Chron History 8-12

The “worst fire of the season” was recorded in Kettle Falls in Ferry County on this day in 1929. Labeled the Barnaby Creek Fire, it burned 10,000 acres and was fueled by high winds. In the path of the fire was Hedlund Lumber Co. of Spokane, with 2 million feet of yellow pine. Four new fires were also reported east of the Barnaby Creek . Evelyn Fancher, widow of Major John Thomas Fancher, 41st Division commander of Washington National Guard, was selected to christen the Buhl AirSedan Miss Spokane. To christen the plane before their Spokane-New York-Spokane nonstop flight, Evelyn Fancher smashed a bottle of Spokane River water on the nose of the plane before departure. The then-Commissioner of Finance blocked a proposed widening of Grand Boulevard from Ninth to 14th avenues. The commissioner disagreed with using city funding to work on the street. The Chronicle also advertised a free souvenir airgram, a postcard sent via airmail, to celebrate the first direct airmail flight out of Spokane. The souvenir shows an aerial picture of downtown Spokane, including the Chronicle Building, and facts about Spokane. The Chronicle issued many postcards for subscribers, and we have brought back the tradition with the return of the Chronicle. Today’s re-created postcards can be picked up in The Spokesman-Review lobby.