LINCOLN COUNTY, Wash. – This weekend, the Inland Northwest Rail Museum (INWRM) is celebrating the anniversary of Expo by reminding the community about what Spokane looked like before Expo.One way they are teaching that is through a scavenger hunt for kids.In and around the museum, they have to find nine different railroad objects that will teach them about the history of railroads in the area.Items include:Conductor Hat: An actual hat used by a conductor with a metal ID plate above the rim.Caboose Lantern: Lantern donated to the museum taken from a caboose salvage operation used to signal the end of the caboose.Railroad Spike: Spike used to secure track donated to the museum, now painted gold.Great Northern Bell: The actual bell salvaged from a Great Northern steam engine made in the late 1800s.Spike Maul: A glorified hammer of distinctive shape used to drive spikes into railroad ties to hold the rails in place.Telegraph Key: The signaling device used by railroads and Western Union before the electronic age to communicate between trains, depots, and businesses.Locomotive: The #598 will be used as number 7 for the hunt, although several others are on site.Model Train: The museum has a complete model train layout on the second floor that runs during operation hours.Motor Car: A small motorized vehicle available in various sizes used to transport workers up and down the track.As kids find each item, they grab a sticker to fill out their scavenger map. When complete, they get entered into a raffle with a chance to win a model train.Dale Swant with the INWRM says this is an opportunity to teach kids what they might not be learning in school.”You don’t want to forget where your roots are from,” said Swant. “And unfortunately, history isn’t taught like it was when I was a kid. If you don’t go to a museum, you don’t learn about this stuff because they’re not teaching the history of railroads or early history of Spokane very well…”The museum will be teaching the history of railroads in and around Spokane for the duration of Expo’s anniversary.If you want to get involved, tickets are $14 for adults and $7 for kids. You can buy them HERE.
