SPOKANE, Wash. — Did you know that both Chinese and Japanese communities used to have districts to celebrate their cultures in downtown Spokane? Trent Alley was demolished for Expo ’74 while Chinatown disappeared because of anti-Chinese legislation.
This weekend, the Asian-American community will dedicate markers to remember Spokane’s Chinatown as well as Trent Alley.
Trent Alley was the center of Japanese culture in Spokane before Expo ’74. It was located where the Saranac Building currently is downtown. That is exactly where the marker will be placed as a reminder of the people who worked hard and suffered.
The story of Trent Alley is very similar to what Chinese-Americans lived through in Spokane. Chinatown was also a bustling hub of culture in downtown Spokane decades ago. That bustling hub was ultimately widdled down to nothing after the Chinese Exclusion Act stopped Chinese people from moving to the United States.
Spokane resident Joanne Ferris recently saw the markers that are decades in the making. The plans for these markers started before Expo ’74, but are just now coming to life. Ferris said, “It’s a long time coming, and I am glad there will be this so people can remember.”
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