Cheney, Washington

All you want to know about Cheney, Washington

Cheney, Washington
Location of Cheney, Washington
Location of Cheney, Washington
Coordinates: 47°29′19″N 117°34′43″W / 47.48861, -117.57861
Country United States
State Washington
County Spokane
Area
 - Total 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km2)
 - Land 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km2)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 2,352 ft (717 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 8,832
 - Density 2,161.0/sq mi (834.4/km2)
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 99004
Area code(s) 509
FIPS code 53-11825[1]
GNIS feature ID 1531416[2]

Cheney (pronounced chee-nee ['tʃi:ni]) is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The full time resident population was 8,832 at the 2000 census. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, and its population grows to approximately 17,600 people on a temporary basis when classes at Eastern Washington University are in session.

Contents

History

Named for Boston railroad tycoon Benjamin Pierce Cheney, Cheney was officially incorporated on November 28, 1883.

The City of Cheney is located in Spokane County and is home to 10,130 residents according to the 2006 Washington Office of Financial Management population estimate. Cheney is proud of its small town nature, which is enhanced by the diverse influence of Eastern Washington University, a public regional university with over 10,000 full time students. The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League have held the majority of their summer training camps at EWU, from 1976-1985, and again from 1997 through the 2006 training camp.

Cheney developed into the city known today because of its strong ties to education, rail, and agriculture.This provided a strong economic base for the community and was the result of a much larger event that took place in the United States. In 1858, the last Indian uprising occurred in Eastern Washington. Because isolated Eastern Washington was an area of this Indian unrest during the early part of the territorial period, it was not until the late 1860s and early 1870s that settlers made homes in the area. In the latter part of that decade, settlers attracted by plentiful water and timber and the promise of a railway line made their homes near a group of springs bubbling through a willow copse from the bank where the Burlington Northern Depot now stands.

The name of the little community, originally Section Thirteen, became Willow Springs, then became Depot Springs, because of its ties to the railroad, then Billings, in honor of a president of the Northern Pacific Company, and finally Cheney, Washington in honor of Benjamin P. Cheney, a Director of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Benjamin P. Cheney was the eldest son of a blacksmith who was born in 1815 at Hillsborough, New Hampshire. At age 16, he started work as a stage-coach driver between Nashua and Keene. Five years later he had become a stage agent in Boston and soon organized an express between Boston and Montreal. He later consolidated that stage-coach line with others to form the United States and Canada Express Company, which 37 years later he merged with American Express, at which time he became American Express's largest shareholder. The only time Cheney actually visited the town of Cheney was on September 18, 1883 following the "Last Spike Ceremony" which was the joining of the eastern and western divisions of the railroad. Mr. Cheney donated $10,000 to establish the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy in the town. The railroad donated eight acres of land so that the educational facility could be built. In 1880 the railroad was graded through the town, and in 1883 the town was incorporated with the streets laid out in the shape of a triangle with the base parallel to the tracks. The railroad tracks were not in a true east-west line, however, so the original town is askew with the map; the newer part of Cheney was built more to the compass.

After a stormy series of boundary changes caused by legislative acts, Spokane County was created with a permanent County seat still to be selected. Contenders for the honor were Cheney and Spokane Falls (now Spokane). Cheney received a majority of the votes, but because of alleged irregularities at the polls the election was won by Spokane Falls. When this was taken to court, a circuit court judge agreed to a ballot recount. Such recount failed to materialize, however, and the citizens of Cheney took matters into their own hands.

On a night when most of the residents of Spokane Falls were at a gala wedding celebration, a delegation of armed "Cheneyites" invaded the Auditor's office, took possession of the books, did their own ballot recount which showed Cheney the victor, and made off into the darkness with the records. The "Grand Steal" was not contested and was confirmed by a court decision in 1881.

Cheney remained the county seat until 1886 when the faster growing Spokane Falls again brought the issue to a vote and regained the seat. From this point on, the history of Cheney revolves around the growth of the State Normal School, later Eastern Washington College of Education, later Eastern Washington State College and finally Eastern Washington University. The fierce determination of Cheney to build and promote its college was largely to regain its lost prestige over the county seat.

When Washington became a state in 1889, Cheney was able to obtain legislation establishing one of the state normal schools, mandatory under the Enabling Act, in Cheney. Its most convincing argument was that it already had the physical beginnings of a normal school in the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy.

Disagreement between legislators and governors resulted in three appropriation vetoes for the normal school in the next 25 years, but in each case, the citizens of Cheney somehow raised the funds to keep the college going until the next legislative session. The growth of the Cheney Normal School and the transformation of the frontier land into a thriving community were the basis for the changing attitudes in this area. The innovators who created the small community atmosphere were the women of the frontier. All of the energies that were once focused into making the west a home for their families were transformed into creating a vision of preferred lifestyle choices for the youth.

Economy, recent growth and expansion

Once a booming railroad town and county seat, the City of Cheney is a bedroom community to the City of Spokane. Many people who live in Cheney work and shop in Spokane, while over half of the student population at Eastern Washington University and commutes to classes in Cheney daily. Cheney has its own distinctive economic characteristics, but its fortunes and growth are tightly linked to the greater economy of the Inland Northwest. Eastern Washington University is the single largest employer in Cheney, followed by the local school district and city government. In the private sector healthcare dominates the employment base followed closely by farming and agriculture with the principal crops being dryland graincrops like wheat, barley and peas along with a substantial amount of hay production.

With Cheney located just 15 miles (24 km) southwest from Spokane, Washington the city has seen some significant growth since the mid and late 1990s and continuing today as the Spokane area continues its rapid growth. Much of the growth and development has taken place on the north part of the city, were the highway enters Cheney that connects the city with Interstate 90 and Spokane. Over the years this area has seen the development several new businesses and restaurants along with a new shopping center with a Safeway supermarket, Blockbuster Video, Pizza Hut, Starbucks coffee, and a credit union. Also recently opening was a new hotel, a Holiday Inn Express.

The city also hopes to help attract more businesses and high tech business by installing a fiber optic network that will eventually connect to all businesses in the city as well as developing a technology business park[1]. The city has also recently started renovating its historic downtown while connecting the downtown to the university with a pedestrian only walkway the few blocks the separates the two [2].

Eastern Washington University is the fastest growing university in the state of Washington and has seen several new buildings built or renovated on campus, upgrades and beautification of the campus, a new dorm built, and a renovation of the football stadium. With all this growth Cheney has seen the development of many new apartments for students and subdivisions and new homes built as the city continues to grow along with the Spokane area.

Geography

Cheney is located at 47°29′19″N 117°34′43″W / 47.48861, -117.57861 (47.488634, -117.578581)[3], at an elevation of 2,400 ft (730 m), or 732 m.

Cheney is at the highest point on the railroads between Spokane and Portland, and sits atop the route of gentlest gradient from the Spokane Valley to the Columbia Plateau, which was the reason for much of its early growth and railroad activity. The town is built on rolling palouse hills overlooking channeled scablands carved out by the pre-historic Spokane Floods to the South and East. These scablands now host "pothole" lakes and wetlands, and are home to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.73%) is water.

Geographic features

Lakes and rivers

There are numerous lakes, along with the Spokane River and Little Spokane River, that are located within twenty miles (32 km) of Cheney that provide abundant recreational opportunities such as boating, swimming, water skiing and fishing. The lakes include:

  • Fish Lake
  • Badger Lake
  • Williams Lake
  • Chapman Lake
  • Silver Lake
  • Clear Lake
  • Medical Lake
  • West Medical Lake
  • Amber Lake
  • Spokane River
  • Little Spokane River

Summits and peaks

Major highways

Nearby cities and towns

Nearby transportation facilities and services

Climate

Cheney is located in the edge of desert leading up to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where the summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold, wet and windy.

Winter – Relatively cold, wet, snowy and windy. Temperatures can go into the negative doble-digits at times. The wind chill factor can be well below zero.

Spring – Moderate temperatures. Still occasionally wet. Very windy. Average daytime highs are in the upper 60s to low 70s while being in the upper 40s to low 50s overnight.

Summer – Very hot, dry heat with little or no precipitation. Temperatures soar into triple-digits from time to time. However, the temperatures to cool down somewhat at night. Average day time highs are in the upper 80s while dropping into the mid to upper 50s after midnight.

Fall – Moderate temperatures with sometimes little or no precipitation. Transitional period from summer to winter temperatures is very short. As a result, the deciduous trees will lose their leaves very rapidly, seemingly overnight, with a short color change. Average day time highs are in the upper 50s and low 70s while dropping into the mid 30s to mid 40s overnight.

Low High
Rainfall 15.6 Inches 36.6 Inches
Snowfall 25.2 Inches 96 Inches
Average High Temperature July 84.5 °F (29.2 °C) July 86.5 °F (30.3 °C)
Average Low Temperature January 16.5 °F (−8.6 °C) January 20.8 °F (−6.2 °C)
UV Index 3.1 4.3

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,832 people, 3,108 households, and 1,529 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,161.0 people per square mile (833.8/km²). There were 3,293 housing units at an average density of 805.7/sq mi (310.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.28% White, 2.11% African American, 1.32% Native American, 6.34% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 1.71% from other races, and 2.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.35% of the population.

There were 3,108 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 41.0% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 12.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,593, and the median income for a family was $37,935. Males had a median income of $27,745 versus $23,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,566. About 20.1% of families and 30.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

The education level of residents in Cheney of the age of 25 is

  • High school or higher: 95.6%
  • Bachelor's degree or higher: 42.3%
  • Graduate or professional degree: 13.1%

Cost of Living

The following cost of living indices are based on a US average of 100. An amount below 100 means Cheney WA is cheaper than the US average. A cost of living index above 100 means Cheney is more expensive.

Overall, Cheney cost of living index is 94.07.

Cost of Living Component Cheney United States Average
Overall 94 100
Food 105 100
Utillities 75 100
Miscellaneous 106 100

The median home cost in Cheney is approximately $260,000.

Government

City

The City of Cheney's government operates under a strong mayor-council form of government. The Mayor is elected by the community at large every four years, and the City Council consists of seven (7) members who are also elected to serve in four year terms. The Mayor performs as the Chief Executive Officer and the City Council performs the legislative functions. City Council meetings These meetings are scheduled for every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. City Council meetings begin sharply at 6:00 PM and are conducted in the City Council Chambers located at City Hall, 609 Second Street, Cheney, Washington. An agenda of the upcoming City Council meeting is posted in City Hall on the Friday before the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting. Cheney's current elected officials and key administrators are:

Mayor

  • Mr. Allan Gainer

City Council

  • Ms. Annette Mather
  • Mr. Curt Huff - Mayor Pro Tem
  • Dr. Michael McKeehan, Ph.D.
  • Mr. Doug Nixon
  • Ms. Teresa Overhauser
  • Dr. Robert Stockton, D.D.S.
  • Dr. Tom Trulove, Ph.D.

The City Council makes final decisions regarding policy and fiscal matters and is assisted by a number of advisory committees that include:

  • The Planning Commission: A seven-member commission chosen by the City Council and Mayor that is charged with dealing with matters affecting long range planning and urban growth.
  • The Parks Board: A seven-member commission chosen by the City Council and Mayor that is charged with identifying recreation needs in the community, recommending policies related to parks and recreation operations to the City Council and Mayor and reviewing proposal presented by city government staff.
  • Youth Commission: The Youth Commission is composed of high school and junior high school students who advise the City Council and Mayor on the needs and issues affecting youth in the community.
  • Historic Preservation Commission: A seven-member commission chosen by the City Council and Mayor that is charged with the identification and preservation of community cultural resources through the inventory and registry of historic places.

Departments and administrative staff

The actual administration of the government is operated under a city administrator who oversees several departments that include:

  • Building Department
  • Finance Department
  • Fire Department
  • Light Department
  • Municipal Court
  • Parks & Recreation Department
  • Planning Department
  • Police Department
  • Public Works Department

Regularly scheduled interdepartmental meetings are held to coordinate the activities of Cheney's government. Cheney's Administrative Staff Includes:

  • Ms. Arlene Fisher, City Administrator
  • Ms. Diane Showalter, Personnel
  • Ms. Keri MacDonald, Executive Secretary
  • Mr. Mike Winters, Fire Chief
  • Mr. Jeff Sale, Chief of Police
  • Ms. Cynthia Niemeier, Director of Finance

State

In the Washington State Legislature, Cheney is located in the 9th Legislative District. It is currently represented in the Washington State Senate by Republican Mark Schoesler, Republican Floor Leader. In the Washington House of Representatives Cheney is represented by Republican Steve Hailey, Assistant Minority Whip in Position #1 and Republican Joe Schmick in Position #2.

Federal

Cheney is located in Washington's 5th congressional district for representation in the United States Congress. The 5th congressional district in Washington has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+7 and is represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers and in the Senate is Represented by two Democrats Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.

Public School System

List of Schools

The primary and secondary public schools in the City of Cheney are run by Cheney School District Number 360. In the City of Cheney there are the following public schools:

  • Betz Elementary - Serves 397 students in grades kindergarten through 5
  • Robert Reid Laboratory School - Serves 150 students in grades preschool through 5
  • Salnave Elementary School - Serves 300 students in grades kindergarten through 5
  • Cheney Middle School - Serves around 800 student in grades 6 through 8
  • Cheney High School - Serves approximately 1100 students in grades 9 through 12
  • Three Springs High School - Serves students in grades 9 through 12
  • Homeworks! - A partnership program to support home school families for students in grades kindergarten through 8

Cheney public schools spend $5,688 per student in annual education costs. The average annual school expenditure in the United State is $6,058 per student. The student teacher ratio in Cheney public schools is approximately 25-35 students per teacher.

Public parks and Parks & Recreation programs

List of parks

The City of Cheney has a number of significant and well maintained public parks. Currently there are seven public parks inside the city limits with land set aside for the addition of two more in the near future to accommodate the Cheney's substantial recent growth. The current parks are:

  • City Park - picnic and barbecue facilities, playground equipment and restrooms
  • Centennial Park - two soccer fields, picnic and barbecue facilities, and a horse shoe pit.
  • Hagelin Park - picnic and barbecue facilities, playground equipment, restrooms, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts and soccer fields.
  • Hibbard Park - basketball court and playground equipment
  • Moos Field - two baseball fields, a soccer field and restroom facilities
  • Salnave Park - two soccer fields, two softball fields and a baseball field, play ground equipment, basketball court, tennis courts, restrooms and picnic and barbecue facilities.
  • Sutton Park - playground equipment, restrooms and a gazebo.

Description of local recreation programs

The City of Cheney has a wide variety recreation programs that are available in addition to the park facilities listed above. These programs and activities are administered by a coalition made up of the city and county government agencies and local non-profit organizations. The activities in these programs range from basketball, baseball, softball gymnastics, karate, day camps, and arts & crafts for youth and children to adult sport leagues and educational and field trips for senior citizens, along with a summer concert and movie series that is held at Sutton Park. The recreation programs run by local non-profit organizations include:

  • EWRA Hurrican Swim Team
  • Cheney Cooperative Preschool
  • Cheney Storm Soccer Club
  • West Plains Little League Association
  • Spokane Youth Sports Association (soccer and baseball)
  • Hunter Safety Courses
  • Boy Scouts / Girl Scouts

Description of other local recreation opportunities

There are multiple recreational opportunities and events nearby the City of Cheney that include:

  • Golf at the Fairway's Golf Course located 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Cheney. The Fairway's is a Par 72, 18-hole championship golf course laid out in a links style format.
  • Lilac Bloomsday Run - a 7.46 Mile road race held in Spokane the first Sunday in May each year. This is the world's largest road run with over 60,000 participants every year.
  • Spokane Hoopfest - Spokane's Hoopfest is the world's largest 3 on 3 outdoor basketball tournament held the last weekend of June each year in downtown Spokane. Each year about 6,000 teams comprising over 24,000 competitors participate in this annual tournament.
  • Snow Skiing at four different local ski areas: Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, 49 Degrees North, Schweitzer Mountain and Silver Mountain, Idaho.
  • Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking and Hiking at Riverside State Park. Riverside State Park is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Cheney and provides numerous out recreation activities. It is host to a unique series of basalt geologic formations in and about the Spokane river which provide the environment for excellent whitewater rafting and rock climbing.

Libraries

The City of Cheney is served by two different libraries as follows:

  • Cheney Library is a Public library that is a branch of the Spokane County Library District, which is a regional network of 10 libraries with a permanent collection of over 400,000 items, and a staff of 164 employees.
  • John F. Kennedy Library at Eastern Washington University. This library is located on the campus of Eastern Washington University and is a colleigate research level library with a staff of 42 employees. It supports the academic and research needs of a major regional university that is has undergraduate and graduate students along with research and teaching faculty and the surrounding communities.

Medical facilities

The City of Cheney's medical and dental needs are serviced by two medical clinics and four dentists. Hospital / surgical services are handled at the three major hospitals located in Spokane.

Eastern Washington University

Main article: Eastern Washington University

Founded in 1882, as the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy, it opened its doors to more than 200 enrolling students. A generous contribution of $10,000 from Benjamin P. Cheney, a wealthy transportation industrialist, had at last fulfilled the dreams of Cheney citizens who had long desired an institute for higher learning in their community.

The academy became the Washington State Normal School at Cheney in 1889, the same year in which Washington was given its statehood. The school was proudly designated as an institution "for the purpose of instruction of persons, both male and female, in the art of teaching the various branches that pertain to a good common school." By the time it became Eastern Washington College of Education in 1937, Eastern was already a fully accredited four-year, degree-granting institution, offering majors in numerous subjects. The campus grew rapidly in size and program offerings in the decades following World War II. In 1961, the name was again changed, this time to Eastern Washington State College. It was increasingly evident that the region needed professionals in many fields; in response, Eastern added a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Finally, in 1977, the state Legislature changed the school's name to Eastern Washington University.

Eastern Washington University is now a regional, comprehensive public university, with programs also offered in Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Yakima. Eastern has grown and developed into a driving force for the culture, economy and vitality of the Inland Northwest region. The University’s beautiful campus, NCAA Division I athletics and opportunities for hands-on, real-world learning provide a classic, yet unique college experience. A focus on personal attention, faculty excellence and community collaboration allows Eastern to accomplish its mission for preparing well-rounded students ready to hit the ground running in their chosen career fields. Eastern is now the Washington's fastest growing public institution, yet maintains a 24:1 student-faculty ratio. This momentum can also be seen through structural changes around campus, including renovating Woodward Stadium, the Washington State Digital Archives building, the new Washington State Patrol Regional Crime Laboratory and new School of Computing and Engineering Sciences.

Downtown Historic District

Located approximately four blocks from the EWU campus, Historic Downtown Cheney offers a traditional mix of retail and service businesses as well as government offices. In 1999 EWU, the City of Cheney, and the downtown business community formed a university/community partnership called, "Pathways to Progress." Pathways to Progress quickly adopted the tenets and principles of the Main Street approach to downtown revitalization, formed a board of directors, and began the process of becoming a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation.

Immediately, Pathways to Progress undertook several major projects including pedestrian streetscape enhancements along First Street (Main Street), and College Avenue. Additionally, Pathways facilitated talkes between EWU and a private developer that led to the construction of Brewster Hall, a mixed-use student residence in the downtown core.

Downtown Cheney has since evolved into a more traditional "university district," hosting numerous community festivals, a farmers' market, and businesses catering to the college crowd.

Downtown Cheney is the region's gateway to the Columbia Plateau Trail and the Fish Lake Trail; both of which explore the unique geology of the Great Ice Age Floods.

Fairchild Air Force Base

Main article: Fairchild Air Force Base

Fairchild Air Force Base, located approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Cheney and established in 1942, has been a key part of our nation’s defense strategy and its personnel are a substantial portion of the Cheney community. Originally established as a World War II repair depot, it has transitioned over the years to a Strategic Air Command bomber wing during the Cold War, to Air Mobility Command air refueling wing during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, Fairchild’s aircraft and personnel make up the backbone of the Air Force’s airborne refueling tanker fleet on the west coast. Fairchild’s location north of Cheney and 12 miles (19 km) west of Spokane, resulted from a competition with the cities of Seattle and Everett in western Washington. The War Department chose Spokane for several reasons: better weather conditions, the location 300 miles (480 km) from the coast, and the Cascade Range providing a natural barrier against possible Japanese attack.

Fairchild Air Force Base is also the United States Air Force's primary training facility for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Techniques (SERE). SERE is a U.S. military training program developed at the end of the Korean War to provide service members with training in the Code of Conduct, survival skills, evading capture, and dealing with being taken prisoner. It was created by the U.S. Air Force but was expanded to the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy after the Vietnam War. The SERE school at Fairchild AFB is intended to train aircrews, special forces, and other service members who operate in dangerous areas and are thus more likely to be captured.

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 by an Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt is located six miles (10 km) south of Cheney, Washington on the eastern edge of the Columbia Basin, in Spokane County in northeastern Washington. The Refuge is situated within the "Channeled Scablands", an area formed by glacial floods at the end of the last ice age. It was established to provide productive breeding and nesting grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife, and it encompasses approximately 16,000 acres (65 km²) of the Channeled Scablands. The ecosystem that predominates the Refuge is unique within the National Wildlife Refuge System and has characteristics that distinguish it from natural reserves worldwide. The powerful forces of volcanism, glaciation and the largest flood in geological history have combined to forge a distinct environment. The combination of basalt outcrops, channeled canyons and ponderosa pine forests infused in a diverse landscape of over 130 marshes, wetlands and lakes, create an environment of aesthetic beauty as well as high quality wildlife habitat. Refuge ecosystems represent an ecological transition between the dry, sagebrush dotted grasslands of the Columbia Basin and the both of the timbered Selkirk and Bitteroot Mountain Ranges that rise up to the east. The 3,036 acres (12 km²) of wetlands on Turnbull NWR represent some of the last quality breeding habitat available in eastern Washington for waterfowl, which have experienced tremendous population declines across North America due to loss and degradation of breeding, migration and wintering habitat.

Columbia Plateau Trail State Park

Overview

Columbia Plateau Trail State Park is a 4,109 acre (16.6 km²), 130 mile (210 km) long rail-bed trail that traces the 1908 original path of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroad, and runs just on the outskirts of the City of Cheney. The route is most accessible at Cheney, with other less accessible points along the way. The route is steeped in history, re-told at interpretive kiosks on the trail. Scenic vistas reward the visitor who undertakes this sometimes challenging hike. Currently 23 miles (37 km) of the trail between Lincoln County and Cheney are developed and open for public use. Activities include hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, in-line skating, nature viewing, bird watching, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing City Park - Picnic and Barbecue Facilities, Playground Equipment and Restrooms. Located between Cheney, Wash. and the Tri-Cities area: Pasco, Richland and Kennewick, Washington. Wildlife viewing is a very popular attraction along the Columbia Plateau Trail as it passes 4.75 miles (7.64 km) through the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Many large animals can be seen such as deer, elk and moose. More than 200 species of birds have been identified, and the area is famed for the visiting trumpeter swans. The best times for wildlife viewing is early morning and evening. Spring migration occurs from mid-March through mid-May, while fall migration is from September through November. While enjoying your trek through the refuge, you can read from several interpretive panels on topics such as wildlife, the Ice Age Floods and wetlands. The trail is open to hikers, bicyclers, and, in the near future, equestrians.

History

In the early 1900s, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Company constructed a rail bed that was later abandoned and has now become the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park. The railroad company, which never actually connected the line from Portland to Seattle, operated the steam, and later diesel, railway for more than 50 years. It was said that the owner, James Hill, promoted the railway as a Seattle connection only to mislead competing railroad developers. The Burlington Northern Company operated the rail line for many years after, until the company abandoned it in 1987. State Parks acquired the land in 1991. Remains of reservoirs, reservoir flumes and homes of former railroad employees and other developments also are apparent along sections of the trail. The trestle over Burr Canyon, built in 1908, is listed as a state and national historic landmark.

Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives

Cheney is also home to the Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives; which provides archival and records management services to local government agencies throughout Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties in the State of Washington. Eastern Region's Collections include: Local government records include those from county offices such as the Auditor, the Clerk, the Treasurer, the Board of Commissioners, and from municipalities, school districts, and other service districts. Only a small percentage of the records created by these offices are transferred to the State Archives as archival records. They are selected as archival for their value as legal and historical evidence of policy development, implementation, and effect. The transfer of records to the State Archives is an ongoing process. Some historical records remain with their originating office pending future transfer to the Archives. Collections span the years from the territorial period to the present and include school census records, tax assessment rolls, court dockets and case files, photographs, maps, plats, and engineering drawings. The Archives building is located on the campus of Eastern Washington University.

Cheney Rodeo Days

Cheney Rodeo Days is held the second weekend in July each year and is a major annual event for the community since 1967. The event is put on by the Cheney Rodeo Association, an includes three days of rodeo competition held at the rodeo ground just north of Cheney. The City of Cheney also holds the Happy Hoofer's Fun Run and the Cheney Rodeo Days Parade through the main street of downtown along with a street fair. The Cheney Rodeo features over $40,000 in prize money, rodeo stock from the National Finals Rodeo, and is a professional rodeo event that is part of the Columbia River Prorodeo Circuit which is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, that professional cowboys can use to qualify to join the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, and potentially further qualify for a chance to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, the rodeo world championships.

West Plains Community Fair

The West Plains Community Fairis held annually on the second weekend in August at the Cheney Rodo Grounds. The Fair includes exhibits by 4-H and Future Farmers of America Clubs, Open Class exhibits, horse show, gymkhana, mules, llamas, dogs, cats, livestock showing, & judging, home ec., floriculture & horticulture exhibits. The purpose of the fair is to give the loca community members from Cheney, Four Lake, Medical Lake & Airway Heights a chance to display their produce, animals and crafts, and have the opportunity to learn by doing. Cheney and the greater West Plains cmmunity believe it is important to keep telling the story of productivity of our rural agriculture world to the public, so they too can acquire a feeling of knowing how we provide the food and fiber to feed and cloth our country, and also the world. Many of these skills shown at the fair having been handed down from generation to generation in the local community.

The Battle of Four Lakes

The Battle of Four Lakes occurred on September 1, 1858, approximately five miles north of the City of Cheney in an area currently known as Four Lakes, Washington, and the summer home of the famous actor Jonathan Miller. The Battle of Four Lakes was the final battle in a two phase expedition against a confederation of the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane, Palouse and Northern Paiute Indian tribes from the States of Washington and Idaho (the "Confederated Tribes"), which began in August 1856. The two phases of the expedition, together constituted the Yakima War and the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War. Indian attacks on U.S. troops in the Inland Empire (Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest)) started the expedition as the Yakima War, or the first phase of expedition. In the second phase, Commander of the Department of the Pacific, General Newman S. Clarke sent a force of soldiers under command of Colonel George Wright to deal with a Confederated Tribes from Washington and Idaho, in what is known as the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War. Col. Wright's troops were well armed with the latest weaponry, and engaged members of the Confederated Tribes under command of Chief Kamiakin just north of present day Cheney and over a four day period and routed the Confederated Tribes in the Battle of Four Lakes, who then sued for peace. The Battle of Four Lakes was the final battle in the expedition. The war was officially ended at a council called by Col. Wright at Latah Creek (southwest of Spokane) on September 23, 1858 which imposed a peace treaty on tribes. Under this treaty most of the tribes were sent to reservations. It was reported that Col. Wright did not lose one soldier in the Battle of Four Lakes. A memorial to the battle was erected on the spot of the battle in 1935 by the Spokane County Pioneer Society. The informational content of the monument is disputed. The monument claims that a force of 700 U.S. Soldiers, defeated a force of 5,000 Indians at the Battle of Four Lakes. Many historical accounts dispute this and suggest that the U.S. Force consisted of 500 Soldiers and 200 muleskinners and the forces of the Confederated Tribes numbered no more than 500. After the Battle of Four Lakes, Chief Kamiakin fled to Canada. The Battle of Four Lakes is also known locally as the Battle of Spokane Plains, because as the battle raged on it spread from the Four Lakes area out to the plains area directly west of the City of Spokane and North East of the City of Cheney. The granite monument for this battle can be viewed at the corner of 1st Street and Electric Avenue in the town of Four Lakes, Washington.

Notable past and current residents

  • Clarence D. Martin: (born June 29, 1886-August 11, 1955) served two terms as the governor of the state of Washington from 1933 to 1940 as a Democrat. Governor Martin graduated from the University of Washington in 1906 and joined his father in running the Cheney Grain and Milling Co. From 1928 to 1936 Governor Martin was the mayor of Cheney. While still in the office of mayor, Martin was elected governor of the State of Washington. He was known as the "people's governor" for his strict frugality in government spending and oversaw large economic projects such as the Grand Coulee Dam to put people to work during the Great Depression. After stepping down as governor, Governor Martin returned to Cheney and ran the Cheney Grain and Milling Company (which was founded by his father in 1907) until he sold it in 1943 to Nabisco, and which is now owned and operated by Archer Daniels Midland for $1,000,000 in cash. After the sale of the mill to Nabisco Governor Martin continued, with the assistance of his three sons and secretary, to manage and operate a substantial business empire that consisted of real estate, financial interests (loans) and stock & bonds across the State of Washington. Clarence D. Martin Stadium and Academic Center at Washington State University was named in his honor in 1972.
  • Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson: (born December 25, 1959-February 1, 2003) died as member of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia during its disastrous re-enter in February 2003 (See Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster). After the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster, a section of SR 904 between Four Lakes, Washington and Cheney, Washington was re-named Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson Memorial Highway in honor of the local hero. Lt. Col. Anderson graduated from Cheney High School in 1977 and received his Bachelor's degree in physics/astronomy from the University of Washington in 1981 and a master's in physics from Creighton University in 1990. Lt. Col Anderson is a distinguished graduate USAF Communication Electronics Officers course. During his decorated career with the United States Air Force he received the Armed Forces Communication Electronics Associations Academic Excellence Award 1983, the USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training Academic Achievement Award for Class 87-08 Vance AFB, and was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the USAF Meritorious Service Medal, and the USAF Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster. Lt. Col. Anderson graduated from the University of Washington in 1981 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. After completing a year of technical training at Keesler AFB Mississippi he was assigned to Randolph AFB Texas. At Randolph he served as Chief of Communication Maintenance for the 2015 Communication Squadron and later as Director of Information System Maintenance for the 1920 Information System Group. In 1986 he was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron, Offutt AFB Nebraska as an EC 135 pilot, flying the Strategic Air Commands airborne command post code-named Looking Glass. From January 1991 to September 1992 he served as an aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the 920th Air Refueling Squadron, Wurtsmith AFB Michigan. From September 1992 to February 1995 he was assigned as an instructor pilot and tactics officer in the 380 Air Refueling Wing, Plattsburgh AFB New York. Anderson logged over 3000 hours in various models of the KC-135 and the T-38A aircraft. He was selected by NASA to be an astronaut in 1994. In 1998 he flew on a space shuttle mission that docked with the Mir space station. During his Air Force career he served as an instructor pilot and tactics officer in the 380th Air Refueling Wing at Plattsburgh. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.
  • Launi Meili: (born June 4, 1963) represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in women's three-position smallbore rifle shooting at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There are signs on entry ways to the city that honor her outstanding accomplishment to American Women's Marksmanship. An accomplishment that can be matched by very few.
  • Linda Johns: (born 1960) is the author of the Hannah West series of children's mysteries set in Seattle, Washington. She grew up in Cheney, graduated from Cheney High School in 1978, and attended Washington State University graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communications, and attended the University of Washington and graduated with a master’s degree in library and information science.

Places listed on the National Register of Historical Places

    • Cheney Interurban Depot added in 1979, also known as Cheney Care Center located at 505 2nd St., Cheney, Washington
    • Cheney Odd Fellows Hall added 1990, located at 321 First Street
    • City of Cheney Historic District added 2001
    • Dybdall Gristmill added in 1976, also known as Chapman Lake Mill located 10 mi (16 km). S of Cheney at Chapman Lake
    • Italian Rock Ovens added 1976 located south of Cheney
    • Northern Pacific Railway Depot added 1990 Also known as Burlington Northern Depot, located at 506 Front Street
    • Sutton Barn added 1975 also known as Red Barn
    • Turnbull Pines Rock Shelter added 1975, Period of Significance: 1499-1000 AD, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899
    • Washington State Normal School at Cheney Historic District added 1992, also known as Eastern Washington University Historic District

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

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