Bridges Around Spokane

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Steaming across Hangman (now Latah) Creek

As a railroad hub situated on a major tributary of the Columbia River, Spokane is a city where bridges are prominent local and regional landmarks. Like much of the city, these bridges have undergone periods of construction, demolition and reconstruction that reflect changes in national modes of transportation, the economy of the region and the architectural aspirations of the city.

Hand-tinted view of the Hangman trestle

These photographs show the diversity of bridges which spanned the Spokane River and its tributaries from the 1880s until the middle years of the twentieth century. Historic images of major standing bridges such as the modern Monroe Street Bridge and the Hangman/Latah Creek Bridge are complemented by views of shorter-lived structures such as their immediate predecessors and the Cable Street Bridge.

The majority of these images are in black and white, but there are some sepia toned and hand-tinted images in the collection.

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Photographs for this digital collection are drawn from the photo files of the Northwest Room.