Christmas In Spokane In The 1880s

 Christmas in Spokane in the 1880s.

According to a column by Dorothy Powers in The Spokesman back in December 1983, “not many marks of Christmas seen around Spokane today were present (during) those first years Spokane celebrated Christmas.” There were no shimmering recycled aluminum trees, no ho-ho-hoing Santas in downtown stores and no carols pealing from downtown carillons and no bustling crowds, she added.

Spokane had one its first Christmas celebrations in 1874. “Notwithstanding the drawbacks of securing anything but the barest necessaries of life, it was resolved that winter to celebrate the holidays in the most elaborate manner at the command of the little community.”  And a good time was had by all despite “being in one of the most isolated regions in the West.”

“Spokane was but a frontier village way back in 1883. There were only a few excuses for stores with stocks limited to bare necessities. Buying gifts for youngsters in 1883 proved almost impossible. The very few stores had made no provision for Christmas and there was no trinket of any kind that would appeal to children.”

By 1878, there was a celebration drawing 25 guests in the Glover mansion “which was a five-room place, half logs and half boards. The weather was mild….we sang Christmas carols. Mrs. Glover played the organ and afterwards she served refreshments of cake, coffee and apples (which came from Oregon).”

In another Spokesman article, dated 27 Dec 1964, an article by Edith Boyd appeared. She had come to Spokane in 1884 and was the 1964 “Pioneer Woman of the Year.”  She remembered and wrote “in all our churches this Christmas observance was typical, a time of mystery and joyous excitement. At All Saints Church on First & Jefferson Streets, where I belonged, we followed the general pattern. The rector brought a not-too-big fir tree and branches of fir and cedar from his ranch away out on the Little Spokane River to help decorate the chapel. We gathered in the cold little room and made wreaths and garlands to hang on the bare walls until they looked festive.

All Saints was then only a mission church and had no money for spending, so all gifts and trimmings were donated by the parents. We girls of the Sunday School went to the home of our teacher and strung popcorn and cranberries and made little boot-shaped bags of colored tarleton to be filled with candy and hung on the tree. The little candles that lighted that tree glowed and flickered with a beauty no electric bulbs can equal now-a-days. Lest a candle fall or lean over and start a blaze, a young man stood guard with snuffers and a bowl of water but never was there a bit of trouble.”

What was Christmas like for you as a child? What do you think it was like for YOUR parents and/or grandparents?