50 years ago in Expo history: Fair fears had evolved from not enough visitors to not enough hotel rooms

Now that fears of a gasoline shortage had eased, a different kind of shortage was making travel agents nervous about Expo ’74.

Northwest travel agents warned that the Spokane region did not have enough hotel capacity to handle the millions expected to attend.

“It’s getting so tight on finding rooms in Spokane during the fair, that I’ve told my travel agency employees to shy away from commitments about the exposition,” the head of the Northwest’s travel agents’ association said.

Expo ’74 officials disputed that assertion.

“We’ve said all along we have enough beds for everyone,” Expo’s director of hospitality said. “That doesn’t mean everyone is going to stay in motels and hotels. Some persons will stay in college dormitories or apartments, or will camp out.”

Many would stay with friends and relatives. Yet that was hardly a solution for those who didn’t have people to stay with.

Travel agents warned that large tour operators had already snapped up large blocks of hotel rooms for the entire run of Expo.

This fear, while serious, indicated that another fear – that not enough people would show up – was dissipating.

From 100 years ago: Three inmates escaped from the Spokane County Jail, using a spoon, a squirt gun and a rope made of blankets.

A spoon and a squirt gun?

Yes. Another inmate, who refused to go along with the plan, said they dug their way through a 3-foot brick wall with a spoon “and a piece of squirt gun used to kill cockroaches.”

All three of the escapees were in jail for auto theft, and all three were still on the lam.