Fort George Wright
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort George Wright is a land area located in Spokane, Washington. It is named after General George Wright, who had been stationed in the area.
In 1895, local residents purchased the area then known as Twickenham Park, which was deeded to the government for the construction of a military post. With Congress’ authorization, the $40,000 purchase (for 1,022 acres) was made in 1896.
Construction of the fort began in 1897. It officially opened in 1899. Most of the buildings present were built between 1897 and 1906. Fort George Wright was used for military purposes until 1957.
In 1957, the government declared the fort surplus and gave educational facilities priority to purchase the property. Some of the land was used for Spokane Falls Community College in 1960.
In May 1976, the campus was listed as the Fort George Wright Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. This was due to the fact that on the site there is also located St. Michael's Mission. It is a building dating from 1882, which was originally located near the Bigelow Gulch Road. It was moved to the Fort Wright Campus.
The Fort George Wright cemetery, a small square lot northwest of Fort George Wright, is also located on the land. It is managed by Fairchild AFB. It includes service men and families.
[edit] Trivia
The Fort George Wright Prison building has since been converted into apartments for the local college students. This overlooks Indian Canyon and is said to be haunted.
