Cliff Cannon History
For hundreds of years before settlers arrived, the Spokane Indians inhabited the area now known as Cliff Cannon neighborhood. They used the basalt outcropping at Cliff Park as a lookout point.
In 1874, the first settler houses were built in South Hill, but the area remained sparsely settled until around 1900, when streetcars began conveying residents up the steep incline. With easier access, development boomed. Mansions were built for the rich and powerful:
mining and timber magnates, bankers, doctors, lawyers and senators.
The neighborhood was also home to many middle class and working class residents.
In the 1960s, scores of historic homes were demolished to make room for the new freeway. In addition, many large homes were converted into apartments, or torn down and replaced with apartment buildings. As Spokane’s economy has grown, so has interest in historic preservation. Much of Cliff Cannon was designated as the Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District in 2023.
In 1874, the first settler houses were built in South Hill, but the area remained sparsely settled until around 1900, when streetcars began conveying residents up the steep incline. With easier access, development boomed. Mansions were built for the rich and powerful:
mining and timber magnates, bankers, doctors, lawyers and senators.
The neighborhood was also home to many middle class and working class residents.
In the 1960s, scores of historic homes were demolished to make room for the new freeway. In addition, many large homes were converted into apartments, or torn down and replaced with apartment buildings. As Spokane’s economy has grown, so has interest in historic preservation. Much of Cliff Cannon was designated as the Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District in 2023.
