D.C. Corbin House - 1898 - Spokane, Washington
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 47° 38.910 W 117° 25.177
11T E 468486 N 5277318
Now the Corbin Art Center in Pioneer Park, this 1898 Colonial Revival mansion was the residence of railroad builder Daniel C. Corbin.
Waymark Code: WMVV05
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/26/2017
Views: 1
From the mid-1880s to the beginning of World War I Spokane was one of the most prosperous and fastest growing cities in the US. During this period Spokane grew from a small frontier settlement to become the commercial and transportation centre of the Inland Northwest. Though industries such as forestry and farming were bringing wealth to the city, it was mining and minerals upon which this city was built. Daniel Corbin was one of the pivotal individuals in Spokane's newfound prosperity.
Daniel Chase Corbin, born on October 1, 1832, in Newport, New Hampshire, began to build his fortune by freighting in Colorado. With mineral strikes occurring in Montana he moved to Helena and entered the banking and mining arenas. When more mineral strikes took place in Northern Idaho he began his railroad building career there, building feeder lines from Spokane to the mining areas around Coeur d'Alene. These became crucial links between Spokane and the wealth of the mines.
Next, he built the Spokane Falls & Northern Railroad north through Colville and Northport, across the border to Rossland and Nelson, BC in order to access the great silver, gold and copper wealth being unearthed there. When the financial panic of 1893 did little to lessen his fortune, he began to invest in Spokane real estate. Finally, in 1899 he established the Spokane Valley Land and Water Company to irrigate farmland, ultimately irrigating 18,000 acres.
The house and grounds were purchased from Daniel's second wife, Anna, by the city of Spokane in 1945 and eventually became the Corbin Art Center, which is within the larger Pioneer Park, and is now home to the City of Spokane's Corbin Arts and Crafts program.
The sign is transcribed as follows:
Historic D.C. Corbin House
1898
Spokane Parks & Recreation