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Blanket for Racehorse "Spokane"

Blanket for Racehorse "Spokane" - Blanket, Animal
Accession #: 297.1
Title: Blanket for Racehorse "Spokane"
Object Type: Blanket, Animal
Participants:
Physical Description: Blue velvet horse blanket (a) and hood (b) with yellow satin edging and writing, with a blue velvet and yellow satin belly strap (c). The blanket says: "Spokane / Presented by the Citizens of Spokane Falls W.T."
Description: "Spokane" and race favorite, "Proctor Knott," seemed to cross the 1889 Kentucky Derby finish line together. Spectators and gamblers waited anxiously until the judges ruled "Spokane" the winner. Proud residents of Spokane Falls, Washington Territory, quickly raised $5000 to purchase a velvet and gold-thread blanket and hood worthy of their namesake horse. Why the name "Spokane"? Owner Noah Armstrong was doing business in Spokane Falls when this foal was born at his Montana stables. Horse racing was an Inland Northwest passion for more than a century. The annual Spokane Interstate Fair typically included six days of racing, and before it closed in 2000, Spokane's Playfair Race Course was America's fourth-oldest track in operation.
Category: History
Subjects/Topics/Concepts:
Memorabilia (Communication), Recreation (Recreation)
Dimensions:
height 82" blanket total
height 41" blanket hanging on horse
length 66" blanket
length 42" hood (ear to shoulder)
Materials/Techniques:
cotton fleecing (Material)
metallic cord (Material)
metallic thread (Material)
silk satin (Material)
silk velvet (Material)
brass (Material)
Marks/Inscription:
"Spokane, Presented by Citizens of Spokane Falls, W.T."
Related Exhibits:
Credit Line: Gift of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and Joseph Gottstein, 1941

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