HISTORY
The Splash
nOV. 3, 2011 • 19
STONEHOUSE PARK AND hotel Description Located on the southwest side of Liberty Lake, the Stonehouse was known as a destination for “Spokane’s social elite.”
Dates of operation 1921-1925
Owner
Charles Stillwell, who also owned Dreamwood Bay Resort and Liberty Lake Park at different times.
What’s there today?
Pine Terrace residential neighborhood
Did you know?
• Prior to Stonehouse Park, this property was the site of the Pine Grove Park owned by W.D. Nixon, who also ran a launch service on the lake.
Photo courtesy of liberty lake historical society
During its relatively brief existence before being destroyed in a fire, the Stonehouse Park and Hotel gained notoriety in part for its roomy and distinctive architecture, as the interior shots at left attest.
• Sometime after the Stonehouse burnt, another resort called Wildwood was built on the property. That resort was consumed in the 1939 fire that threatened the Liberty Lake community and destroyed thousands of timbered acres. • The bathhouse added in 1923 was built upon a barge. When the Stonehouse burnt, the bathhouse was floated to the beach at Dreamwood Bay and used there for many years.
Stonehouse was site to kick up heels, ‘speak easy’ By Ross Schneidmiller Liberty Lake Historical Society
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol. The ban was mandated by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. When the nation went dry on Jan. 16, 1920, a host of new industries sprang up, illegal as they were. The “saloon” gave way to the “speakeasy.” A speakeasy was an establishment that illegally sold alcoholic beverages. A theory is that the term was simply derived from a patron’s manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion — bartenders would tell patrons to be quiet and “speak easy.” The Stonehouse at Liberty Lake was said to be one. Dutch Groshoff, the longtime Spokane bandleader, described it as a place “where Spokane’s social elite could come and kick up their heels, but it would not be reported in the Sunday Society column.” When this author asked Dutch in a 1986 interview near his 85th birthday, “Who were some of those social elite?” he looked at me in disgust and replied, “Young man, we have a Code of Honor!” When Dutch was about 20 years old, he and a small band played for patrons in the dance hall there. They would ride the train to Liberty Lake Park and rent a boat. With their instruments in hand, they would row the 2 miles to Stonehouse Park at the south end of the lake. The Stonehouse, opening to patrons in 1921, was advertised as a resort for “Ladies and Gentlemen” who were “seeking a respite from the city’s grind, looking for ideal rest, recreation and good cheer for mind and body.” It was built within a grove of scented pines on a low bluff overlook-
from the Libert y L ake historicaL society
Neyland’s Grove Wayside Resort Ted Weeks • Sandy Beach Resort Sig’s Resort MacKenzie Hotel
Dreamwood Bay Resort Stonehouse Park and Hotel January: February: March: april: May: June: July: august:
septeMber: OctOber: nOveMber: DeceMber:
The Zephyr Kalez Park George Libby’s Boys’ Camp
Sandy Beach Resort Sig’s Resort Dreamwood Bay Resort The Zephyr Kalez Park George Libby’s Boys’ Camp Neyland’s Grove Wayside Resort Ted Weeks Resort MacKenzie Hotel Stonehouse Park and Hotel Liberty Lake Park
The Resort Project is a series of 12 articles that will run the first issue of every month in 2011. For more on the series and LLHS, see pages 132-133 of the 2011 Liberty Lake Community Directory.
ing the lake. The architecture was roomy and artistic with a craftsman flair, and it was admirably fitted to the surroundings. It contained a spacious, well-ventilated dance hall with a spring maple floor. The dining room had wall sconces and a ceiling of lattice upon which garlands of maple leaves flowed. The tables were covered in white linens, bone china, crystal goblets and silver flatware for place settings upon which was served the best in home-
cooked dinners. There was a Stone Room and Roof Garden for lounging, dancing and viewing the surrounding country. Naming it the Stonehouse was very appropriate, as stone was used throughout the structure as well as stone walls lining the entry and framing the yard. In 1923, a new bathhouse was added with fresh water showers. Bathing garments could be obtained at a very small cost. For fishing and boating recreation, a fleet of nonsinkable rowboats were available. The Stonehouse continued to expand and in 1924 added lodging. The rooftop’s garden was replaced with a floor of beautifully furnished rooms. The Stonehouse claimed to be the most “up-to-the-minute resort and hotel in the west.” Along with lodging, owners added 15 saddle horses that would make regular trips to Mica Peak. Those horse trips must have been interesting, as those hills harbored some of the largest moonshine operations in the area. Their product, “Mica Moon,” was probably served at the Stonehouse — so maybe it was like staying at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla and going on a winery tour! When you came to the Stonehouse, you expected to be entertained. Ruth Collard’s husband, William, played in a house band at the Stonehouse. She shared in a 1980s oral history interview how he and other band members were put up in a bunkhouse and were on call 24/7. “If a gentleman and his date showed up in the middle of the night to dance, they would wake up the band to play for the couple,” she said. Mary Lou Petty-Skok’s family cabin was near the Stonehouse. She remembers it as a place that did not want any kids around.
That was fine, because with its reputation, her parents did not want them to go near it! Mary Lou’s recollection is that the Stonehouse burnt down around 1925, but she has no knowledge of the circumstances around it. Even though it burnt at the peak of its popularity, Charles Stillwell, who also owned Dreamwood Bay Resort, never rebuilt it. Whether his purchase of Liberty Lake Park in 1926 impacted this, we do not know. Ross Schneidmiller is president of the Liberty Lake Historical Society and a lifetime resident of the community.
Support LL history with purchase of framable postcard The Liberty Lake Historical Society is selling copies of this 1907 postcard as a fundraiser for its historical markers project. The enlarged, matted postcard fits into a 16x20 frame. It features a beach scene and bath house at the Wicomico Inn (located approximately where Liberty Drive and Lilac Lane meet today). The cost is $30. To purchase, e-mail LibertyLakeHistoricalSociety@gmail.com.