Fort Spokane: The Historic Landscape, A Preliminary Study, Coulee Dam National Recreation Area, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Gilbert, Cathy

Established in 1880, Fort Spokane was one of the last forts built in the Northwest to maintain peace and settle potential conflicts between Indians on the Northern Columbia Plateau and white settlers arriving in the area. For almost twenty years, Fort Spokane carried out its mission, creating a significant impact on the social fabric of both groups. The post was placed on caretaker status when the garrison was called to serve in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Less than a year later, the Colville Indian Agency moved to the fort and established an Indian school and hospital. The facility continued for ten years. From 1914 to 1929 that same agency used the old post as a hospital for Indian children with respiratory diseases. The fort lay abandoned for the next thirty years. In 1960, jurisdiction of the site was transferred to the National Park Service which maintains the fort today as a historic site within Coulee Dam National Recreation Area. Several studies have been conducted that document the historic character, archeological resources, and historic buildings of Fort Spokane. Some of these studies make references to landscape features but to date, no study has been conducted which focuses solely on the landscape, its contribution to defining the historic character of the site, and its potential for improving visitor understanding of the site. The purpose of this study is to consolidate available resources regarding the historic landscape of Fort Spokane and to identify and illustrate significant historic patterns, remnants and components that support the historic integrity of the site. The report that follows is divided into four sections. Part one describes the physiographic setting, site boundaries, and existing conditions. Part two includes a brief historic overview of the Fort and an identification of those periods most significant in shaping its historic character. Part three graphically and verbally describes the landscape structure from those significant periods. Part four contains the general recommendations for protecting and reclaiming the historic landscape of Fort Spokane. It must be emphasized that the recommendations from this study are historic landscape integrity. Specific site development issues are not directly addressed. Any design implementation should not be undertaken without additional design development and site planning study, as suggested in the “Recommendation” section of this report.

Fort Spokane: The Historic Landscape, A Preliminary Study, Coulee Dam National Recreation Area, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, National Park Service

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