Saturday Travel Feature

1916 Pump House
Rockford, Washington

Rockford, Washington is a small, .7 square miles, town in the rolling hills south of Spokane, Washington.  As of the census of 2009 there were 513 people residing in the town. (Paul Gillespie.) It is an old town,  officially incorporated on June 18, 1890.  (See Link 1.)

The most predominant old building in Rockford, Washington is the bright red brick 1916 Pump House on 1st Street.  The building was originally built by Washington Waterpower as a pump house for the town's water system.  In the 1980's it housed the Rockford Museum. And in 1989 they provided the new red metal roof as part of the town and state centennial celebration. However, the building proved to be too small to house the Museum collection.  The building is presently not used for anything, but it is an interesting feature in the center of town. (See Link 2 for photo of the Pump House.)

This  very weekend  the annual South East Spokane County Fair will be held in Rockford, Washington. All 413 residents plus guests from the Spokane area will be there to join in the festivities. The fair kicks off with a local parade in the town center, up West Emma Street to 1st Street.  The town's people decorate floats and throw candy to the crowd.  Children decorate their bikes.  Preschoolers walk with their moms.  The town's fair grounds near the corner of West Emma Street and 1st Street provides the setting for a petting zoo, farm animals on display, food stands, a covered eating area, a stage with bleacher seating, the Ag Building with displays, booths selling books and homemade crafts, and a few carnival rides.

Thank you: To Evelyn Fricke and Paul Gillespie for information
                         on the Pump House.
Photo: Taken in Rockford, Washington in 2007 by SW.
Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockford,_Washington                      
Link 2: http://rockford-wa.blogspot.com/