This day in history: Spokane’s Looff Carrousel finally was moving to new home in Riverfront Park; police find morphine, opium in raid
Spokane’s famous Looff Carrousel was moving into its new building on the former Expo ’74 grounds, the Spokane Daily Chronicle reported on March 5, 1975. (Spokesman-Review archives)
From 1975: Spokane’s famous Looff Carrousel was moving into its new building on the former Expo ’74 grounds.
The circular building was built a few years earlier to fulfill two needs. During Expo ’74, it served as the German Hobfrau, or beer garden. Now, Expo ’74 was giving the building back to the city for its other intended purpose: to become the carousel’s permanent home.
The carousel had been Natatorium Park’s main attractions for more than 50 years. After the park closed, the city acquired it and had been renovating it for the past two years. Experts and volunteers repainted and refinished the horses, repaired the mechanisms, and made the organ sing again.
The city hoped to have the carousel running in time for Lilac Festival week in May. It would be the first time since 1968 that the carousel would be in operation.
From 1925: For two months, the Spokane police narcotics squad had been “baffled” about a new influx of morphine and opium.
Now, they said they had solved the mystery with the arrest of a man, 25, in a Spokane rooming house. They had learned, apparently through a tip, that the man had been peddling both drugs from his room.
They raided the room and found opium, morphine, needles, droppers and spoons.
The man apparently confessed to “the entire lot,” and said he “had the dope shipped from Pasco.” This was his second arrest for narcotics trafficking.
From the skyline beat: The Spokane Daily Chronicle ran a picture on the front page of the 8 million candlepower searchlight that revolved as lit up Spokane’s downtown for three hours every night 270 feet from the ground on top of the Old National Bank Building.
From the auto beat: Dr. George H. Green, a “prominent local physician” was driving on Division Avenue when his Franklin touring car was struck by a car on Fourth Avenue driven by John Pavelich, the proprietor of the Utah Bar. Green died at Sacred Heart Hospital. Pavelich was booked into jail.