The year 1889 imprinted itself on Spokane forever and jump-started a change in building trends throughout the city’s downtown core. Spokane had grown from a small settlement in the early 1870s to a center for mining, lumber, agriculture and rail transport by the late 1880s. Then on August 4, 1889 a huge fire consumed the town, destroying 32 city blocks. The tragedy gave rise to a frenetic and unparalleled period of building, and embarked the city on a 30-year cycle of growth and prosperity. This plaque commemorates the location where the fire is theorized to have started when a kitchen fire grew out of control.