SR 291 - Vicinity 9 Mile Safety Improvements - Interesting Facts

• The area lies in lands traditionally associated with the Middle and Upper Spokans. These were Salish-speakers also related to the Lower Spokan. They engaged in fishing, hunting and gathering plants, roots & berries. Four species of salmon as well as several species of trout and other fish were caught and consumed. Some of the Upper Spokan camps and villages were located in the general area of the confluence of the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers. One large village was situated about ½ mile from the mouth of the Little Spokane River.
   

• Euro-American contact began with the presence of fur trading companies. In 1810 Finan McDonald and Jacques Finlay arrived to construct a trading post known as the "Spokane House". This structure was demolished in 1826 and replaced with a new structure called "Fort Colvile".
   

• Construction began on the dam and hydroelectric plant in the summer of 1906, furnishing power for the railroad. Ridership on the rail dwindled when the automobile arrived, and in 1925, the hydroelectric plant was sold to Washington Water Power.
   

• Rutter Parkway, named after R.L. Rutter, was constructed by the Works Progress Administration. Due to a shortage of funds, private donations were given for equipment and materials. Local quarry owners also donated rock for the retaining walls and large granite pieces for posts along the outer curves to mark the road edges. R.L. Rutter, who lived near the new road, donated trees, shrubs, and vines to be planted beside the road and on the slopes. He also assisted in supervising the crews and monitoring the work.
   

• The current business district known as "Nine Mile" was started in 1906. It consisted solely of a general store. A post office was added in 1918, the current Nine Mile Store was built in 1938, and the feed and hardware store opened in 1981.
   

• In 1964, the Spokane County Road Department put a new deck on the Nine Mile Falls Bridge over the Spokane River. The three week job cost about $22,000.
   

• New Charles Rd. was built in 1976 and the original bridge removed.
   

• Recently the bridge was overlayed with concrete.