tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456380.post5072256410260644825..comments2023-11-05T12:17:32.979-08:00Comments on Lost Rail: Brownfields and Open SpacesLinesWesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256267359329575594noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456380.post-14951937804107914062010-08-29T07:35:12.277-07:002010-08-29T07:35:12.277-07:00The Bing Link does not work. So go to Bing, Hangma...The Bing Link does not work. So go to Bing, Hangman Creek, Spokane. There are TWO choices. Pick the top entry - the other is miles out of town. From the Spokane River, back track up the creek and you will spot three bridge piers, near W3rd Ave.Robert in Port Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13807813545873570119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456380.post-37824413638178401202010-08-29T07:27:16.823-07:002010-08-29T07:27:16.823-07:00Elder years bring on occasional panic about certai...Elder years bring on occasional panic about certain things that may happen – like developing Alzheimer’s disease. I already go through episodes of getting “excited,” but cannot remember why!<br /><br />Therefore, when I read, “The anchoring pier of Hangman’s trestle rests at the edge of the Spokane River in the picture above” I began to worry. Was Leland to be the messenger from “above” informing me “I’ve got it - my mind is beginning to fail!”<br /><br />To elucidate. There are at least two bodies of water flowing in the Spokane area. The Spokane River, with its magnificent waterfall centerpiece for the World’s Fair, and Hangman Creek, which flows almost parallel to the Spokane River just before it terminates into the Spokane west of the downtown area.<br /><br />Between the confluence and West Third Avenue was the Hangman Bridge. The Oregon Railroad & Navigation (later UP) and “The Road” shared a structure, crossing Hangman Creek. Three ancient bridge piers are clearly seen in Bing Bird’s Eye:<br /><br />http://www.bing.com/maps/#JndoZXJlMT1IYW5nbWFuK0NyZWVrJmJiPTQ3LjY4ODg2MDM4Mjk5MjYlN2UtMTE3LjQwMDM5MTQ1ODIyMSU3ZTQ3LjYzMDkxOTYxNzAwNzQlN2UtMTE3LjUxNTAyODU0MTc3OQ==<br /><br />According to the US Geological Survey, the naming of Hangman Creek recognizes yet another righteous piece of America’s Western history. On this site, Colonel George Wright's troops hung Yakima Chief Qualchan, and approximately 800 of their horses were killed, to punish the Native Americans for their victory over Colonel Steptoe, namesake of Steptoe Butte.<br /><br />Wright conducted the meeting with the Chiefs plus the additional Braves he had invited at 9:00 a.m. and at 9:15 a.m. they were hanged. It was at that moment the name Latah Creek changed to Hangman Creek and remains as such to this day.<br /><br />Therefore, Leland, the condition of my mind is in your hands! Is this pier on Hangman Creek or the Spokane River?<br /><br />And of the piers I located, who did they belong to?<br /><br />As a postscript to this story:<br /><br />A proposal to reverse the name Hangman Creek to Latah Creek was submitted in 1997. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names rejected the request in 1999 because local use was not strong enough and there was no new evidence to overturn a 1959 USBGN review.<br /><br />While "Latah" is a Native American word meaning "jumping fish,” dating back to 1804 and the Lewis and Clark expedition, it also the name of a disorder similar to Tourette’s syndrome, typically found among women. Women suffering from this syndrome, upon being surprised, may suddenly burst into screaming, cursing, dancing, and hysterical laughter that might last a half hour or more.<br /><br />So perhaps we should leave well enough alone!Robert in Port Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13807813545873570119noreply@blogger.com