Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture MUSEUM
( www.northwestmuseum.org ; 2316 W 1st Ave; adult/child $7/5; 10am-5pm Wed-Sun) Encased
in a striking state-of-the-art building in the historic Browne's Addition neighborhood,
this museum has - arguably - one of the finest collections of indigenous artifacts in the
Northwest. Leading off a plush glass foyer overlooking the Spokane River are four gal-
leries showcasing Spokane's history, as well as a number of roving exhibitions that
change every three to four months. Your ticket also earns you the right to visit the adja-
cent English Tudor-revival Campbell House .
GHOST TOWNS
Northeast Washington may lack the coffee flavors of Seattle and the alternative
music of Olympia, but it does harbor some classic American ghost towns.
The eeriest of the stash is Molson , 4 miles south of the Canadian border near
Oroville. It's a former mining town that suffered the misfortune of going bust not
once but twice in the early years of the 20th century. Molson mark 1 was founded
in 1900 by John W Molson of beer-brewing fame, and within a year it had morphed
into a viable settlement of 300 fuelled by mining speculation. But the speculators
had overpredicted. The still nascent town's fortunes nosedived the following year
as the mines dried up, and the population fell to almost single figures. The rebirth
came in 1905 with the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad, which led to the de-
velopment of a new town sited half a mile to the north. New Molson thrived until
the late 1920s, when the Great Depression put a brake on its delicate economy.
The final curtain fell in 1935 with the cessation of railroad operations.
Today, ghostly remnants of Old Molson make up a rather spooky indoor and out-
door museum complete with bank, law office, store and various outbuildings. It's
run by the Molson Historical Society; entrance to these dusty relics is by donation.
After exhuming the ghosts of Molson, you can head to two more skeletal settle-
ments: Nighthawk , a railroad and mining nexus founded in 1903, and Bodie , foun-
ded in 1896 by overoptimistic gold prospectors.
Activities
While Walla Walla and the Yakima Valley are the most obvious stops on the Washington
wine-tasting circuit, Spokane has also developed a decent clutch of wineries and tasting
rooms with knowledgeable staff on hand to help decipher the flavors.
Running aside, Spokane's outdoor activities center around golf and skiing. In addition
to Mt Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, there are several trails for cross-country skiing in,
and just past, nearby Mt Spokane State Park.
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