This day in history: Community effort, upgrades to downtown riverfront earn Spokane title of All-America City
Following the arrest of Maud Darling and Carl Grimes, Spokane police recovered stolen goods from a downtown hotel room that were worth $1,300. (Spokane Daily Chronicle archives)
From 1975: Spokane was named an All-America City, one of 12 cities to receive that designation.
It won because of the “massive upgrading of its downtown and 15-mile stretch of riverfront.”
“I feel this is a result of the combined effort of many, many people,” said Mayor Pro Tem Del E. Jones. “This type of award is not given unless there is widespread community effort.”
The general manager of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce called the award “an adrenaline boost.”
From 1925: Carl Grimes, and Maud Darling, both 32, were “under the influence of narcotics” when they were arrested in a downtown hotel.
But that was the least of their transgressions. Police found “plunder valued at more than $1,300” in their hotel room, stolen from various Spokane homes. Today, that would equate to roughly $22,000.
Mrs. W. G. Oliver identified $400 worth of jewelry, stolen from her apartment a few days earlier. Other homeowner identified large quantities of stolen goods.
The most surprising item found was the Rockford town marshal’s gun, which was stolen from the Rockford garage the night before.
When police raided the hotel room, Darling showed “the ravages of dope” to such an extent that she was unconscious.
Also on this day
(From onthisday.com)
1865: John Wilkes Booth shoots President Abraham Lincoln in the head at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.; he dies a day later.
1912: The RMS Titanic, the world’s largest ocean liner, hits an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. near Newfoundland and sinks.