Northwest – Days of Yore
Local Native American tribes used the Spokane River on the west side of the neighborhood for fishing and winter camps for trading. On the east side of the neighborhood a thoroughfare crossed from springs located near Euclid Avenue and Maple Street to Indian Trail Road at Francis Avenue, carrying native people, trappers and early settlers between the large falls to the southeast and the Little Spokane River to the northwest. Plants with edible roots, bulbs and berries grew here. Gridded street subdivisions later replaced the native trail, but the area around the springs was purchased by the Eastern Washington Historical Society and became protected conservation park land. Rival streetcar companies extended street railways within Northwest and Driscoll Boulevards to serve the growing neighborhood.
During World War II the U.S. Army built the Baxter General Hospital, located between Assembly Street and Fairmount Memorial Park to care for wounded veterans returning to the region during World War II, with 300 buildings and 2,001 beds. Portions of this 200-acre site became the Veteran’s Affairs Memorial Hospital in 1948 and Joe Albi Stadium, which originally opened as Memorial Stadium, in 1950. A nearby rope tow operated as City Ski Acres in the late 1950s.
Life in Northwest Today
Good schools attract families, while professionals and retirees are attracted by well-built and relatively inexpensive housing along tree-lined streets, which are shady and hilly in some places. People are proud of well-kept yards. The neighborhood has tall stands of pines that articulate the horizon. The neighborhood is described as friendly, stable, established and casual, full of hip, trendy, and established people and families. Many shop at nearby farmers’ markets and get together for yard sales, block parties, and fall cider squeezes. Some neighbors proudly introduce themselves, welcome and accept newcomers, host barbecues, and generously help clear sidewalks and help with other tasks, such as lawn care, landscaping and moving furniture.
In their spare time, many people walk to Joe Albi Stadium or the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex. The stadium hosts football, Junior Bloomsday and other activities, while the sports complex features a BMX track, a skate court, soccer fields, softball fields and a perimeter walking trail. People go to parks to hike, bike, walk, and run on bike routes and trails—some of which offer terrific views of the river and city. Families visit parks, such as Loma Vista Park, to enjoy the open air or to fly a kite. While the neighborhood is predominantly residential, there are many other isolated commercial pockets sprinkled throughout, mostly near old trolley lines, where residents go to find groceries, hardware, specialty pizza, great breakfast, cozy cafés, pubs, a bakery and an eclectic garden shop.
