In the late 1890s, Edgar J. Webster, a Spokane lawyer, discovered a mineral spring on the site of the current Minnehaha Park. He later turned the site into a spa. The stone building still located in the park was the home of Webster and served the spa and other endeavors which followed. Mr. Webster sold the land to Mr. and Mrs. John Hieber, who for a time used the mineral water for their brewery. Between 1918 and 1924, the site was rented to several motion picture companies. The Minnehaha neighborhood was served by the Ross streetcar line, also owned by Mr. Webster, which ran from downtown Spokane up to the park.
Minnehaha Park and much of the surrounding neighborhood was annexed into the city in 1907. The Park is located close to the eastern edge of the city limits and adjacent to Esmeralda Golf Course to the north. In 1909, the city of Spokane purchased property for park purposes, but park development did not start until 1924.
Minnehaha School, now named Cooper Elementary, is the anchor to the neighborhood and was annexed to District 81 in 1908. It was then renamed in honor of James Fennimore Cooper, the American writer. The current building was built in 1979 and continues to serve the neighborhood and its children. A grocery store near the school named Mauro’s served the neighborhood and the greater Spokane Italian community (Mauro’s is now closed). The Minnehaha neighborhood is also known for its location as an access point for outdoor recreation with its proximity to the Spokane River and the trails on Beacon Hill, the Centennial Trail, and the adjacent rock climbing at Minnehaha Rocks.
