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Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Welcome to Fort Spokane, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

A road leading beyond a white entrance gate with blue lettering, and a field of grass on either side of the road. The red-painted wooden Quartermaster's Stable sits on the left side of the road beyond the gate at Fort Spokane in Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

In 1880, the government built Fort Spokane at what is now Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in Washington state. The fort was constructed to keep the peace between settlers and the Colville and Spokane Indian tribes and ultimately went through three phases before being abandoned and then coming under the management of the National Park Service: military base, Indian boarding school, tuberculosis hospital.

Rebecca Latson

Photography In The National Parks: Photographing History At Fort Spokane

There is so much more to a unit of the National Park System than just the landscape or wildlife. There is history, too, and that history often includes beautiful landscapes and cool wildlife. How you frame those photos will either capture your viewing audience’s attention or cause them to nod politely at each photo without spending much time really looking at them.

A "Throwback" To Fort Spokane In 1905, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

A throwback to about 1905 and the Fort Spokane Indian Agency period at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Here's a throwback to circa 1905 or thereabout. Before becoming Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, there was a military fort. According to the National Park Service, "Fort Spokane and the surrounding landscape hold great historic significance. For thousands of years, the area was a gathering place for native tribes fishing the rapids of the Spokane River. In 1880, the U.S. Army established a fort above the confluence of the Spokane and Columbia Rivers. In 1898, the military fort was closed. The buildings were then used as an Indian boarding school and tuberculosis hospital.

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