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Glover, James N.
| Last Name: | Glover |
|---|---|
| First Name: | James N. |
| Dates: |
*1837 (Date of Birth)
*1921 (Date of Death)
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| Biography/History: | S.R. Scranton and J.J. Downing filed the first homestead claims at Spokane Falls in 1871. Within two years of making the claim, they sold to a man from the Willamette Valley, James Glover. Glover added a circular saw to the existing sawmill, opened a store, and enticed Frederick Post to build a flour mill. In February, 1878, he formally filed a plat naming blocks and streets including Front (now Spokane Falls Boulevard), Howard, Main, and Riverside. The Glovers’ personal lives held less public stories. James’ wife Susan came with him to Spokane. They legally separated and divorced a year later, and James immediately re-married Esther Emily Leslie on April 3, 1892. Susan was committed to Eastern State Hospital, where she eventually died. Glover lost much of his fortune in the 1893 worldwide financial panic and had to sell his elegant Eighth Avenue home; he subsequently built a more modest residence on Summit Blvd, overlooking the Spokane River gorge. In Glover’s mind, a new town also needed the status of county seat. He petitioned to carve Spokane County from existing Stevens County. Competition for county seat was fierce, and Cheney won the 1880 vote. When Spokane Falls was slow to transfer records, Cheney citizens marched in to take the documents. Spokane Falls won the vote six years later, and in 1895 erected a grand new County Courthouse. |
| Related Objects: |
EphL2011-39 (Certificate, James Glover's Homestead Certificate, 1878)
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