The Current
16 • february 2012
community
Entertainment, thriving business block, marked early Dishman By Jayne Singleton Spokane Valley Heritage Museum
One of the earliest communities to develop in the Spokane Valley was Dishman. The community was named for Addison T. Dishman, who in 1889 sold property he owned in Spokane and bought a large amount of land in what is now known as Dishman and Dishman Hills as well as parts of the surrounding area. Mr. Dishman was a savvy businessman. After the fire of 1889, a good portion of Spokane was rebuilt with granite and stone from Dishman’s rock quarry, the Empire Granite Co. As many as 35 teams a day hauled stone to Spokane. Gonzaga University and Lewis and Clark High School were built with stone from the quarry.
As Dishman developed, the Misner Store also opened to serve the growing community. A blacksmith shop, saloon and warehouse for feed and farm implements eventually lined the dirt road. C.F. Schimmels operated a blacksmith shop around 1915 and also repaired automobiles. The Oregon Washington Railroad and Navigation Company and the Chicago Milwaukee & St Paul Railroad already had tracks going through what became Dishman by 1908. The train depot is still standing on Dishman-Mica Road and is currently the home of a seasonal produce business. In its heyday, truck farmers and dairies brought their products to be loaded on to cars headed for the Palouse, Seattle
Photos courtesy of the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum
The Empire Granite Co. rock quarry can be seen in the foreground of this circa 1920s photo. Around 1895, A.T.’s Brother, W.B. Dishman, joined him in business. Opening a store in the area that became Dishman, W.B. called it the 6 Mile Store because of its distance from Spokane. It was located near present day Argonne, on the Appleway, named so for the Apple Orchards that lined the road. Today we know it as Sprague Avenue. Trips into Spokane from all points east by horse or teams and wagon always included a stop at Dishman to water the animals in the trough in front of the 6 Mile Store.
or Portland. Railway Postal Express also had an office in the Dishman Depot. Mail was put in a canvas mail bag and left on a hook. When the train wasn't scheduled to stop, the postal worker would hook a mailbag on the fly. Union Pacific Railroad eventually bought out the OWRN. Today, the tracks are seldom used. As Dishman grew, a school was needed to educate the young people. R.A. Hutchinson donated land, and the Dishman School was built in 1910 for $6,300. In 1940, the gym was added to the back of the building, and in 1945, a swimming pool was opened on the south side of the school building. It was open in the summer, and neighborhood kids enjoyed cooling off in the pool. Today, the building houses the City School, a West Valley School District non-traditional school. At left: The 6 Mile Store, circa 1906.
There was no lack of entertainment opportunities in Dishman. In the early 1920s, A.T. built a boxing ring called the Valley Athletic Club with seating for 5,000. It was open-air style. A 1927 ticket to the “Boxing Main Event” lists W.L. Stribling vs. Angus Snyder. Tickets cost $4 plus 40 cents tax! Also constructed was an indoor roller skating rink called the Dishman Rollerdrome. It was the largest skating rink west of the Mississippi River and boasted a floating floor for dances. Often times, there was an Easter Parade at intermission with a top prize of $15 for the best Easter hat or outfit. On Feb. 6, 1948, the Valley’s first annual Masquerade and Costume Ball was held, and a crowd of several hundred attended. In 1939, Mr. Dishman opened a movie theater and called it the Dishman Theater. It was located in the heart of the growing business district and is still there today. The first movie shown was “King of the Turf ” starring Dolores Costello and Adolphe Menjou. The theater was modern, with large vertical signage and the name of the theater on both sides of the sign. Admission was 10 cents. Popcorn and other snacks were available in the lobby. By the 1940s, business and industry was flourishing in Dishman. The business block was well established on the Appleway between Vista Road and Farr Road. Washington Brick Lime & Sewer Co. was producing bricks and sewer pipe, Appleway Mercantile had the best meat market, and for medical needs, the Dishman Drug Store was the place to go. Harold Dockendorf had opened a filling station in the business block called Doc’s Snappy Ser-
Valley of the sun A monthly series of historical chronicles providing a window into the past — and a connection to the heritage — of the communities that make up the Spokane Valley. February Dishman March Chester Hills April Opportunity May Vera June Greenacres July Liberty Lake August Spokane Bridge September East Farms/Otis Orchards October Trentwood November Orchard Avenue December Millwood vice. Tony’s was the local tavern where you could get a beer and catch up on the neighborhood news. Owned by Tony Pasquale, the whole family ran the tavern and the grocery store beside the tavern. Frank’s Food Lockers provided refrigerated lockers for storage of meat, as most folks didn’t have a refrigerator large enough for half a beef in the home. Today, most of the early businesses of Dishman are gone. Appleway Motors, the Dishman Theater (now a gentlemen’s club) and Behm’s Creamery remain as reminders of the early days of Dishman. A.T. Dishman died in California in the late 1940s. He left quite a legacy! Jayne Singleton is director of the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, 12114 E. Sprague Ave. Additional items about the history and culture of the Dishman area — or any of the communities in the Valley of the Sun series — are available in the museum archives. For more information, call 922-4570 or visit www.valleyheritagecenter.org.
A fifth grade class from Dishman school, circa 1934.