Central & Eastern Washington - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 402

Riverside State Park PARK
( www.riversidestatepark.org ) Track the Centennial Trail 3 miles to the west and you'll
end up here in 10,000 acres of protected forest and trails where you can run, walk or
cycle to your heart's content. Among the park's natural highlights is the Bowl & Pitcher ,
a deep gorge with huge boulders at a bend in the river 2 miles north of the southern en-
trance. A swinging suspension bridge, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation
Corps, crosses the river here.
History also has its place in the park. Fur trader David Thompson of the North West
Company built a trading post in 1810 just north of Nine Mile Falls, beyond the Centenni-
al Trail's northern endpoint. The site is commemorated by the Spokane House Inter-
pretive Center (

10am-6pm Thu-Mon Jun-Aug) , where several modest exhibits tell

the story with photos and dioramas.
Nearby, you can explore one of Thompson's trapping routes, looking much as it may
have looked in his time, at the Little Spokane River Natural Area . A 3.6-mile hiking
and cross-country skiing trail through the protected wetland begins about half a mile bey-
ond Spokane House along Hwy 291. Great blue herons nest in the cottonwoods and Nat-
ive American pictographs can be found at Indian Painted Rocks. The area is perhaps
best appreciated in a kayak.

Gonzaga University UNIVERSITY
( www.gonzaga.edu ) Founded in 1887 by the Jesuit Order, Gonzaga University is famous
for its college basketball team and one particularly celebrated former student: the incom-
parable Harry Lillis 'Bing' Crosby, who came here to study in 1920.

Bing Crosby Memorabilia Room MUSEUM
(502 E Boone Ave; 8am-midnight daily during school year, hours vary Jun-Sep) The immortal
Bing Crosby donated a comprehensive collection of his recordings and paraphernalia to
alma mater Gonzaga University, and these are displayed in this room at the Crosby Stu-
dent Center. A bronze statue of the crooner - who, though born in Tacoma, moved to
Spokane at the age of three in 1906 - stands out front, with his prized golf clubs in tow.

Jundt Art Museum MUSEUM
(202 E Cataldo Ave; 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, 10am-9pm Fri, noon-4pm Sat, hours vary Jun-Sep) In
the university art center at the end of Pearl St is this museum housing a good collection
of classical sculpture and painting, as well as an 18ft chandelier by glass artist Dale Chi-
huly.