West Riverside Avenue
World War II in Spokane-In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Spokane began preparing for the next major attack. Spokane radio stations went off the air so enemy aircraft couldn’t follow their signals into urban areas. Tall buildings covered their windows for nighttime blackouts that were never enforced.
Section:Then & Now
Image One
Courtesy of the Northwest Room, Spokane Public Library
Image Two
Jesse Tinsley
| The Spokesman-Review
In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Spokane began preparing for the next major attack. Spokane radio stations went off the air so enemy aircraft couldn’t follow their signals into urban areas. Tall buildings covered their windows for nighttime blackouts that were never enforced. Young men began enlisting in the Army, Navy, Marines and the Coast Guard. Local hospitals expanded nurse training. Starlet Lana Turner sold war bonds at a rally in front of the Desert Hotel. Spokane’s proximity to the coast and access to railroad lines made it a good location for Galena, Felts and Geiger airfields. Galena Field became Fairchild Air Force Base. Farragut Naval Training Station opened in 1943 on Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho. All the activity brought uniformed men and women to Spokane seeking entertainment. In early 1942, T.O. Hoagland, a defense official, came to Spokane to set up a U.S.O. chapter. “We are facing a problem of providing recreation and beds for an amazing number of military men, both army and navy, who will be in Spokane on weekends,” he said. “ I am not allowed to quote figures, but by fall there will be a stupendous number.”
Share on Social Media