US Route 10

By the early 20th century, cars were cheaper than ever and the middle class was demanding new roads. U.S. Route 10 has been known at various times as the Sunset Highway, the Northern Pacific Highway, the Upway Highway, and the Yellowstone Trail. It spans 2,000 miles, starting in Detroit and ending in Seattle. Its route through the Spokane Valley follows modern-day Sprague Parkway, taking visitors through the small communities of Dishman, Opportunity, Villadale and Greennum and east into Idaho.

Motels and restaurants are popping up along the highway, attracting people to stay. Visitors can enjoy delicious meals at facilities like March's Chicken Dinner Inn (4928 E. Sprague), then rest their weary bodies at the Paul Bunyan Motel (4602 E. Sprague). The road is also dotted with at least eight three-story XXX thirst stations. Triple XXX is a brand of root beer produced by Galveston Brewing Company. The buildings were shaped like barrels and in later years sold beer and wine in addition to root beer.

Most of these businesses ended their heyday in the late 1960s, when Interstate 90 rerouted traffic and became used car lots, but one is still open. The Park Lane Motel, formerly known as the Bert Nims Auto Court, still stands at its original location, 4412 East Sprague,

although you are actually on Route 10 when you drive on Sprague Avenue today Driving, but mostly just memories of car trips. You can walk along an original surviving block of U.S. 10 on the Idaho-Washington border as part of the Centennial Trail. As you walk, if you glance to the left of the trail every 100 feet or so, you can see dates that indicate when this section was built, etched into the concrete.