Mount Spokane
Encyclopedia
Mount Spokane is a mountain located northeast of Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

, Washington. Its summit is the highest point in Spokane County
Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after the Spokane tribe. As of the 2010 census the population was 471,221, making it the fourth most populous county in Washington state. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state,...

, and it is one of the tallest peaks in the Inland Northwest. Mount Spokane is surrounded by Mount Spokane State Park, the largest of Washington's State Parks at 13919 acres (56.3 km²).

One of the well known features is a bald spot on the corner of the west and south parts of the mountain.

A non-profit organization operates the Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park
Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park
Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is a ski resort located inside Mount Spokane State Park north of Spokane, Washington, United States. The base elevation is at with the peak at .-External links:*...

, located on the southwest portion of the mountain.

Summary of Mount Spokane State Park history

1909 Frances Cook, owner of the summit, builds a toll road to within 3 miles (4.8 km) of the summit.
1927 Mt. Spokane State Park is officially dedicated at 1500 acres (6.1 km²).
1929 H. Cowles, Jr. donates 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land to the park.
1930s The Spokane Ski Club, the Selkirk Ski Club, and the Spokane Mountaineers purchase over 500 acres (2 km²) on the mountain for construction of lodges, rope-tows, and ski jump hills. The road is completed to the summit.
1934 Vista House is built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

 crew from Riverside State Park
Riverside State Park
Riverside State Park is a park northwest of Spokane in Nine Mile Falls, Washington. At over , it is the second-largest state park in Washington. The park includes two campgrounds; one at the Bowl & Pitcher and the other at the Nine Mile Recreation area...

.
1935 CCC sets up camp on Beauty Mountain to improve the road and construct other facilities.
1939 The Spokane Chapter of the Conservation League buys 320 acres (1.3 km²) for the park for $1500 (south half of Section 21) to save virgin timber from logging and fire.
1946 The first double chair lift in the world is put into operation on the south face of the summit.
1952 A master plan is proposed for the park which includes over 24,000 acres (97 km²) and designates all of Mt. Spokane proper for downhill ski purposes. This proposal is not implemented.
1953 KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV, virtual channel 4, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Spokane, Washington, USA. KXLY-TV is owned by Spokane Television Group, a subsidiary of Morgan Murphy Media, it is one of five local Spokane TV stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite provider.-History:Although KHQ...

 becomes operational from the summit.
1955 Lodge #1 and Chairlift #1 are constructed.
1961 Concessionaire A.E.Mettler constructs Lodge #2 and Lift #2
1965 Another master plan is developed by State Parks to include 11,592 acres (46.9 km²) of land, 958 acres (3.9 km²) of which were allocated for general outdoor recreation with the remainder to be administered as a natural environment area. This plan is not adopted by the Parks Commission.
1974 Mt. Spokane Park’s official classification is changed from recreation area to state park and a new philosophy is applied: State Parks are to continuously service man’s spiritual, mental, and leisure time physical needs through the use of selected outstanding natural resources. This is to be accomplished by providing a full range of non-urban outdoor educational and recreational services and opportunities to a wide range of users with diversified interests and needs.
1978 A coordinated trail system plan is developed to, among other things, reduce conflicting recreational uses by specific allocation of park lands to user groups. The plan quickly became out of date and was never fully implemented.
1985 The Parks Commission formally designates the Ragged Ridge Natural Area within Mt. Spokane State Park.
1993 The Park contains about 13,643 acres (55.2 km²) of land, not including Quartz Mountain. Most of this land was donated or obtained during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 through property forfeitures. The Mt. Spokane State Park Alpine Ski Area Working Group Interface Subcommittee issues a report concerning the future of the Park. Among other things, it recommends a comprehensive planning process.
1994 State Parks proposes to classify areas of the Park as Natural Forest Areas. Several alternatives are proposed. The Mt. Spokane Planning Task Force Steering Committee is formed and issues its report. The group recommends a comprehensive planning process as well as the formation of a permanent, local Park advisory committee.
1995 Mt. Spokane State Park Advisory Committee appointed by Parks Commission begins monthly meetings in Spokane. Friends of Mt. Spokane State Park also formed.
1997 Mt. Spokane 2000, a non-profit group of local businesses and civic leaders, is approved as the new concessionaire for the alpine ski area to replace the Mt. Spokane Ski Corporation which operated the area for 20 years.
1999 A Classification and Management Plan (CAMP) process is started for the Park. New land classifications approved including about 10% as Recreation Area, about 58% as Resource Recreation Area, less than 1% as Heritage Area, about 22% as Natural Forest Area, about 4% as Natural Area Preserve, and about 5% as yet unclassified pending completion of the Ski Area Plan and further Commission consideration.
2009 Traditional Peace Blessing, sponsored by the Spokane Interfaith Council, including a Tibetan lama
Geshe Thubten Phelgye
Geshe Thubten Phelgye is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who is known for promoting vegetarianism and humane treatment of animals, and for his work as a peace activist. Geshe Pelgye represents the Gelug tradition in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile....

 and a representative of the Spokane people.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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