Chinatown, Spokane

A fair sized Chinatown existed in Spokane for years that started when the railroad came through in 1883. It consisted of a network of alleys between Front Avenue (today's Spokane Falls Boulevard) and Main Avenue that stretched east from Howard Avenue to Bernard Street for approximately four blocks. The Chinese population gradually thinned out until the alley became abandoned by the 1940s. All that remained of Chinatown was demolished to build a parking garage for Spokane's Expo '74, which is currently used as the River Park Square garage.

Spokane Chinatown
Former Neighborhood of Spokane
Spokane Chinatown
Coordinates: 47°39′32″N 117°25′30″W
Country United States
StateWashington
CountySpokane County
CitySpokane, Washington
ZIP Code
99202
Area code(s)Area code 509

History
The Great Northern Railroad Depot Clocktower in 1973, exactly one year before the Expo opened.

In the 1880s, immigrants from China who had come to work on the railroad established a "bustling Chinatown" in Spokane which was as big as three to four blocks "... stretching from Howard Street to Bernard Street ..." parallel to what is now Spokane Falls Boulevard.[1] It was also known by the nickname "Japanese Alley" or "Trent Alley".[1][2] More sources said that the Chinatown swelled even more during the Franklin Delano Roosevelt era with the internment of Asian peoples due to the war against Japan.[1] An old newspaper article shows that an annual convention for the Chinese Hip Sing organization was held in 1924.[3]

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References
  1. Kershner, Jim (30 March 2007). "Spokane Neighborhoods: Old Chinatown -- Trent Alley -- Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  2. Reames, Nicolette. "Spokane's Chinatown". Eastern Washington University. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  3. "Tong Men Meet in Parley Here: Spokane's Chinatown in Gala Dress for Delegates to Hip Sing Convention". Spokesman-Review. September 19, 1924. Retrieved 2 November 2018.


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