The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1919-10-18

BY John b. Slater, Historian stevens
County Pioneer Association
Tomorrow, October 10, will mark
the goth anniversary Of the compile
tion to Colville of the railway thers
constructed between this city and
Spokane and owned and operated by
the Spokane Falls &. Northern Rail
way Co. For days before, the steam
from the construction train had been
in evidence far down the track, grad
ually drawing nearer to the chief
town of the valley which numbered
its population at about 400 people.
The track was laid into Colville on
the 10Th and the first train, mixed
one of freight and fiat cars and an
improvised passenger coach, pulled
up to the west end of First avenue
and stopped. There was no station,
but box-car was shifted onto the
sidetrack which housed all the freight
and baggage received and shipped
from this point for many months.
No regular service was established
for several weeks, but mixed trains
were sent out of Spokane about three
times a week and reached their des-
tination as the convenience of circum-
stances warranted. 1t was several
established on guaranteed time
schedule.
Up to this time all the travel
through the Colville country had been
by team, the old-time stage coach
being resorted to by trapsients. So
unaccustomed to the innovation of
steam as motive agency were the
people that, it is said, the railway
management resorted to the free dis
tribution of passes to induce the ma
tives to relinquish the older custom
and cleave to the swift moving pas
senger train. 4
Almost co-incident with the lapse
of the first 80 years since Colville
was linked with the outside world by
bands of steel, few days ago, in
Spokane, occurred the death of John
W. Glover who, with Lane C. Gil
liam, had for many years conducted
stage line between Spokane and
Marcus. The only intervening sta
tions on the long trip were LePray's
bridge on the Spokane river, Walkers
Prairie, Thetis located at the south
end of Long Prairie, Chewelah, Col
vile and the Mission. The stage
left Spokane at 7 a. m, arrived at
Chewelah that night, left Chewelah
at 7 the following morning, arrived
at Colville at IL a. m. and reached
Marcus at p. m. The service was
tri-weekly carrying passengers, bag
gage and express. 1t was a month
after the completion of the railway
before the stage service was abandon
ed to Colville. For some technical
reason the railway could not assume
the responsibility of mail carrying
contract, so Mr.. Glover transferred
the mail to the trains and received
and distributed the sacks personally
to the few postoffices along the way
for several months when the railway
management took over the contract
between Spokane and Colville.
In 1890 station was built imme-
diately south of First avenue (then
called Still street) which served un-
til burned about 20 years ago. A
box car was again utilized for depot
purposes for the greater part of a
year before the new station was built
Immediately north of First avenue.
The passenger fare from Spokane
to Colville was reckoned on a basis
of 3 cents mile, the 88th milepost
being at the end of First avenue.
Cutting off the fraction the fare to
and from Spokane was $3.50 to the
old depot, but when the new station
was built Immediately north of the
avenue at point only 100 feet far
ther, the seth mile was added and
the travelling public paid $2.65 or
cents additional on tickets to and
from southern points. But even this
was relief from the days of the
stage coach which carried it's pas
sengers for fare of $3.50 from Col
vile to Spokane, taking day and
a half to the trip.
Along with the railway came the
telegraph. Before this all kilograms
were dispatched by mail or, where
the emergency was great, by special
courier on horseback to Spokane
which was served by the Western
Union Telegraph Co. The telephone
had not come into common use at the
time.
The following fourth of July was
celebrated by an excursion Of about