and an amusement center, new in 1895, called Natatorium Park. WWP went on to build several more dams around the region, including Post Falls. The company changed its name to Avista in 1998.
From The King Collection The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
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