07/12/2025
We wandered upon this historical monument at Fairmount Memorial Cemetery in Spokane Washington today. He accomplished so much in such a short life, its sad that it took so long to get a monument and recognition for him😔
The monument reads:
Herbert Bolster
Father of the Interstate Fair
1855 - 1903
In Spokane, no one is better known or has made more friends than Herbert Bolster."
The Spokane Press April 10, 1903
Herbert Bolster was born in Uxbridge, Ontario, a small town near Toronto, Canada, on March 3, 1855, to Thomas and Margaret Bolster. After attending local schools, Herbert enrolled at Toronto University, where he received a law degree. By 1882, he was living in Winnipeg’s, Manitoba, where he entered the real estate business. He also served as a lieutenant in the 90th Battalion of Rifles, a military squadron formed in 1883 by the Canadian government.
He came to Spokane Falls in 1885, again entering the real estate trades where Herbert helped organize the Chamber of Commerce, Spokane Club, Spokane Stock Exchange, and the Washington Water Power Company (Avista). He was also involved in promoting several of Spokane's early railroad lines, the first sewer system, and illuminating gas works.
In 1888, he was involved in the development of the Spokane Cable Railway and the construction of the first Monroe Street bridge. The northern route of the cable car line crossed the new bridge, then headed west on Boone Avenue until it again reached the Spokane River. There, another bridge was constructed, leading to a newly planned housing development called Twickenham. Property there was slow to sell, and the land sat largely undeveloped. Herbert then helped the US military secure the property for the home of Fort George Wright.
Though the Twickenham Addition itself failed, the cable car company developed a park nearby that was a success. Twickenham Park opened in 1889 and became a favorite destination for picnics, concerts, and baseball games. The Pacific Northwest League, Spokane's first professional baseball team, was organized in 1890 with Bolster as president. In 1895, Twickenham Park was renamed Natatorium Park.
By 1888, Herbert became involved in promoting Spokane's city fairs and served on the auditing committee of the Washington and Idaho Fair Association. Due to the Great Spokane Fire of 1889, no fair was held in 1890. After the city was rebuilt, a large fair building was constructed for the Northwestern Industrial Exposition on East Sprague Ave. Tensions were high due to a labor strike between the local lumber dealers and workers. Herbert helped mediate the dispute
early and rebuilt a large fair building.
During the Financial Panic of 1893, Herbert and many of the other prominent citizens of the city lost their fortunes, including its early fair organizers. Herbert, however, was not to be deterred in his promotion of the city. In 1894, Herbert became secretary of the Board of Immigration, an organization formed to promote settlement in the area. He proposed that the group set up an agricultural exhibit in the fall to highlight the area's farming potential. Although other members of the bureau were skeptical, the new “Fruit Fair" was very successful. It then became an annual event, running through 1898. Herbert managed four of the five fairs; in 1899, livestock and mining exhibits were added, and the event was renamed the "Spokane Industrial Exposition." Herbert was manager in 1899 but took a break in 1900.
Previous Bolster Fairs were held in various locations, requiring the use of large tents or rented buildings. In 1901, a 63-acre estate was acquired, allowing for the addition of a horse racing track and construction of permanent exhibit structures. The first Spokane Interstate Fair opened in September with Manager Bolster again in charge. Due to health issues, Herbert was forced to step down from his position at the fair in 1902. Herbert Bolster died on July 17, 1903, at the age of 48. He was married to Lilla Lindsey Dunphy.
She had a daughter from a previous marriage named Mary, who passed away in 1901. She rests in this plot with Herbert. Lilla would later remarry and is buried in the Lindsey family plot here at Fairmount.
After his death, there were several attempts to honor Herbert. These plans included the naming of a city park, a statue, an arch at the entrance to the Monroe Street Bridge, and a stone monument at Riverside and Cedar. Time moved on, and good intentions faded away. Only a wooden marker was placed at his gravesite. There were attempts to use funds from later fairs to purchase a proper headstone; those plans also failed. Now, over 120 years later, we are honored to recognize his many contributions to the growths of Spokane and the Inland Empire.
"There passed away a couple of years ago a pioneer citizen of Spokane, a man of blessed memory, named Herbert Bolster. No man in all the history of this city made greater sacrifices of time and money." Spokane Mayor L. Frank Boyd, Jan. 4, 1905
This monument was erected and dedicated
July 29, 2024
By the Fairmount Memorial Association in cooperation with the Spokane Regional Law Enforcement Museum and Spokane Historical Monuments Committee
Jonas Babcock Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and
The Westerners, Spokane Coral.
