This Week in History

Cheney Free Press, 1906

Week of the 26th

Five thousand inhabitants for Cheney

This was the front-page headline of the Cheney Free Press on Friday Oct. 26, 1906. “Cheney has bigger things in store than the building of the interurban line,” the article read.

The interurban line, which was part of Washington Water Power’s interurban electric rail system, connected to the interurban depot in the heart of Cheney. The original building still stands at 505 2nd St., and is currently for sale.

The depot itself moved to another location in Cheney that is now under renovation (picture attached).

But this unnamed “well-versed” Spokane man alludes to a larger project that, “if undergone” would boost Cheney’s population.

For comparison, the population of the “Cheney township” in 1900 was between 780-1000, if the East-Cheney township is included. It was approximately 13,000 in 2021.

In any case, the man whom the Free Press writer interviewed would not comment further on the subject, saying “too much publicity might jeopardize the enterprise.”

The Function of the Congregational Church in Cheney

In this column, we read the thoughts of Reverend F.O. Wyatt, the leader of the Congregational Church, an iteration of which still exists in Cheney today. Wyatt opens with a comment on the definition of “Catholic” as it is used in the Apostle’s creed. We reached out to the current Congregational Church for comment, but received no response.