Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-12-04

cts, hundreds Of other happy hearted
! individuals are preparing for a visit
home of a fitting back to the old fire
side altar, where the family met in
childhood's happy days, when all was
4 bright and fair, and when they had
plenty of time to visit in the old
friendly, homely way, that has almost
gone out of fashion now, and where
| the very atmosphere of the place is
mellowed and hallowed by countless
tender associations.
Priest River, idaho, where Fern
lives, Spokane, Washington, Lysle's
place of abode, and Addy Washington,
Merits home for the present, are all
| places of some note, all on the Great
Northern Railroad, perhaps some six
ty-fiye or seventy miles apart, and as
la natural consequence Mr.. Elder and
myself fit around from one place to
anothep among the three children, but
as Spokane is the hub of the Inland
Empire, / will tell you something
about this notable place, situated as
said on the Great Northern Rail
ways transcontinental main line and
is one of the most notable cities of the
scenic northwest. Inside Spokane's
city limits, there are no ends Of worth
while things to do and see. It is
city of perhaps one hundred and for
ty thousand inhabitants, Washington's
second city in population and is all in
the midst of mountains, rivers, water
falls and forest and orchards and
flowers. Through the heart of the
city, the beautiful Spokane river,
brawny, vivid green river from out of
the mountains, hastens on it's way,
down from Couer d. Alene Lake to
join the Columbia, and in the very
midst of the city's most beautiful
buildings, tumbles over the splendid
cataracts of Spokane Falls, which are
certainly very beautiful Then again
along the banks, and in the ravines
and along the hillsides, are more than
two thousand acres of public parks,
pinetrees, evergreen all the year
around, stand thickly through the city,
and its always cool nights makes it
almost an Eden, but delightful as is
Spokane itself, it is the side trip
jaunts, that lead in all directions out
of the city to the wonder places of the
Inland Empire, and back that makes
it so notable. I must not fail to men,
ton the Davenport Hotel A feature
of this city of particular interest to
tourists and visitors, one of the finest
and most Hospitality conducted hostel
ries in the United States and repre-
sents an investment of more than two
millions of dollars. It's restaurants
are deserving of particular mention,
as they are famous throughout the
country. Spokane Falls, in the very
heart OF down town, embraces the up
per falls and the lower falls Here
the turbulent river foaming over and
about giant lodges of out-cropping
rock, abruptly descends one hundred
and fifty feet-sixty on the upper
cataract, and seventy feet on the low
er. A number of highway bridges
span the falls, of these the Monroe
street bridge forms the largest con-
crete arch in the world Mantle Park,
The Sunken Gardens, the Green Hous-
es, and the Eco, are especial attrac-
lions. Indian Canyon, preserved to-
day as City Park was for gener-
ations the tribunal headquarters of
the Spokane Indians, and the Indians
still maintain tent city, on the Cam
yon's outskirts, Fort Wright, which
place I have often visited by street
car, is about five or six miles out, and
is situated on the Highlands, on the
west of the river, and is an extensive
post of the United States Army, but I
see my letter is accommodating length,
and 1 must mention the Arcadia Or
chards and Deer Park, which two
places I pass through, on each trip to
and from Priest River by auto or by
rail, and make those trips very Of
ten. The Arcadia Orchards embrace
an immense district of seven thousand
acres, devoted all to the fruit culture |
and at Deer Park, an insight is had in
to the numbering industries of the Spo-
kane country. OF course the country |
is rugged and picturesque, sloping
gradually from the mountains, which |
are numerous, with many deep gulch- |
es cutting up the face of the land, fill
ed with the most luxuriant vegetation,